Cincinnati Reds win on walk-off balk for second time in franchise history

Tyler Naquin was lifted into the air by some of his Cincinnati Reds teammates after their walk-off win Friday, but all he did was wait for the next pitch.

After a pitcher's duel between Luis Castillo and Shane McClanahan produced no clear winner, the Reds outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays for a bizarre 2-1 walk-off win in 10 innings. The game ended on a balk called against Rays reliever Matt Wisler with pinch-runner Mark Kolozsvary advancing from third for the game-winning run at Great American Ball Park.

It was the 23rd time a team won a game on a walk-off balk since 1920, according to Elias Sports Bureau, and the second time it's happened in Reds history to the delight of the crowd of 26,529. A balk by Ernie Broglio helped the Reds to a win over the Chicago Cubs on April 28, 1965.

"You don’t expect to end a ballgame like that," said Rays Manager Kevin Cash. It was the first MLB game to end on a balk since 2018.

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Wisler, running through the signs with his catcher in a 1-2 count vs. Naquin with one out, tapped his glove on his leg to ask for another pitch selection and he was immediately called for a balk. Fireworks went off as Kolozsvary jogged to the plate and Reds players streamed out of the dugout.

Cash went onto the field to speak with the umpires, but the call is not reviewable. When Kolozsvary was asked whether it was a balk, he responded, "I have no idea."

Before the balk-off, it was shortstop Kyle Farmer who played the hero in the extra inning. With runners on the corners and no outs in the top of the 10th inning, Farmer fielded a ground ball and threw out a runner at the plate.

"I owe him a drink," Reds pitcher Joel Kuhnel said.

"You can strategize all you want," Bell said. "I try to put guys in the right position, a lot going into that. It really comes down to players making plays."

Farmer completed the top half of the inning with an unassisted double play after catching a soft line drive behind the second-base bag.

The Reds went the first three months of the season without a walk-off win and now they have three in the last six days.

The pitcher’s duel between Castillo, the top pitcher available on the trade market this month, and McClanahan, the favorite to start for the American League in the All-Star Game, was remarkably even.

Castillo pitched one more inning (seven to six) and gave up one more hit (four to three). They matched each other in strikeouts (eight) and McClanahan issued one more walk (two to one).

"If there are a better couple pitchers in baseball," Reds Manager David Bell said, "I don’t know who they are."

Castillo was effective with his fastball, changeup and slider, but a gritty Rays lineup didn’t make anything easy on him. Castillo totaled eight strikeouts, but six of them came against the bottom three hitters in Tampa’s batting order.

Tampa struck first in the pitcher’s duel. Yandy Díaz, the leadoff hitter, lined a double down the right-field line and scored on Ji-Man Choi’s two-out line-drive single up the middle in the third inning.

Castillo, who stranded two runners in the first inning, regrouped and retired 13 of his final 14 batters after Choi’s single lined past him on the mound. Castillo’s last pitch, the 108th time he uncorked his right arm, was a 98-mph fastball for an inning-ending strikeout.

"The fastball was located very well all night and through my past outings," Castillo said through team interpreter Jorge Merlos. "I’ve been able to pinpoint it where I want."

It’s one thing that Castillo possesses three electric pitches, but his teammates are in awe of his steadiness.

"He doesn’t get intimidated by anybody," Farmer said. "Just out there having fun."

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At least a few teams had scouts watching Castillo’s latest start, including the San Diego Padres. The Reds, who have the second-worst record in the National League, will field offers throughout the month and look for a package of players that can speed up their rebuild.

Castillo, who missed the first month of the season with a shoulder strain, has permitted two runs in his last 20 innings. In this three-start stretch, he’s compiled 25 strikeouts and a 0.90 ERA.

"We knew it was going to be a battle against McClanahan," Brandon Drury said. "I liked our chances. Any time Castillo is on the mound, you always have a good chance to win."

The Reds responded to their one-run deficit in the bottom half of the third inning. In a 3-0 count, Drury rocketed a 95-mph fastball to the facing of the second deck in left field for his team-leading 18th home run of the season.

Drury has put two balls in play in 3-0 counts this year and both are homers.

"He was throwing a lot of offspeed all night," Drury said. "I just thought that was going to be, maybe, my only opportunity that at-bat to get a fastball."

Farmer added: "Drury got a ball over the heart of the plate and that was the only ball he threw over the heart of the plate all night."

The left-handed McClanahan, who owns a 1.73 ERA through 17 starts, hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in any of his last six outings. The Reds had only one more hit following Drury's homer, but it was, incredibly, a balk that put them over the top.

“It is bizarre,” Cash said. “I’ve never seen that before.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds beat Rays on walk-off balk, Luis Castillo dominant in duel