Michael Brantley doubled home Francisco Lindor with two outs in the 10th inning as the Cleveland Indians celebrated their 2016 American League championship and then beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1, in their home opener on Tuesday.
Brantley could only watch and cheer for his teammates last October during their postseason run after undergoing two surgeries on his right shoulder. But he’s healthy now, and after playing in just 11 games last season, Brantley made the most of his first home game since May 10 with his game-winning hit.
Lindor walked with two outs off Tommy Kahnle (0-1) before Brantley sliced a 3-and-2 pitch down the left-field line. Lindor was running on the pitch and scored easily while Brantley danced around second base before being mobbed by his teammates.
It was the dramatic ending the Indians didn’t get in their last home game, a 10-inning loss to the Cubs in Game 7 of the World Series. Cleveland led the majors with 11 walkoff wins last season.
Bryan Shaw (1-0), who took the loss when the Cubs won their first title in 108 years, got the win.
Lindor homered in the first and the Indians missed a couple of late scoring chances as newly signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion twice grounded into inning-ending double plays with the bases loaded.
Todd Frazier homered for the White Sox.
Carlos Carrasco, who also missed the Indians’ postseason run with a broken right hand, allowed just one run and four hits in seven innings. It was his first start at home since Sept. 17, when he was struck by a line drive hit by Detroit’s Ian Kinsler.
Frazier came in batting just .059 (1 for 17) and without an extra-base hit before doubling in the second inning and then tying it in the fifth with his homer off Carrasco.
Tigers 2, Twins 1 — Matthew Boyd allowed one hit in six outstanding innings, and James McCann homered in the fifth to lift host Detroit.
Boyd (1-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth before Robbie Grossman broke it up by lining a clean single to left field with two outs. The lefthander struck out six and walked two before turning over the game to the bullpen.
Tiger relievers have struggled so far this season, but they were able to close this game out.
Francisco Rodriguez allowed a run in the ninth but recovered for his third save in four chances.
Pinch hitter Max Kepler hit a popup with two on to end it.
Hector Santiago (1-1) allowed only three hits in 6⅓ innings, but one of them was a two-run shot by McCann.
Boyd recovered nicely after giving up five runs in 2⅓ innings in his first start of the season against the White Sox last week.
The Tigers picked him over the more experienced Anibal Sanchez for a spot in the rotation, and they’ll hope this start was more indicative of what he'll provide going forward.
Detroit pulled even with the Twins atop the AL Central and has won four of five.
McCann, who hit 12 home runs last season, has provided some power for the Tigers in the early going with Miguel Cabrera struggling. His one-out drive to left in the fifth gave Detroit a 2-0 lead. It was his third homer of the year.
Jason Castro hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth for Minnesota, but right fielder Mikie Mahtook made a nice play to cut off the ball in the gap and prevent him from going to second.
Pinch hitter Joe Mauer followed with a bloop single to left, but Rodriguez retired Eddie Rosario on a fly out before Kepler’s pop out.
Mets 14, Phillies 4 — Yoenis Cespedes hit three of New York’s seven homers to back Matt Harvey (2-0), who departed the game in the sixth inning with tightness in his left hamstring.
Phillies starter Clay Buchholz (0-1) also exited because of an injury, a strained right forearm. He gave up six runs and eight hits in 2⅓ innings.
Lucas Duda hit two homers and Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis d’Arnaud also went deep for New York, which has 46 homers in its last 21 games at Citizens Bank Park.
Cespedes fell down on a wild swing on the first pitch he saw, then hit a three-run homer to straightaway center field off Buchholz in the first inning. He connected to deep left in the fourth off Adam Morgan and drove another one way out to left in the fifth against Morgan.
Marlins 8, Braves 4 — Marcell Ozuna homered twice and had a career-high six RBIs to help Miami win its home opener.
Announced attendance was 36,519, and that didn’t include a cat that ran onto the field midway through the game.
Ozuna hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, a three-run homer in the third, and a two-run homer in the fifth, doubling his season RBI total and hiking his average to .423. The two-homer game was the second of his career.
Brewers 4, Blue Jays 3 — Keon Broxton and Domingo Santana hit solo home runs, Wily Peralta pitched six innings for his second victory in two starts, and Milwaukee beat Toronto, which lost its sixth straight home opener.
Troy Tulowitzki went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, but the last-place Blue Jays fell to 1-6, the worst start in franchise history. Three of Toronto’s six losses have been one-run decisions.
The Blue Jays have not won a home opener since beating Minnesota in 2011.
Toronto’s misfiring offense was without one of its biggest threats in third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was held out of the starting lineup with a sore right calf. The 2015 AL MVP, who left Sunday’s loss at Tampa Bay, came on as a pinch hitter in the ninth and struck out on a 3-2 pitch for the second out.
Peralta (2-0) allowed three runs and five hits. He walked four and struck out seven.
Nationals 8, Cardinals 3 — Daniel Murphy homered, doubled twice, and tied career highs with five RBIs and four hits as Washington defeated visiting St. Louis.
Matt Wieters and Jayson Werth also hit solo shots to help the Nationals earn a second victory of this home series.
Bryce Harper walked three times to reach base in nine straight plate appearances, tying a career high set last season.
Reds 6, Pirates 2 — Scooter Gennett homered for the second straight night and finished with three hits, helping Cincinnati overcome a 1-hour-17-minute rain delay and the early departure of injured righthanded starter Rookie Davis to beat host Pittsburgh for its sixth win in seven games.
Gennett capped the scoring with a three-run drive in the eighth inning off Trevor Williams.
Davis left in the fifth inning with a bruised right forearm after being struck by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Jameson Taillon.
He worked four innings in his second major league start, allowing a run, two hits and four walks while striking out three.
Drew Storen (1-0) pitched the sixth for the win and Raisel Iglesias closed up shop for his third save.
Juan Nicasio (0-1) allowed a run in the seventh for Pittsburgh.
Rockies 3, Padres 2 — Nolan Arenado hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh, Antonio Senzatela threw seven sharp innings for his first major league win, and Colorado beat San Diego in Denver.
Arenado lined a fastball from reliever Miguel Diaz (1-1) to right for his third homer. Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon also hit solo shots to help Colorado knot the three-game series with San Diego at a game apiece.
The Rockies have a chance to win their third straight series to start the season, a feat only accomplished in team history by the 1995 squad.
Senzatela (1-0) and his blazing fastball made things difficult for the Padres. He allowed two runs while striking out five. The Rockies’ reliable bullpen took it from there, with Adam Ottavino striking out the side in the eighth and Greg Holland working his way around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his fifth save.
. . .
Anthony Rizzo hit a game-winning single off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, and the Cubs beat the Dodgers, 3-2, on Monday night after raising a World Series championship banner for the first time at Wrigley Field.
Pinch hitter Jon Jay started the decisive rally with a leadoff single against Sergio Romo (0-1). With two outs and Jay on third, Rizzo sliced a 1-1 pitch from Jansen into left field for his first RBI this season.
Wade Davis (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for his first win with the Cubs, who blew a 2-0 lead before a dramatic victory in their rain-delayed home opener.
