Jordan Diaz

The stage was set for Oakland Athletics rookie Jordan Diaz to play hero on Friday night - and the rookie stepped up in a big way. The 22-year-old was told to grab a bat in the top of the ninth, a pinch-hit opportunity against Texas Rangers reliever Will Smith, and connected on a 1-2 slider that soared over the wall in left field. "I'm just happy to hit my first home run in the big leagues, especially a game-winner," Diaz said. "I'm happy because I helped my team win. That's always what I want to do."