CLEVELAND -- Joey Cantillo played a key role in the dominant run the Guardians' six-man starting rotation put together last September, a stretch through which the staff ultimately willed Cleveland to the postseason.
Coming out of the gates this season, Cantillo and his rotation mates have picked up where they left off.
Cantillo spun a strong outing on Wednesday to lead the Guardians to a 10-2 win over the Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series at Progressive Field. The left-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings while striking out nine batters (one shy of his career high).
Cantillo logged a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings over five starts down the stretch in 2025 after he was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Sept. 3. The Guardians’ rotation collectively was stellar last September, ranking second in the Majors with a 2.60 ERA.
It’s early, but Cleveland’s starting staff entered Wednesday with a 2.77 ERA through 12 games this season. That ranked second in the Majors behind only the Yankees (2.14 ERA in 10 games).
The Guardians have now won three straight series after earning a split in their season-opening four-game set against the Mariners in Seattle. The rotation featuring Cantillo, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi and Parker Messick has played a key role.
“You go on a historic run like they did as a group, and as a unit, they're competing with each other every time out there,” manager Stephen Vogt said of the rotation. “They want to one-up the guy that pitched before him, and they want to set the bar high for the guy going tomorrow.
“It's a really competitive group, those five. I think what they accomplished together in September definitely ran into this year, and they all have confidence they made a historic run against some of the best teams in the league.”