CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians didn’t just win a crucial September game against the Tigers on Monday night – they made history while doing it. In a performance that defied statistical probability and showcased their never-say-die attitude, Cleveland’s 10th-inning offensive explosion propelled them to a 7-5 victory that could prove pivotal in their unexpected playoff chase.
After Cade Smith blew a save opportunity in the ninth inning, the Guardians responded with something truly remarkable: four consecutive extra-base hits to start the 10th inning. Not just any four hits – four straight extra-base hits.
“They’re the only major league team with four extra base hits in a single extra inning this season,” explained Joe Noga, cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “Nobody in baseball has done that this year. The last time Cleveland had four or more total extra base hits in one extra inning was May 10, 1961.”
Let that sink in. Not since 1961 – when a 10-year-old Paul Hoynes was reading baseball box scores – has Cleveland accomplished such a feat. The sequence of double, triple, double, double from Stephen Kwan, Angel Martinez, Jose Ramirez, and Kyle Manzardo was the first time any MLB team had produced four consecutive extra-base hits in an extra inning since 2001, when the San Francisco Giants did it against Cincinnati.
What made the sequence even more remarkable was how it unfolded. After Kwan doubled home automatic runner Brayan Rocchio, the plan was for Martinez to bunt Kwan to third. When that failed, Martinez simply tripled instead.
“It was like watching a snowball roll down the hill,” said Hoynes, cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and there was nothing really that Tigers reliever Will Vest could do to stop it.”
The historic rally has multiple layers of significance. First, it rescued the team after a gut-punch blown save in the ninth inning. Second, it came in the opening game of a crucial three-game series against a division rival they’re chasing. And third, it maintained the momentum of a team that has now won 10 of its last 11 games.
“It really did feel like sort of game four of the Division Series last year where the Guardians sort of flipped that switch late and turn things around,” Noga said, referencing last year’s playoff comeback against the Tigers.
This wasn’t just any regular-season game, either. With just 12 games remaining, the Guardians sit 5 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central and 2 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot. Every win matters, and this one came with the additional psychological boost of doing something the franchise hasn’t accomplished in over six decades.
The Guardians’ surge comes at the perfect time. With five more games against Detroit over the next nine days, this historic offensive outburst could be the spark that ignites an improbable September run to the postseason.
Want to hear more about this historic performance and what it means for the Guardians’ playoff hopes? Listen to the full episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast for additional insights, analysis, and behind-the-scenes details that put this remarkable game into perspective.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, the Guardians hang on for a seven win in the opening game of a critical three game series at Comerica park against the Tigers. Really this was, this was as much like a playoff game as, or at least like it felt like a playoff atmosphere as. As you’re going to get. These two teams we played tight at the beginning and then it, you know, basically all hell broke loose in the. In. In the later innings we saw Cade Smith blow a save with two outs in the ninth inning. We saw the Guardians have a historic rally in the 10th inning. Granted, it’s aided by the. The automatic runner at second base to start extra innings. But they go on with four consecutive extra base hits in the 10th, take a big lead. Jakob Junis comes in in the bottom of the inning, gives up a two run home run. But. But they survive. They hang on. They escape with a 7, 5 win and now they’re just two and a half games out of a. A wild card spot. And they close the.
Paul Hoynes: The.
Joe Noga: The Tigers lead in the division to just five and a half games and they play the. The Tigers five more times here over the next nine days. If you’re the Guardians, you couldn’t have asked for a better start to this series.
Paul Hoynes: Oh, Joe, this is the. I don’t. It would have been nice if they wanted in regulation, but this is, you know, this is what they had to do. This is the. They had to come in here, win a game, show that they could play with the Tigers and they certainly did that. You know, the game had a little bit of everything as you said. You know, there was a great defense at the start and just kind of a relentless offense late and you know, the kind of offense I don’t think we’ve seen from the Guardians. But it’s not just the Guardians. You know, not too many teams get four consecutive extra base hits in, in an extra inning game.
Joe Noga: Yeah, no, that, that rally was, was special. It was different. It was something we haven’t seen out of Cleveland in, you know, many, many years. They’re the only major league team with four extra base hits in a single extra inning this season. So, so nobody in baseball has done that this year. The last time Cleveland had four or more total extra base hits in one extra inning was May 10, 1961. So think about that. 1961. Hoynsie, you were what in, in middle school at the time?
Paul Hoynes: I was 10 years old, Joe.
Joe Noga: Oh my goodness. 10 year old Hoynsie, he reading the paper, seeing four extra base hits in a single extra inning. And that was against the White Sox. The only other time that that that happened for the guardians since 1901 in the modern era, first time since the expansion era in 1961 that Cleveland has had four extra base hits in consecutive plate appearances. So it wasn’t just that they had four total extra base hits in the inning. It was, you know, double, triple, double, double in at the top of the order. I believe Stephen Kwan, Angel Martinez, Jose Ramirez, and I believe Kyle Manzano. Right. All that extra base hits to start the 10th inning that you just don’t see that the last kind that such inning like that for Cleveland when they had four consecutive extra base hits was April 29th of 2022 in Oakland. And the last time any team in Major League Baseball had four extra base hits in an extra inning at any time was 2020 or. Yeah, 2001, San Francisco at Cincinnati in the 11th inning. So. So if you think about it, 24 years since that has been accomplished and it’s a pretty impressive feat and it turns into a 7 to 5 victory for the Guardians.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, and you know, the, the strange thing about that inning, Joe, after Quan started it by doubling home Brian Rocchio, the automatic runner, they wanted Angel Martinez to bun Quan to third. He couldn’t get the bunt down, so he set us for a triple. I mean, you know that, that’s, that’s the kind of inning it was and that’s, that’s how it unfolded from there. Just, you know, just. It was like watching a snowball roll down the hill. It just kept. The snowball kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and you know, there was nothing really that, that will vest the Tigers reliever could do to stop it.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it really did feel like sort of game four of the. The division Series last year where the Guardians sort of flipped that switch late and, and turn things around with the DAV run. That momentum can carry them now into, into game two of this series, just a lot of things went right. Even starting off with Joey Cantillo going five innings and only surrendering one run.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Cantillo, you know, coming off probably his best start of his career when he went eight innings the last time out. Eight. Eight scoreless innings at the last time out. Goes five innings last night. One run, four hits, three strikeouts, two walks. And he said the the was. Was insane out at Comerica Park. He said that’s as close to a playoff game as you’re going to get. And he says every, every game from here on out is going to be like that. But he pitched really well, Joe. I mean, he threw 91 pitches. It would have been ideal if he could have got a little deeper into the game, but under those circumstances, Cantillo did just what they needed.
Joe Noga: Yeah, he, he, he had an opportunity to maybe come out for the sixth inning. But, but Stephen Vogt decided open the inning with the bullpen. And I think that was the right choice. It, it was exactly the right choice up until Cade Smith gave up that home run to Carrie Carpenter that tied things in the ninth. Just what’d you see out of Kate Smith? I believe it was a, a string of eight consecutive save opportunities that he had converted in his first blown save since back in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just, you know, he got the first two outs quickly at the bottom of the order, the 8 and 9 hitter. Then it goes back up to the top of the order. And Kerry Carpenter, he has a, he must have a thing for Cleveland closers, Joe. Cause he did this to, he did this to Emmanuel Classe in the ALDS last year. And he got, he got Cade last night on a 2199 mile an hour fastball. He hit this thing too. I don’t know, that ball might not, but, but still might be going because it, it sounded like a, like a, you know, like an explosion off the bat and you knew right away it tied the game. But then he. Cade comes back and gets the last out. But still. Yeah, blowing save. He’s 15 for 21 in save situations. And I think Joe, you know, he’s kind of been thrust into this situation obviously with, you know, the, with class A being put on a paid leave because of the gambling allegations and all this is. He’s done this class A, what was, you know, put on a suspension list at the end of August. So, you know, Cade Smith has been kind of shoved into that closers role and this is like he’s already had 21 save opportunities and really a condensed, you know, part of the season. I think he’s still learning to get his feet on the ground. He’s still learning the role. You know, Carl Willis was saying, when you’re a closer, you gotta wait and you gotta wait and you gotta wait until your turn comes. And the more you wait, the more you think. And sometimes you make a mistake with a pitch.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And like you said, he’s still learning the role, he’s still making adjustments. And I think you’ve got to give him that grace on top of Things, you know, the workload has not really changed for him. Last year he made 74 appearances, pitched 75 and a third innings in the regular season. And then, you know, he went on to, to throw another six innings of high leverage in five appearances, I’m sorry, another innings of postseason baseball in, in nine appearances in the postseason. So, you know, he, he’s experienced what that heavy workload has, has been like. But this year he’s at 71 appearances. He’s at 68 and 2/3 innings. And yeah, there’s a reality of the fact that now everything is ratcheted up and the intensity of those innings is, is a lot more, it’s a lot more real. And he’s, he’s experiencing that for the first time. So you’ve got to give him some room to grow and room to sort of learn and adjust in that role. The only problem is at this point in the season right now, there’s no room for error, there’s no margin, you know, for, for Smith to, to blow too many of these, these save opportunities down the stretch here. But knowing what I know about Stephen V. Knowing what I know about Kate Smith, there’s not going to be any hesitation to put him back out there if another situation arises over the next two, three 12 games.
Paul Hoynes: I mean, they’ve got no choice, Joe. He’s the guy. And the thing you got to remember is every time Cade Smith pitches or Hunter Gatt his pitches, the game is on the line. They can win it or lose it. You know, their job is to protect a lead, and no one is perfect. And we saw that last night. But you know, Cade Smith is still the closer. He’s still going to go out there in the next 12 games whenever they need him because, you know, he’s the best suited for that, for that role. And it just goes to show you that the absence of class, I just know how much that hurts this ball club. But to me, Joe, I think they’ve moved on. I think, you know, Cade Smith, the whole team has confidence in him when he goes out there. He might blow some, but he’s going to save a lot more. More than, than he fails to convert.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s no question that the, the team has, has the confidence in him. One of the things that’s going to help down this stretch, potentially, Tim Herron looked like he had had things figured out last night. He comes in in the eighth inning in a big situation with a runner on base and strikes out the side to, to get out of the eighth inning. Tim Herron, who has had an up and down season. Stephen Vogt admitted as much in his post game, but said that eighth inning was, was really important for the Guardians to get out of Tim Heron. If it can come, if it can get back to Class A or, I’m sorry, if they, if it can get back to Smith, Heron and Gattis all being sort of contributors down there at the, at the very back end of that bullpen in late in games like they were all of last season, you’re looking at a big advantage for Cleveland.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was the Tim Heron of 2024, Joe. You know, like you said, he rolls in there with a runner on three straight strikeouts. Just dominated the hitters. You know, slider, fastball, you know, he threw strikes and that was his major problem. You know, where he’s kind of ridden the shuttle between Columbus and Cleveland this year. You know, he hasn’t, he’s. He hasn’t thrown enough strikes. He’s been out of the strike zone and. But he was in it last night and that was really, really encouraging.
Joe Noga: Yeah, encouraging all the way around for, for Tim Heron, for the Guardians. Just a lot of things really went right in that game to sort of break the break the Guardian’s way. We saw Gabriel Arias make an error early in the game and then come back and make up for it with a really nice throw on a, a relay play to cut down Andy Abana’s at home plate after Dylan Dingler had singled to left field. Arias homer later in the game in the fourth and he had a hand in that 10th inning rally with an RBI single, you know, contributing on both sides of the ball, I guess for, for Arius is a, is a real big plus.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that second inning really kind of showed. I think he’s turned a corner as a player, Joe. He makes that tough error. It was a tough error because it was a tough hop on, you know, that allows Ibanez to get on base with one out in the second. Then the very next play, Dingler hits the, you know, the double down the left field line and you know, they send Ibanez and you know, Kwon makes a great play down the left field line to get the ball into Arias. Arias makes a great throw to Bo Naylor at the plate and Naylor, you know, kind of deked the runner then tagged him out. Just a great relay. Saved them a run and you know, protected a 1 nothing lead at the time. But it just shows you, you know, how quick this game can change. Aries gets charged with the tough air and the very next batter, you know, puts him in motion again and then he makes a great play to throw a runner out at the plate. So, you know, Stephen Vo was saying that, that, you know, that showed, you know, that Aries is maturing as a player. You know, he wasn’t sulking, he didn’t have his head down. And you know, he, and as Stephen Kwan said, you know, I just got the ball to, to Arias and then let his arm work and we all saw what happened. So, you know, Arius has a great arm and it came in to play on that, on that relay there and saved, saved the guardians to run.
Joe Noga: Yeah, we’ve said it more than once on this podcast that Arius’s arm is special. He, you know, it was as if it was touched by the gods when he was born. It’s just a really special arm talent. We saw him uncork a throw from a spot deep in the, the hole at shortstop to, to get a runner later on in the game. And you just sort of shake your head and, and you look, you. Sometimes a throw just looks different, looks special from a guy. And more often than not it’s, that’s Gabriel Arias. But don’t look past Stephen Kwan. Another outfield assist for a couple more outfield assists for actually probably credited with an outfield assist on that relay throw. But then later in the game, Steven Kwan holds Spencer Torkelson to a single on a ball that hit the left field wall and he was able to get to, and get back into the infield to hold the runner at first base. Again, these are little things and this is, you know, a little detail that might go overlooked or unnoticed, but that changed the outlook or the complexion of inning just by, just by hustling and just by having the, the reputation that Steven Kwan now has that Spencer Torkelson wasn’t going to test him because he didn’t want to get thrown out at second base.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that was, you know, great throw and a great quick recovery by Quan. And you’re right, Torkelson slammed on the brakes with that leadoff single in the 8th inning. Then heron comes in and strikes out the side after the game. Vogt said if Torkelson gets to second base, he’s probably scores easy because instead of trying to, you know, drive in Torkelson from first base, all they gotta, all they have to do, the Tigers have to do is hit two ground balls and, you know, get him to second, get him to third and probably it would be a lot easier scoring him at that point. But by holding him at first base, it allowed Heron to really go to work against those three hitters and strike them all out.
Joe Noga: Yeah, that was, that was a big, a big part of the game right there. A big point in the game where he was able to have that happen. All right, so all this means the Guardians now five and a half games back in the Central, two and a half back in the wild card, as now they are chasing Houston and the Red Sox. Actually, Houston jumped past the Red Sox. The Red Sox lost yesterday. They’re at 82 and 69. The Astros are at 83 and 69. So they’re a half game ahead in the second wild card position. The Guardian still two and a half back of the wild card at 79 and 71. They have won 10 of their last 11 and they’re nine and one in their last 10. They’ve won five straight games. The Rangers now three and a half games back of that wild card spot. They’re at 79 and 73. So still a lot to be determined. We’re, we’re a long ways away from, from having any sort of clarity in this wild card picture. It just goes to show you with this three wild card system and making it, you know, the playoffs are expanded and a lot more teams have a lot more reason to stay in the race at this point of the year. You know, the Guardians have everything right in front of them and the remaining two games of this series now become that much more important.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely more important, Joe. One way or the other, they just have to keep winning. You know, they’re, they’re, it’s still a long shot for them to pass the Tigers at this point of the season, but they’ve got five games left with them and, you know, that’s why Stephen Vogt told reporters yesterday that they had rearranged the rotation and they’re going to start with Gavin Williams tonight against Jack Flaherty and they’re going to go with Tanner Bybee on Thursday against supposedly Tarek Skubal, who seems healthy and ready to make his, his regular turn in the rotation for the Tigers after coming out of his last start with some pain in his left.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and it makes total sense coming off of the, you know, with the six man rotation, coming off of 17 games in 17 days. They’re able to do this and bump these guys up without, you know, shortening their rest and actually keeping them on rotation. It, it actually works out really well both ways. So you’re going to get the matchups that you really want. To see and, and that really seems to be maybe an advantage for Cleveland until you get to the school game and on, on Thursday. And you know, he’s got to convince me that he’s 100% healthy when he goes out there. So, you know, maybe there’s an opportunity to take advantage of that.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, Gavin Williams has one start so far against the Tigers this season. Pitched six scoreless innings, struck out eight, lost and walked three. But the Guardians end up losing seven to two in 10 innings. That was on July 6th. His overall record against the Tigers, five games, one and two, a one and two one loss record, 1.98 ERA. Joe, six earned runs, 27 and a third innings. So he’s pitched pretty well against, he’s got good numbers against the Tigers and I’m sure that’s why they bumped him into the start tonight. Bybey has one start against the Tigers this year. He threw seven scoreless innings on May 22nd in a seven to nothing win. And overall in his career, seven starts against Detroit, 2 and 3. 2 and 3 with a 4.39 ERA. So these guys are familiar with the Tigers. The Tigers are familiar with them. It should be really, really two kind of interesting games here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, they’re familiar with them and they’ve also had success against them and that’s the big key in bumping them up. You know, does this feel like back in 2013 when, when they had to go on that hot streak at the end of the year just to reach the wild card, just to get in where it was like every night they, they needed to win, they had to, you know, get that, you know, winning streak going and they, they managed to do it. Jason Giambi had the, the, the dramatic walk off against the White Sox and, and they just sort of rolled on their momentum all the way into the postseason that year. Does it feel sort of like that, that, that sort of sense of, hey, we have to win every night out?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that’s a great point, Joy. And I kind of, I didn’t associate this with that 2 3rd 2013 run when they won the last 10 games of the season. And they needed everyone every game because Tampa Bay was right on their tail. And it ended up what Cleveland had the top wild card spot. Tampa Bay had the second wildcard spot. I think there was only two wild cards and back then it was only. And it was a one game elimination. But if the Guardians can get in now, it’s a three game series. But yeah, definitely it feels the same way for sure that they have no, they have no choice but to win as many games as they can. I don’t know if they can rattle off what, 12 straight wins here or what, but.
Joe Noga: Well, I mean, if they win the next 12, it’d be a 17 game winning streak. And we have seen that before out of Cleveland in the, in the month of September. So I wouldn’t put it past them. But, yeah, obviously it’s going to take a big effort to do that. All right, before we get going, want to mention a couple of things here. Matt Foreman, the executive vice president with the Guardians, interviewing with the Nationals for their GM position. What’d you learn about Matt Foreman and his chances of getting a job with the Nationals?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he’s talked to him, Joe. He’s had an interview. You know, they’re looking for a GM to replace a longtime gm, Mike Rizzo, who was fired in July. So, you know, the Guardians, you know, are really good at developing young, you know, smart front office types that Foreman fits that mold. He’s been with the guardians 13 years and, you know, he’s, he’s, he’s done, you know, you know, with the Guardians, they always bring these guys in at entry level. They work their way up, you know, through the farm system to the scouting directors, then to the assistant GM, then to the executive VPs. So I would think Matt Foreman has a great chance to get this job. And it’s one of the reasons that Cleveland executives are kind of spread throughout the big leagues, because, you know, Cleveland does a great job at developing quality teams, teams that win consistently and they do it on a shoestring budget.
Joe Noga: Yeah. If you want to have success in your front office, go and get a former Guardians executive because that’s, that’s a surefire way to jumpstart your path to success. All right, Hoinsey, we will be back with you again before tomorrow’s game. And just recapping game two of this critical series between the Guardians and Tigers, we’ll talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes: Deal, Jeff.
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