CLEVELAND, OH — Cleveland Guardians infielder Brayan Rocchio had four home runs in 343 regular season at-bats this year, but then, something clicked for him in Game 162 this past Sunday against the Texas Rangers when he hit a 10th-inning walk-off homer, which secured the AL Central division for Cleveland.
Fast forward to a tied ballgame three days later on Wednesday at Progressive Field in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers with the score tied up at one in the eighth.
And Rocchio did it again, pulling the ball to right field against Troy Melton for a no-doubt home run, racing out of the ballpark at 96.9-MPH and landing 379 feet from the plate to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead and make the city go ballistic.
Brayan Rocchio made the city of Cleveland go ballistic on one swing of the bat Wednesday afternoon in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series – Image Credit: Larry C. Arreguin/Latino Sports
The Guardians once again outlasted the Tigers on a 6-1 win, forcing a deciding Game 3 on Thursday.
“I’d been lucky to face him (Melton) a couple times in Triple-A,” Rocchio said of the at-bat. “In these situations, you have to tone it down a little bit and keep it simple.”
“We always say we try to always play without pressure. That’s our type of ball. We just play and we realize we’re going to play until the last out. Even if we’re down by ten, we’ll know we’ll continue to try to play that type of ball.”
Leaving 15 runners in scoring position was another major reason the Tigers lost—a MLB record in a postseason game where a team scored two runs or less.
The Detroit Tigers left 15 runners in scoring position in their Game 2 AL Wild Card Series loss Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field – Image Credit: Larry C. Arreguin/Latino Sports
“I feel like it’s super cliché, but honestly, you go one pitch at a time,” said Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who pitched 4 2/3 innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. “If you’ve got to think two, three batters ahead, you’re going to forget what you’re doing in the moment. That’s the thing our bullpen does so good. That’s the thing everyone in our organization does so good.”
Rocchio, 24, of Caracas, Venezuela, was viewed as a very strong prospect and was ranked third in the Guardians system by MLB Pipeline this season as well as 91st overall in 2024. He signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2017 for a total of $125,000.
He left spring training with the Guardians and made their 2025 Opening Day roster after playing 143 games with them in 2024, however, Rocchio’s low point of the season came on May 12, 2025 when was sent down to the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers.
After a difficult season in the pros and in Triple-A, Brayan Rocchio has had a week for the ages with two clutch home runs (one to clinch the AL Central division for Cleveland this past Sunday and the other to give the Guardians the lead on Wednesday) – Image Credit: Larry C. Arreguin/Latino Sports
Taking nearly two months for him to be recalled to the big league club on July 1st, he hit just five home runs, compiled 44 RBI, stole eight bases, and had a season slash line of .233/.290/.340 in 344 at-bats. The fact Rocchio was able to shake that off and hit the biggest home run of the season against the right-hander Melton speaks volumes about his resiliency.
Cleveland’s catcher Bo Naylor, who put the game on ice with a three-run homer in the eighth, making it 6-1, also did not have a good season. Though he does have an OPS of .872 and three home runs since Sept. 1st.
“It was huge, an 0-2 count and Rocchio was ready to fire,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame on the two eighth inning home runs. “The last couple innings were not easy to see. Our guys jumped on (Troy) Melton pretty well and Bo with such an unbelievable bat off (Brant) Hurter. For us, it was a frustrating day offensively for us. Two hits leading into the eighth. For our guys to explode and get separation felt good.”
Naylor, asked by the media how he was able to keep up belief in himself despite a difficult season, said, “Leaning on my teammates. I think that goes back to the vibes we keep in the clubhouse. And in the dugout, just staying positive, knowing that we’re always in it and never quitting. Like that reflects how my season’s been to this point too, just understanding that there’s a lot of games to be played.”
Opening up the scoring in Game 2 was Guardians outfielder George Valera, a Queens, New York native, who moved to the Dominican Republic when he was 13 to give himself a better opportunity to sign with a professional team.
George Valera put the Guardians on the board first in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland – Image Credit: Larry C. Arreguin/Latino Sports
Ultimately, his plan worked as the Guardians signed him as an international free agent out of the D.R. in 2017 for $1.3M.
Now, looking ahead, it’s all on the line, as Cleveland will be ready to try to will its team past Detroit one final time Thursday in a winner take all Game 3.
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
