Christian Walker played a crucial role in leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a thrilling extra-inning victory over the San Diego Padres. The game took place on a Saturday night at Petco Park in San Diego, California.
In the top of the 10th inning, with Corbin Carroll placed at second base to start the inning, Geraldo Perdomo bunted for a hit, and a mishandling by Padres reliever Wandy Peralta loaded the bases. Pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk walked to keep the bases loaded, and then Christian Walker delivered a two-run single, breaking the tie and putting the Diamondbacks ahead.
Jake McCarthy added another run later in the inning on a fielder’s choice grounder. This strong offensive performance helped Arizona secure a 7-5 victory over the Padres, evening the series and handing San Diego only its second loss in the last 12 home games.
Pitcher Ryan Thompson was instrumental in securing the win for the Diamondbacks, as he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and earned the victory. Humberto Castellanos closed out the game by getting the final two outs of the 10th inning, earning his first career save.
The Padres fought hard to force extra innings, with Ha-Seong Kim hitting a clutch RBI double in the eighth inning to tie the game. However, they fell short in the 10th inning, leaving the bases loaded after scoring one run.
Both teams had strong offensive showings throughout the game. The Padres took an early lead in the first inning when Manny Machado singled home Luis Arraez. The Diamondbacks responded in the second inning with a timely RBI single from Kevin Newman.
Lourdes Gurriel’s 13th home run of the year in the fourth inning put the Diamondbacks ahead for the first time in the game. They extended their lead with runs in the seventh inning courtesy of Jose Herrera’s RBI double and Geraldo Perdomo’s run-scoring triple.
The Padres mounted a comeback in the seventh inning with Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth delivering RBI hits to tie the game. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t overcome the Diamondbacks in extra innings.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision, with the Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt leaving the game after being struck in the leg by a line drive. He pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing just one run. San Diego’s Matt Waldron also had a solid outing, allowing three runs in six-plus innings of work.
Overall, it was an exciting and hard-fought game between the Diamondbacks and the Padres, with Christian Walker’s clutch hit ultimately deciding the outcome in favor of Arizona.