Rocchio stuns White Sox with 2nd career walk-off HR in AL Central thriller

CLEVELAND — The Guardians and White Sox entered Thursday leading the Majors in one-run games played. Cleveland had played 28 such contests to Chicago’s 27, three of which came during their three-game series on the South Side last week.

Did you expect something different on Thursday, when these clubs renewed their rivalry in the opener of a four-game series during which first place in the AL Central division is on the line?

Brayan Rocchio belted a walk-off two-run home run to send the Guardians to a 6-5 win over the White Sox at Progressive Field.

Rocchio got a first-pitch four-seamer from Chicago’s Grant Taylor and crushed it a Statcast-projected 380 feet down the right-field line. It marked his second career walk-off homer, following Sept. 28 last season — in Game 162 as Cleveland celebrated winning the AL Central division title.

Starter Slade Cecconi was charged with five runs on nine hits and one walk over five-plus innings. He kept the White Sox off the board through four innings, before Chicago tagged him for three runs on four doubles in the fifth.

Cecconi was sent back out for the sixth. He allowed a leadoff double to Braden Montgomery and a home run to Chase Meidroth, which ended his night.