Yermin Mercedes doesn’t need to swing 3-0 to walk off the Tigers (Video)

Yermin Mercedes’ storybook season got even better with a walk-off hit for the Chicago White Sox to beat the Detroit Tigers.

The start to Mercedes’ season was downright historic, then he rapidly crashed back down to Earth. Yet, through 184 at-bats, Mercedes is hitting .299 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs.

Perhaps even more impressive than Mercedes first two months of the season is how he’s dealt with controversy. Mercedes broke the “unwritten rules” of baseball in May, and was called out by his own manager, Tony La Russa. Whether La Russa’s tactics were warranted is debatable, but Mercedes has bounced back considerably since then, and handled the media with class.

White Sox: Wild Detroit Tigers comeback falls short thanks to Yermin Mercedes

Mercedes took advantage of a poorly-placed Jose Cisnero pitch, lacing it to left field past the infield. The Tigers also lost Spencer Turnbull in this game to a potential injury. Turnbull famously threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners earlier this year.

A six-run seventh inning put the Tigers in prime position to steal a game at Guaranteed Rate Field. Instead, Mercedes played spoiler. Chicago is in first place in the AL Central, holding a four-game lead over the Cleveland Indians and five-game lead over the Kansas City Royals.