Rookie Óscar González broke up the longest scoreless postseason game in major-league history with a leadoff home run in the 15th inning, giving the Cleveland Guardians a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday and a two-game wild-card series sweep.
González drove a 1-0 cutter from Corey Kluber — the 432nd pitch in the nearly five-hour game — over the 19-foot wall in left-center to touch off a wild celebration at Progressive Field.
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As González rounded the bases and his teammates gathered near the plate, the sellout crowd of 34,971 shook the ballpark as the Guardians’ surprise season turned more storybook.
The Guardians, the youngest team in the majors, open the best-of-five Division Series on Tuesday against the AL East champion Yankees in New York.
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The Guardians defied odds all year, unexpectedly winning the AL Central going away, then swept the more experienced Rays.
The Rays were bounced quickly from their fourth straight postseason appearance. They finished the season with seven straight losses and managed just one run and nine hits in the series.
The game was the longest in Cleveland postseason history.
