MILWAUKEE -- The odds are nobody has seen everything the game of baseball has to offer. From a pair of intentional walks with nobody on base to both of the next day's scheduled starting pitchers pinch-hitting, Tuesday night's 10-inning affair at Miller Park was full of oddities.
But the Milwaukee Brewers saved the strangest thing of all for last: A starting pitcher delivered a walk-off hit to prevent back-to-back disheartening losses.
All out of position players on the bench, Yovani Gallardo came off Milwaukee's bench and drove a 2-0 fastball from T.J. McFarland into the left-center gap to score Mark Reynolds from first to give the Brewers a 7-6 victory.
"You can't write a script like that," Reynolds said. "It was pretty cool."
Gallardo, now a career .204 hitter, became the first pitcher in baseball with a pinch-hit walk-off hit since Glendon Rusch did it for the Brewers back on April 19, 2003.
"I was just trying to hit a ball that was out over the plate," Gallardo said. "When he fell behind 2-0 I tried to put a good swing on it. I wanted to put the ball in play and see what happens. I think the pitch wasn't where he wanted it, I'm pretty sure. I made good contact.
"It's pretty exciting so it's definitely something I'll never forget."
What Gallardo's game-winning hit did was erase the possibility of the Brewers dropping a second straight game after holding a comfortable lead. After being an out away from a win Monday, Milwaukee led 5-0 on Tuesday before watching its lead evaporate.
The Orioles pulled within 5-3 in the sixth and took the lead on Steve Pearce's three-run home run off Matt Garza in the seventh. Jean Segura made a key error to extend the inning, leaving all three of the runs plated on Pearce's home run as unearned.
Milwaukee came just a few inches away from taking the lead in the eighth inning, as Reynolds hit a bullet right at third baseman Manny Machado with the bases loaded and one out. Continuing the trend of Tuesday's game being crazy, the Brewers then tied the game in the ninth on a two-out dribbler of an infield single by Jonathan Lucroy.
"We needed the win," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "It was tough. We had the lead, it was tough giving it up for Garza there. I'm glad it worked out. Goofy things happen. Reynolds hits a bullet at the third baseman and he catches it then Luc chops one down the third-base line and we get a run. This game is just weird."
Knowing the Brewers were out of position players, Orioles manager Buck Showalter chose to intentionally walk Reynolds with two outs and nobody on in the 10th. Just a half inning prior, Roenicke intentionally walked Orioles slugger Chris Davis with two outs and bases clear -- after Francisco Rodriguez fell behind 3-1-- to face the light-hitting David Lough.
Anticipating the situation, a couple of Milwaukee's pitchers went to the cage to get loose with the help of Irving Falu.
"All four of us were pretty much ready," said Gallardo, who was 0-for-6 as a pinch hitter in his career before Tuesday. "We work on it for that type of situation. That's one of the reasons we're out there hitting every day before the position players. You never know whether it be simply getting the bunt down or whatever it may be."
Unfortunately for the Orioles, Roenicke went with Gallardo, who is set to start Wednesday night's series finale.
"I was hoping (Gallardo) had gone home to get ready for tomorrow," Showalter said. "We knew he was over there."
Just as Monday's game went from a potential victory to a crushing defeat in a matter of moments, the opposite happened Tuesday for the Brewers. What could have been another somber clubhouse turned into a lively celebration of a rare moment.
"A lot of curse words," Garza said of his reaction to Gallardo's hit. "I think if there were kids in here I would have had to yell 'earmuffs' first. I was pumped. We ran out of players so a pitcher did it."
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