It wasn’t always a smooth ride, but the Cleveland Guardians hung on to get the win over the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6 at Rogers Centre, north of the border, on Friday’s series opener. They were able to beat the reigning American League champions thanks to a brilliant offensive performance by the blossoming Angel Martinez.
By the time the third inning ended, Martinez had already hit a pair of two-run home runs off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. It was one of the best nights of his young career, as he had the two long balls, two runs, and four RBI.
It wasn’t Gavin Williams’ finest night on the mound, but he pitched long enough to get the win. He surrendered six runs on six frames, allowing seven hits and a couple of walks while striking out four. His season ERA is now at 3.28 after the mediocre outing.
The Guardians are now 15-12 on the season. Usually, the pitching saves the day for Cleveland, but it was the other way around on Friday.
“A win north of the border!” Cleveland Guardians posted.
A win north of the border!#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/kOX4UOcgyR
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 25, 2026
Cleveland scored five runs in the opening frame, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Daniel Schneemann extended his excellent run of form with a leadoff home run, his third of the season.
Then, a few batters later, George Valera brought in two with a double, giving the Guardians a 3-0 lead. Martinez made it 5-0 with his first dinger of the night, a 103-mph drive to right center field that traveled 388 feet.
Davis Schneider scored the home club’s first run in the bottom half of the first frame, on a fielder’s choice. Jesus Sanchez cut the Guardians’ lead to three with a solo shot.
Kazuma Okamoto’s fourth run of the year in the second inning made it 5-3, with Cleveland still leading. Martinez restored the four-run lead with his second blast of the evening, though.
Ernie Clement punched in the Jays’ fourth run with a double in the bottom of the fifth, but Cleveland would answer in the top of the sixth with Brayan Rocchio scoring on a fielder’s choice hit by Chase DeLauter.
A two-run double by former Guardians’ fan favorite Andres Gimenez put Toronto closer and cut the deficit to two runs in the sixth inning. That was as close as they would get, though.
The bullpen was unbelievable, with Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski pitching a scoreless frame each to bridge the gap to closer Cade Smith, who notched his sixth save of the year, not without a bit of suspense.
Every time Martinez homers, a Guardians victory is extremely likely. It happened again on Friday.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Isn't Worried About Guardians Offensive Woes
