Santana homer in 10th, 5 RBIs lift Indians over Pirates 6-3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carlos Santana hit a towering, three-run homer in the 10th inning and drove in a career high-tying five runs to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

With one out and the score tied at 3, Santana’s drive sailed high over the foul pole and landed at the top of the left field rotunda at PNC Park. The Pirates argued that the ball had curved foul, but the umpire’s call stood following a video review.

Santana used some body English in hopes the ball stayed fair.

“Yeah, I waited for the umpire to say fair,” Santana said. “When he said fair, I was happy with that.”

The review took two minutes and 35 seconds, making for some anxious moments in the Indians’ dugout.

“The ball was hit so far over the pole that you couldn’t tell,” said first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., serving as acting manager while Terry Francona is sidelined by a gastrointestinal illness. “It could have gone either way. The way I saw it, it looked like it was hugging the foul pole. Too far up there to tell. But it seemed to me like it was a fair ball.”

The Pirates felt the umpires in the replay center in New York got the call wrong.

“I definitely didn’t have as good as angle as the umpire did, but from my angle it definitely looked foul,” shortstop Kevin Newman said.

Cleveland won its fourth straight game and for the ninth time in 12 games. At 4-15, Pittsburgh has the worst record in the major leagues.

Cesar Hernandez began in the inning as the automatic runner at second base. One out later, Francisco Lindor walked and then Santana connected off Sam Howard (1-1) for his second home run of the season.

The Pirates had a chance to win it in the ninth when they put runners and first and second with no outs. But...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Santana-homer-in-10th-5-RBIs-lift-Indians-over-15494288.php