Mason Miller needed just nine pitches to get get three outs in the top of the ninth inning, which allowed the San Diego Padres to come to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied 1-1 and a chance to get a walk-off win over the New York Yankees. The Padres sent had the heart of the order coming up, which was ideal if they were hoping for one of the big bats to put an end to the game. Manny Machado lined out, but Ty France followed with a double into the left field corner and was lifted for pinch-runner Jase Bowen. Jackson Merrill lined a ball into left that had Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger twisting and turning, but somehow he made the catch and Bowen was unable to advance. A passed ball with Austin Hays at the plate allowed Bowen to move to third base, but Hays eventually struck out to squander the scoring chance and end the inning.
Miller returned to the mound for the top of the 10th inning and immediately surrendered the go ahead run when Spencer Jones lined a ball into center field. Merrill fielded the ball and throw toward the plate but the ball sailed over the cutoff man before it reached Luis Campusano at home and the run scored. Worse yet, the throw allowed Jones to advance to second base with no outs. Miller struck out Heliot Ramos and Jones tried to steal third, but was thrown out by Campusano for a double play. On replay it appeared Jones got his foot to the bag before Machado applied the tag, but New York manager Aaron Boone chose not to challenge the play. Miller ended the inning with a strikeout of Jazz Chisholm.
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San Diego started the bottom of the 10th trailing for the first time in the game, but had an automatic runner on second base in Hays. The Padres have struggled mightily with runners in scoring position over their recent skid, but they would have three opportunities to get Hays home to tie the game. It did not look promising when Xander Bogaerts led off the inning with a strikeout, which did not allow Hays to advance. Campusano followed Bogaerts and put an end to the worries of the Friar Faithful and the game when he connected on a first-pitch sinker that he hit deep into the left field bleachers for a two-run walk-off home run giving San Diego a 3-2 win over New York in the first game of their three-game series at Petco Park on Friday.
It was a perfect ending to a game that was impacted many times by Campusano. The catcher threw out two would be base stealers at second base, one in the top of the second inning and one in the top of the fifth inning, before he threw out Jones in the 10th. Campusano also singled in the bottom of the second inning before providing the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th. He finished his night at the plate 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. France also had a two-hit game while Machado and Bogaerts each chipped in with a hit to account for the six San Diego hits.
Lost in the excitement of the walk-off win was the start turned in by Walker Buehler. He had another solid and efficient outing. Buehler completed five innings and allowed one run on just three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. The one run came on a solo home run by Ben Rice in the top of the third inning, which tied the game at 1-1. Buehler needed just 76 pitches to get through his outing.
Perhaps the walk-off win and the hometown crowd can energize the Padres and propel them to another win over the Yankees when they meet for the second game of the series today at 4:15 p.m.
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