Walk-off home runs were the theme of the night Friday.
In an action-packed slate of Friday games, there were a whopping FOUR walk-off home runs across Major League Baseball. That’s tied for the second-most walk-off homers in a single day, trailing only the five on May 28, 2004.
Here’s a quick rundown of the four walk-off home runs, in chronological order.
Bryan Reynolds, Pirates vs. Twins
There were several impressive home runs in Friday’s battle between the Pirates and Twins. Minnesota’s Kody Clemens clubbed a first-inning homer against a 100.3 mph fastball from Jared Jones, the fastest pitch hit for a home run this season. Oneil Cruz (a Statcast-projected 450 feet) and Trevor Larnach (a Statcast-projected 424 feet) both hit home runs into the Allegheny River.
But Reynolds took the cake with his walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning. Trailing 5-4 entering the ninth inning, Reynolds flipped the script by giving the Buccos a dramatic 6-5 comeback win. It was his second career walk-off homer and his first since Aug. 3, 2022, against the Brewers.
Miguel Vargas, White Sox vs. Tigers
Less than 30 minutes later, Vargas had his own dramatic walk-off home run in front of 30,019 fans at Chicago’s Rate Field. After tying the game in the ninth inning, Detroit took the lead in the top of the 10th. Vargas was having none of it, as he sent the Chicago faithful into a frenzy with a two-run shot into the left-center-field bleachers for a 4-3 win.
It was the 13th home run for Vargas in what has been a huge breakout season. Vargas is just one of many reasons why the White Sox have vaulted back into contention again.
MJ Melendez, Mets vs. Marlins
Roughly five minutes after Vargas’ homer, Melendez had his own two-run homer in the 10th inning to secure a win for his club. To cap off an epic 9-7 victory, Melendez hit a Statcast-projected 373-foot homer into the upper deck in right at Citi Field. It wasn’t just Melendez’s first career walk-off home run -- it was his first walk-off hit in the Majors.
Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies vs. Giants
Tovar continued the walk-off homer magic in what might have been the craziest final frame of any of these games. The Rockies trailed the Giants 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth inning. Colorado’s Hunter Goodman tied the score with a three-run homer that hooked just inside the left-field foul pole. Three batters later, Tovar ended the game with a two-run walk-off homer for an 8-6 Rockies win, giving Tovar his first career walk-off home run and fourth game-ending hit.