Christian Cairo had an incredible 10th inning on Friday night for the IronPigs. (Cheryl Pursell)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The 10th inning of Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s 6-5 win over Scranton on Friday was the Christian Cairo inning.
With the Scranton RailRiders on first and second with one out in the top of the frame, both runners took off to steal while Kirby Snead was pitching to Kennedy Corona. Caleb Ricketts immediately fired a strike to Cairo that drew him away from third base, giving him the prime opportunity for a one in a million play to deke out the runner. Cairo played it off as if the ball sailed over his head, tempting the runner to take off for home before securing the tag as he was lunging back to third to record the second out.
Not even Cairo himself could believe what he had pulled off.
“I’ve never seen it work before,” Cairo said. “It was kind of just a little instinct, and it ended up working out for us.”
Snead struck out Corona to retire the side, and Cairo proceeded to be the hero in the bottom of the inning as well. With two outs and Dylan Carlson on third, he fired a dribbler towards Scranton’s shortstop that he could not come up with, scoring Carlson and landing Cairo a walk-off infield hit.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit, let instinct and adrenaline kind of take over and enjoy it,” Cairo said. “It ended up working out in our favor.”
Cairo, 24, is the son of Miguel Cairo, who played 17 years in MLB for nine different teams as an infielder from 1996 to 2012 and also served as interim manager for the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals in 2022 and 2025, respectively. He also anchored the IronPigs’ infield along the way, playing 78 games for Lehigh Valley in 2009 before being promoted to the Phillies’ National League pennant winning squad.
Seventeen years later, Cairo finds himself following in his father’s footsteps.
“He’s helped me throughout all of the ups and downs,” he said. “He’s guided me and let me be my own self, which is fun, and he let me become the person I am today, which I couldn’t be more thankful for.”
Cairo was drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB draft and spent six seasons making his way up the ladder, getting time at every infield and outfield position by the time he reached Triple-A in 2025. A month after electing free agency in November, the Phillies took a chance on him, and so far, it’s paid off for both sides.
He’s appeared in every game for Lehigh Valley in 2026 — the only IronPig that hasn’t missed a contest — and is piecing together his best year at the dish. His previous highest batting average across a full season clocked in at .240 in 2024 between Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A squads; he’s currently hitting at a .269 clip through 167 at-bats for the IronPigs alongside a .746 OPS.
“Not trying to do too much,” said Cairo about his improvement at the plate. “Just staying within myself and putting the team first, and letting everyone do their part.”
Cairo gets the plurality of his appearances at shortstop with 24, but has also made an impact in left field and also nabbed a single start at second base. Now, his new defensive highlight of the season comes at the hot corner, where he’s made 14 starts on the year.
“I’m willing to play anywhere on the field,” he said. “I just want to be in the lineup, that’s my goal every single day.”
He’s done just that, and if he continues to make the most of his action, he might spark another similarity between him and his father — playing major league ball with the Phillies.
