The Arizona Diamondbacks were staring at a loss Tuesday night, one out away from defeat and trailing the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Then Torey Lovullo turned to rookie center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt, and the move changed everything.
With a runner already on base, Waldschmidt stepped in as Arizona’s last chance against Cubs closer Jacob Webb. He didn’t waste the opportunity. Waldschmidt jumped on a hanging slider and drove it over the left field wall, turning a near-loss into a 5-4 walk-off win at Chase Field.
The blast added another eye-catching line to what is starting to look like a very real knack for big moments. According to OptaSTATS on X, Waldschmidt became the first rookie in MLB history to hit two walk-off home runs in the same calendar month while trailing.
His other one came on August 7, when Arizona was down 3-2 and Waldschmidt homered off Edwin Diaz to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That earlier shot may have been enough to convince Lovullo to trust him again on Tuesday. Waldschmidt entered the night with only two home runs and a .719 OPS, which made him an unconventional choice in that spot. But the Diamondbacks put the game in his hands anyway, and the 23-year-old delivered.
Waldschmidt has already given Arizona useful depth in the outfield. Now he’s doing something more dangerous for opponents: making himself look like the guy you want up when the game is hanging by a thread.
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