Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Cleveland Guardians’ good ole’ buddy Steven Kwan.
After struggling for much of the 2026 campaign, the Guardians’ four-time Golden Glove award winner has taken his game up a notch in the last few weeks.
And on Sunday, Sept. 13, he was the offense’s catalyst in a must-win road matchup against the Minnesota Twins.
The Guardians and Twins clashed from Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., with Kwan going 3-for-4 from the plate with a single, double and home run, contributing two RBI. He also scored twice and drew a walk.
The rest of the team carried its weight as well, as the rest of the starting lineup all got on base at least once in the victory.
Sep 11, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrates his run against the Minnesota Twins with designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) on a double by shortstop Brayan Rocchio (not pictured) in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Yeah, it feels good,” manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. “I mean, like we’ve talked about all along, we can only control what we can do. You know, so we have an opportunity to come home. You know, very similar to last year. Hope the fans come out to support us the next three days and the next six days, the last homestand of the regular season.
“So we know we have a big series starting tomorrow. We’re going to enjoy this one tonight and a happy flight.”
The Guardians are next scheduled to take on the division-leading Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on Monday, Sept. 14, so taking home a series win was much-needed momentum.
“That’s why you play the game,” Kwan said when asked about his excitement at this point of the year. “That’s why you play 162. Obviously, there’s been some tough parts of the year, but to come back and play the first-place team right now, only half game back, is gonna be really exciting. It’s gonna be some good baseball.
“It’s kind of reminiscent of 2022 when we had that kind of same thing. We were at their place and we were a couple back, so really excited for some good baseball coming up.”
Along with the offense getting in a strong groove, the pitching staff put together a quality showing.
Starter Tanner Bibee earned his sixth win of the campaign with a four-hit, two-run, seven-strikeout performance across 6.2 innings of work. With how shaky he has been in the last few starts, Sunday proved he still has something in the tank this late in the season.
“I think the execution, I think the stuff overall was just better,” Bibee said when comparing Sunday to other recent outings. “And I think just keeping the foot on the gas pedal and kind of being able to read them a little better.”
(Via #Guardians audio) Tanner Bibee to reporters in Minnesota on what worked for him today vs the White Sox
“I think the execution, I think the stuff overall was just better, and I think just the keeping the foot on the gas pedal and kind of being able to read them a little…
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) September 13, 2026
After Bibee exited, the bullpen pitching of Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski and Matt Festa all controlled the game well. They combined to give up just two hits, all while allowing no walks and striking out four.
The Guardians are still looking to build up a bit of consistency before the postseason arrives, but Sunday showed just how good this team can be when everything is in sync.
And it came at the perfect time.
The Guardians and White Sox will collide in Cleveland for a three-game series running from Monday through Wednesday, with the top spot in the American League Central on the line.
“Really exciting. It’s what September baseball is all about, and to go into a home series against our division rivals with a chance to win a series and be ahead in the division is going to be the best part of the season to this point, for sure,” rookie Travis Bazzana said.
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