Guardians 6-4 Royals (27 Jul, 2025) Game Recap

The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-4 in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, splitting the series after the Royals won the first game 5-3 with a walk-off homer in the 10th inning. This marks the first time since April 24, 2008, that the Guardians have not swept the Royals in a doubleheader.

Steven Kwan hit a 431-foot two-run home run into the right field fountains at Kauffman Stadium, extending the Guardians' lead to 6-2 and providing a key spark. Earlier, the Guardians scored in the first inning with four consecutive walks, including an RBI walk by Carlos Santana for a 1-0 lead, followed by Johnathan Rodríguez's two-run double. Daniel Schneemann added a sacrifice fly RBI in the third inning.

For the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. and Freddy Fermin each contributed two-run home runs to keep the game competitive. Pitcher Tanner Bibee (7-9) secured the win for Cleveland, allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings while striking out eight batters, marking his third consecutive victory. Emmanuel Clase rebounded from a loss in the first game to earn his 24th save of the season.

Kansas City's Kris Bubic (8-7) struggled, giving up four runs on three hits in just 2 2/3 innings, with four walks and one strikeout. His 42-pitch first inning and four walks matched his season-high for inefficiency.

A key moment was Kwan's home run, which fueled Cleveland's offense as the team has homered in 14 of 16 games since July 7. A notable statistic is Santana drawing his 133rd career walk against the Royals, tying Rickey Henderson for the most career walks versus Kansas City.

In the series finale, Cleveland will start left-handed pitcher Joey Cantillo (2-0, 3.91 ERA), while Kansas City plans to send left-hander Noah Cameron (4-4, 2.61 ERA) to the mound.