David Fry’s walk-off hit lifts Guardians over Braves in extra innings

Cleveland Guardians’ Amed Rosario jumps as he runs toward home plate on a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Amed Rosario, David Fry and the Guardians took down the hottest team in baseball, beating the Atlanta Braves 6-5 in extra innings Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

It first took Myles Straw’s defense in center field. With one out in the 10th and the free runner on third base, Eddie Rosario lined a ball into center. Straw caught it for the second out and then threw out Sam Hilliard at the plate, with his throw to catcher David Fry beating him by several steps.

In the bottom of the 10th, with two outs and the winning run on third, Fry drilled a ball over Rosario to the warning track in left field to win it.

The Guardians (42-43) took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on Rosario’s two-run single. In the sixth, trailing 4-2, Rosario added a solo home run to cut the Braves’ lead to one.

An inning later, with Tyler Freeman on second base, Steven Kwan tied with a single down the right-field line.

Kwan then stole second, beating the throw after a pitch-out by the Braves (57-28). That led to Rosario, who put the Guardians back on top with a single through the right side of the infield.

But the Braves tied it in the ninth when Ozzie Albies hit a lead-off home run off struggling Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, who blew his seventh save.

Shane Bieber didn’t give up a hit until the fourth, but he also couldn’t escape the fifth inning.

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After breezing through the first four innings, the wheels fell off for Bieber, who was hit with a four-run fifth inning. He finished with those four earned runs in 4⅔ innings to go with four strikeouts and a career high five walks.

The outing continued a trend in which in three of his last four outings have featured rough exits after strong starts.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians defeat Atlanta Braves in 10 innings