Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Guardians

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.”