Guardians win in a home opener walk off.
The Cleveland Guardians took on the Chicago White Sox in a chilly home opener. With temperatures not reaching above 40°F the Guardians remained patient, earning a victory.
Ben Lively took the mound for the Guards today. In the top of the first he allowed a one-out walk to Luis Robert Jr. Before walking Nick Maton, Robert Jr. made a lazy attempt to steal second and was caught stealing in a run down for the second out. In the top of the second, Lively walked the lead off hitter for his third walk of the day, but the defense turned a routine double play. Lively struck out his first of the game to retire the side.
In the top of the fourth the White Sox came close to sticking first. Luis Robert Jr. got the first hit of the game with a single to center then he successfully stole second. With one-out and runners on the corner White Sox catcher Matt Thaiss hit into a double play to end the inning.
Gabriel Arias continued to contribute to the Guardians defense with a spectacular grab on a grounder that bounced on the boundary between the dirt and grass to get the third out of the fifth inning.
Lively ended the game throwing 5.0 innings. He allowed two hits, walked three and struck out four.
Cade Smith came out in the sixth inning to pitch in relief. He walked the first two and struck out one. SS Brayan Rocchio had a routine throw to first to get Cade out of the inning. Paul Sewald and Hunter Gaddis both threw a clean innings, striking out one each. Emmanuel Clase earned the win in the ninth, striking out two.
Cleveland bats took a while to warm up. The first base runner came on a Kyle Manzardo walk in the bottom of the fifth. Lane Thomas was hit by pitch in his second AB. After a lengthy huddle with the trainer, Thomas ultimately took first base, but was eventually pulled and Schneemann brought in to pinch run and take over in center. Thomas’ x-ray came back clear.
Lane Thomas right wrist contusion. X-ray negative.
— Natalie (@nats_sportschat) April 8, 2025
In the bottom of the sixth José Ramírez ended the no hitter with a two-out single to third. He advanced to third base when Carlos Santana hit a long single to right. The runners were stranded on the base, leaving the score 0-0 as Manzardo struck out swinging. Nolan Jones had a one-out walk to put another runner on, but also was stranded.
The Guardians victory came in the most Guards way possible. Santana hit a single to get on base and scored the winning run when the next three batters (Manzardo, Noel, and Jones) drew walks. The Guardians won in a literal walk off.
Final Score: CWS 0 – CLE 1
The Guardians and White Sox go at it again with Logan Allen taking the mound. First pitch is 6:10PM at Progressive Field.