The Cleveland Guardians are, without a doubt, a resilient bunch.
On Wednesday, they found themselves down three times: 0-1 in the fifth inning, 1-2 in the fifth, and 2-4 in the tenth.
But if the 2024 season has taught us anything is that they won’t go down without a fight.
With three runs scored in the bottom of the tenth frame, including a game-winning hit by Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland went home with a 5-4 win that jeopardizes the Twins’ playoffs chances.T
“Tonight’s 3️⃣ Heroes: Will Brennan, Kyle Manzardo, and Brayan Rocchio all get it done for the @CleGuardians in extra innings to beat the Twins 5-4,” Bally Sports Cleveland posted on X.
Tonight's 3️⃣ Heroes
Will Brennan, Kyle Manzardo, and Brayan Rocchio all get it done for the @CleGuardians in extra innings to beat the Twins 5-4. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/PwXwufClfj
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 19, 2024
Tanner Bibee gave the Guards a chance to win by allowing two runs in 6.2 innings, Josh Naylor hit a pair of solo home runs, Cade Smith reached 100 strikeouts on the season and Emmanuel Clase tossed another clean inning to help build a hard-fought win.
With the Guardians wins and the Royals loss against the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central is up to six games.
The Guards had a chance to punch their ticket to the postseason on Wednesday, but they needed Detroit to lose in addition to winning against the Twins.
Their magic number, however, is now down to one which means that if they beat the Twins on Thursday, they will be in October.
As for the Twins, they still hold the third and last Wild Card spot in the American League but their lead is down to 0.5 games: the Tigers have gone on a furious run and are determined to steal a postseason berth.
NEXT: Guardians Slugger Reaches 30 Home Runs For The First Time
