Steven Kwan has been doing this for months, and Saturday night he did it again on one of the biggest nights of the season.
With the Cleveland Guardians taking care of business in Kansas City while waiting on the White Sox result in Chicago, Kwan was in the middle of nearly everything during an 11-5 win over the Royals. He went 3-4 with a triple, an RBI and a walk, reaching base four times from the leadoff spot. His triple in the second inning tied the game at 4-4 after Cleveland had fallen behind early, and the Guardians never trailed again on their way to a third straight AL Central title. It was the kind of night that has become routine for the veteran left fielder.
“Last 74 games: 96H 47R 12(2B) 3(3B) 2HR 19RBI 45BB AVG .353 OBP .443,” Guardians Perspective wrote.
Cleveland #Guardians OF Steven Kwan reached base 4x tonight (3-4 3B RBI BB) driving in a run on his 3rd triple of the season in the team's win vs the Royals!
Last 74 games: 🔥🔥🔥
96H 47R 12(2B) 3(3B) 2HR 19RBI 45BB
AVG .353
OBP .443#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/RZhcOKucse— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 27, 2026
That is not a hot week or a hot month. That is nearly half a season of production at a level very few hitters in baseball can sustain, and it dates all the way back to the summer months. A .353 average paired with a .443 on base percentage over that many games is the profile of an elite table setter, and Kwan has been exactly that for a lineup that needed someone to set the tone every night.
What makes the streak even more impressive is where Kwan started. His full season numbers now sit at a .282 average and a .382 on-base percentage. Remove the hot stretch from the equation, and he was hitting roughly .210 through his first 77 games of the year. For a player whose entire reputation is built on contact and getting on base, that was a long and frustrating start.
The turnaround has been dramatic. Kwan has collected 96 of his 152 hits and scored 47 of his 80 runs during this run. He has also driven in 19 of his 32 RBIs, a strong number for a hitter who spends most nights batting first and has only three home runs on the season.
All of it adds up to one of the best overall seasons of his career. Kwan sits at 5.4 WAR, just behind the 5.5 mark he posted as a rookie in 2022, and that comes despite the slow start that had many fans wondering what was wrong.
The timing could not be better for Cleveland. The Guardians earned a first-round bye and will open the American League Division Series on Oct. 3 at Progressive Field. Kwan has a track record of showing up in October, hitting .321 across 20 career postseason games. His best run came in 2024, when he hit .381 over ten playoff games, though he went just 2-12 in three postseason games last year.
If this version of Kwan carries into the division series, the top of the Cleveland lineup will be a problem for whoever comes to Progressive Field.
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