MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-14
5. Travis d’Arnaud, Tampa Bay Rays, 46 percent
When last we mentioned Travis d’Arnaud, he was singling to set up Nate Lowe’s go-ahead home run against the Yankees in St. Petersburg Saturday. It was d’Arnaud’s second hit of the day; he had driven in Tampa Bay’s first run in the second inning with his first base hit.
But beating the New York Yankees is rarely that easy. In the eighth, Rays reliever Oliver Drake walked Brett Gardner, who stole second, only to die there. Then in the ninth inning, Drake retired D.J. LeMahieu and Aaron Judge before Kevin Cash decided Drake had thrown enough and called on Colin Poche to get the final out.
That supposed final out was Aaron Hicks, who made Cash and Poche pay for the strategy. Hicks homered into the left field seats to re-tie the game.
Yanks manager Aaron Boone summoned Chad Green to nurse the game into extra innings. But d’Arnaud was having none of it. After Kevin Kiermaier grounded out and Willy Adames singled, d’Arnaud lined Green’s first pitch over the wall in right-center for a two-run, walk-off game winner.
The hit evened the series and gave Tampa Bay a chance for a badly needed series victory entering the All Star break Sunday.