CLEVELAND -- So often this season, we’ve watched a Guardians deficit in the later innings quietly fade into a loss. That’s why Sunday’s game against the Mariners felt significant from the outside and galvanizing for the guys inside the third-base dugout at Progressive Field.
“I think today was as big of a win as we've had all year,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
The Guardians entered Sunday with a 2-33 record when trailing after seven innings. They then pulled out a 6-5 victory over the Mariners in the rubber match of a three-game series, in which Cleveland scored five times in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase Seattle’s 4-1 lead.
Sunday was the Guardians’ first win when trailing by three-plus runs after seven innings since May 3, 2025, when Daniel Schneemann belted a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning in Toronto. It was Cleveland’s first such win at Progressive Field since June 12, 2021, when it beat Seattle, 5-4, in 10 innings.
Chase DeLauter’s two-run single in the eighth inning tied things at 4, and Rhys Hoskins’ two-run double proceeded to give the Guardians their first lead of the day.
“The fact that our guys didn't quit and they strung together that eighth inning,” Vogt said, “it just shows what this team is capable of.”
Much of Sunday was a slog for the Guardians, and it was shaping up to be an all-too-familiar afternoon for a club that has had a rough month offensively. Cleveland entered the day ranked 29th in MLB in runs scored in June (76), while being forced to navigate without superstar José Ramírez (fractured left hamate).
So, you can forgive anyone at the ballpark who grew frustrated when the Guardians squandered multiple chances. They had runners on second and third with nobody out in the second inning and didn’t score. They scored just once after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s defense had several tough moments.
Julio Rodríguez scored from first in the third inning on a double into the right-field corner by Josh Naylor, amid a slow-developing relay from right fielder Kahlil Watson to Travis Bazzana. A throwing error by Brayan Rocchio on a Randy Arozarena grounder allowed Naylor to score.
“The stadium was quiet,” Vogt said. “We didn't give them much to get excited about.”
The Guardians trailed by three heading into the bottom of the eighth. At that point, Vogt had emptied his bench while playing matchups throughout the game in an attempt to spark the offense.
Rocchio led off the eighth with a single off right-hander Michael Rucker, and Cooper Ingle drew a walk. Schneemann (who pinch-hit for Gabriel Arias in the sixth) lined an RBI single to center field.
Patrick Bailey laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Steven Kwan drew a walk to load the bases. Seattle brought in lefty Josh Simpson, who got Bazzana to pop out. The frustrating script from earlier in the game was in danger of playing out once more.
Instead, DeLauter (who came off the 10-day injured list Sunday after a two-week absence) lined a game-tying RBI single to center field. Hoskins followed with a two-run double down the left-field line; the fair call was upheld after video review.
“I was talking to it the whole way,” Hoskins quipped. “[It was] fair enough. That's really all that matters.”
Cade Smith allowed one unearned run on two hits in the ninth -- Cole Young singled and later scored on a Bazzana throwing error -- before he closed things down.
“I was thinking after the game, ‘This is one of the best wins we've had all year,’” Schneemann said. “We've seen in the past couple years, when we have a game like this, it really kind of turns the momentum. I think we're all confident that's what's going to happen. It was awesome to get the series win.”
Sunday’s win could be big for the Guardians’ confidence; they are just 10-13 in June. Plus, the next time they’re trailing late, they know what they’re capable of. In the long run, the win could loom large in the standings.
The Guardians won their season series with the Mariners, 4-3. That would serve as the first tiebreaker in the postseason race, should these teams be tied in the standings later.
“Too many times in a season, it comes down to one game,” Hoskins said, “so having a tiebreaker over them is hopefully going to mean something in the end. Hopefully it doesn't, honestly, but it's nice to have that.
“We haven't played our best baseball of late, so to win a series at home against a good team is a nice way to start a 10-game homestand.”