CLEVELAND -- Given how much the Guardians’ offense has struggled this season, watching what unfolded at Progressive Field on Monday night was a bit hard to believe. In the end, the Guardians delivered a performance that will go down in the record book for a franchise that has been around since 1901.
They belted seven home runs in a 13-4 win over the Twins, which came one shy of matching the franchise record. Petey Halpin and Rhys Hoskins each went deep twice, while Brayan Rocchio, Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey each chipped in one home run.
Rocchio and Hoskins hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Halpin and Bazzana each went deep in the second. Hoskins hit his second home run of the night in the third, and Halpin hit his second in the fourth. Bailey capped things off with a solo shot in the seventh.
“It's fun to see guys hit home runs,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s the coolest feeling in the world, hitting a home run in the big leagues. To see our guys keep doing it, obviously we're getting good pitches to hit and we're not missing them. I think that's more telling than anything. I'm just really, really happy for them.”
Let’s dive into the odds and ends from Monday’s performance:
Seven home runs
The Guardians matched a franchise record for the long balls in a home game. Cleveland also went deep seven times in an April 30, 2013, home game against the Phillies. Monday's effort marked the first time Cleveland hit seven home runs in any game since it pulled off the feat on Aug. 15, 2019, at Yankee Stadium.
Cleveland's all-time franchise record for home runs in a game is eight, something they've done twice. They first set the mark on April 25, 1997, at Milwaukee, then matched it on July 16, 2004, at Seattle.
As for Monday night, the Guardians finished with 19 hits and 11 extra-base knocks against the Twins, both of which were season highs.
“All the boys were rolling,” Halpin said. “Everyone was taking great at-bats, just kind of feeding off of each other, getting the vibes up. It was a lot of fun tonight.”
Six homers vs. Ryan
Twins All-Star starter Joe Ryan permitted six of the home runs, which set the Twins' franchise record. He tied the Modern-era record (since 1900) with 11 other pitchers for most home runs allowed in an outing. It also marked the most Cleveland has hit in the first four innings of a game.
Hoskins said the Guardians’ success was less about picking up any cues from Ryan, but rather just not missing when he made a mistake.
“A guy like that can get away with more stuff in the middle of the plate because he's got good stuff,” Hoskins said. “But tonight, we just didn't let him off the hook when he ended up in the middle of the plate. I think it had more to do with that than anything else.”
No. 1
Halpin’s two-run blast in the second inning was his first career big league home run. When he led off the fourth inning with a solo shot, he became the third Cleveland rookie to go deep twice in one game this season. He followed Chase DeLauter on Opening Day vs. the Mariners and Bazzana on June 20 against the Astros.
“It feels incredible,” Halpin said. “I think that my role and what I try to do is get on base for the guys that do hit home runs. Today, I was able to connect on a couple of them, but I just want to do my job for the guy behind me.”
4.01 feet
Halpin's second home run came on a four-seam fastball from Ryan that was 4.01 feet off the ground. That's tied with the Nationals’ James Wood for the highest pitch hit for a homer by any player this season. The last one on a higher pitch was Byron Buxton (4.13 feet) on Sept. 10 last season.
Halpin’s blast also tied Franmil Reyes' homer on Aug. 16, 2020, for the highest pitch hit for a homer by any Cleveland player since Statcast started tracking in 2015.
“I think having a night like tonight kind of gives you some confidence that, ‘Hey man, I belong here. I can be the guy in a game at the highest level in the whole world,’” Hoskins said of Halpin. “Hopefully he takes that confidence and runs with it.”
Two
Halpin and Hoskins became the first pair of Cleveland hitters to each have a multihomer effort in the same game since that Aug. 15, 2019, game against the Yankees, when José Ramírez and Carlos Santana each went deep twice.
Meanwhile, Rocchio and Hoskins teamed up for back-to-back homers for the second time this season. The first occasion was on July 8 … against the Twins at Target Field. Those are Cleveland's only two instances of hitting back-to-back home runs this season.
“Homers are always cool. They can't get you out,” Hoskins said after his 14th career multihomer game. “Hopefully there's a little confidence I can grab that good things are always on the horizon.”