Kyle McGrath, through seven innings, fashioned a perfect start. Jose Pirela and Aderlin Rodriguez wrote a perfect ending in extra innings after it all came undone.
Rodriguez’s two-run homer in the 10th inning allowed Triple-A El Paso to salvage a 6-3 win at Omaha on Sunday, one that began with the 26-year-old McGrath sitting down the first 21 batters in order in just his fourth start of the season.
A reliever since he was drafted by the Padres in the 36th round in 2014 and when he made his MLB debut in 2017, the left-handed McGrath struck out six before the first three batters in the eighth reached.