ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Zach Neto delivered the first walk-off hit of his career in the 10th inning on Friday night, but it was the Los Angeles Angels shortstop’s improvisational play in the top of the inning that was most responsible for a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn walked Cole Young to open the 10th, putting two on with no outs for Seattle leadoff man J.P. Crawford, who bunted a ball over the head of charging third baseman Kevin Newman.
Neto raced to his right, staying a few steps ahead of automatic runner Ben Williamson. He fielded the ball and flipped it with his glove hand to Zeferjahn, who barely kept his foot on the third-base bag for a forceout.
Zeferjahn then got Julio Rodríguez, who hit solo homers in the first and sixth innings, to fly out and struck out major league home run leader Cal Raleigh looking with a 99-mph fastball to preserve a 2-2 tie.
“We knew he wanted to get the bunt down, and when I saw it go over Newman’s head, I was just trying to make a play,” Neto said. “I knew I beat Williamson down the line, and it was just a matter of getting it out of my glove and in the direction of third base.”
Newman said he felt helpless when he saw Crawford’s bunt sail over his head. He figured the Mariners had just loaded the bases with no outs.
“That’s like the last scenario on your mind,” Newman said. “You’re ready to charge and come down and then to have a ball go up over your head … I mean, he put it in a really great spot. Thank God that Neto’s an athlete and Zef is an athlete, and they were able to make that play like that.”
Newman saw Neto charging toward the ball, but did he have any idea Zeferjahn went behind his back to cover third?
“No clue,” Newman said. “I saw Zach charging, and I’m like, ’OK, Zach’s got the play in front of him, so there’s no point in me going to third — I’ll just let him take it. And then I see him get the ball and flip it to Zef, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we got the out.’ Awesome.”
Zeferjahn, who improved to 6-3 with the win, said the play changed the whole complexion of the inning.
“I was struggling a little bit, and that gave me a little bit of confidence to go out there and get the next two guys,” Zeferjahn said. “That’s an unbelievable play by Zach. I think it won us the game.”
Logan O’Hoppe opened the bottom of the 10th with a fly ball to deep center that advanced Newman, the automatic runner, to third. LaMonte Wade Jr. walked, and Luis Rengifo grounded into a fielder’s choice, Newman getting tagged out in a rundown between third and home.
But Neto, with the crowd chanting his name, poked an opposite-field grounder off the glove of the diving Young at second base and into right field to cap his bobblehead night with a game-winning RBI single.
“Yeah, it was pretty special,” Neto said. “I think the baseball gods were on our side tonight.”
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