Guardians Win in 10th with Manzardo’s Walk-Off Hit

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kyle Manzardo hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Progressive Field.

With the bases loaded and one out, Manzardo lined a hit to left field, scoring automatic runner Brayan Rocchio. This marked Manzardo’s second walk-off hit of the season. Cade Smith, who pitched the final two hitless innings, earned the win for Cleveland, improving the team to 9-5 since the All-Star break.

José Ramírez contributed significantly to the Guardians’ performance, recording an RBI single in the first inning that scored Steven Kwan. Ramírez later stole second base, making him the 17th player in MLB history to achieve at least 275 steals and 275 home runs in a career. He is also the first primary third baseman to reach this milestone.

In the second inning, Bryan Rocchio further extended Cleveland’s lead with another RBI single. However, the Twins equalized the score in the seventh inning due to a throwing error by Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis, allowing both Brooks Lee and Christian Vázquez to score.

Cleveland’s starting pitcher, Gavin Williams, threw six scoreless innings and struck out eight, helping the Guardians maintain their early lead. Reliever Erik Sabrowski kept Minnesota at bay until Gaddis’s costly mistake allowed the Twins to tie the game. Minnesota made several roster changes before the game, promoting players from Triple-A St. Paul after a flurry of trades.

The Guardians will continue their series against the Twins with the next game scheduled for Saturday, with RHP Logan Allen on the mound for Cleveland.