The Cleveland Guardians needed a strong pitching effort, and that’s what Slade Cecconi gave them, and then some.
He took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals, and though he fell short of finishing it, he still gave the team the boost it needed to move past one of its direct rivals in the AL Wild Card race.
Asked about that, Cecconi shared a candid response.
“A lot of emotions came through when I gave up the hit, but I was able to channel those back into pitch execution for the rest of the inning,” Cecconi said. “But when the inning ended, and seeing the crowd get on their feet and hearing (my) walkout song, just taking all that in for a few seconds, was really special.”
Cecconi walked three and struck out three.
The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the mound and into the dugout after his final inning.
The Guardians wound up giving up a couple of runs in the top of the ninth, but the 10-2 win was basically in hand.
Cleveland is chasing the Seattle Mariners for the final AL Wild Card and face the Royals at Progressive Field again, this time with rookie Joey Cantillo taking the mound.
The Guardians are in playoff mode now, and taking the next two games from the Royals will be crucial to their postseason aspirations.
NEXT: Guardians Stay Put In Latest MLB Power Rankings
