It was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.
Top prospect Christian Moore tied the game with a solo homer in the eighth inning, only for the mood to shift when shortstop Zach Neto exited with a right shoulder injury in the ninth. But Moore had the last word, blasting a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th to hand the Angels a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Moore, ranked No. 1 in the Angels’ system and 53rd overall by MLB Pipeline, hit his first career walk-off and his first multi-homer game. The final blow came after Boston had scored in the top of the 10th. Moore now has three homers since debuting on 13 June.
He became the first player in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to record multiple game-tying or go-ahead homers in the eighth or later, including a walk-off, within his first three career home runs.
“It was definitely huge,” Moore said. “If you look at my numbers before today, they weren’t too good. I think that’s just part of it, being young and just trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of good arms in this league. But I’m finding my way.”
Moore’s first homer tied the game at 1-1. Neto followed with a single but injured his shoulder sliding into second. He stayed on but misfielded a grounder in the ninth, then left the game after a visit from the team’s medical staff.
Neto had surgery on the same shoulder last November and missed the start of the season. He will undergo further testing.
“It’s feeling good, but I mean, it’s not great,” Neto said. “We’re gonna see how I feel tomorrow morning, and hopefully, I come in feeling great and I’m in the lineup. There’s always a concern [with it] being the shoulder I just had my surgery on but I’m gonna be hopeful.”
Despite the injury blow, the Angels can take heart in Moore’s emergence. He had already hit a crucial game-tying homer last week against the Astros, though they lost in extra innings.
“I didn’t say he couldn’t hit,” acting manager Ray Montgomery said with a smile. “We talked about him in those big moments before he got here. And those were two really special ABs. And then to do that in that situation was really fun.”
“I saw on Twitter that it was a year ago today we won in Omaha,” Moore said. “The Angels saw something in me in last year’s Draft. And they continue to see something in me and I’m gonna keep trying to go out there and win games.”
“He’s a special player,” Neto said. “Watching that was pretty cool. He’s gonna be here for a long time. Man, for him to be able to do that in the eighth inning, be able to tie the game up with that swing and have the confidence to do it again in 10th just shows the player he is.”
Christian Moore tied it in the 8th
NOW HE WINS IT IN THE 10th #WALKOFF pic.twitter.com/izTJaSiOtu
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
Photo: Gene Wang/Getty Images
