Cleveland Guardians Tie Franchise Record By Taking Another Game to Extra Innings

The Cleveland Guardians hung on to beat the Houston Astros in 10 innings on Wednesday, which marked their fourth-straight game that went to extra innings.
May 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA;  Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates with Gabriel Arias (13).
May 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates with Gabriel Arias (13). / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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The Cleveland Guardians took yet another game down to the wire on Wednesday, making team history in the process.

Cleveland scored two runs in the top of the fifth, only for the Houston Astros to chip away at that lead over the next few frames. Both sides got a man aboard in the ninth, but neither could plate a run, so the game went to extra innings.

It marked the fourth game in a row in which the Guardians had to go past the ninth inning. They beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in 11 on Saturday, lost to the Braves 4-3 in 10 on Sunday and lost to the Astros 10-9 in 10 on Tuesday.

As noted by MLB.com's Mandy Bell, the four-game extra-innings streak is tied for the longest in Cleveland's franchise history. The last time they achieved the feat was from May 1 to May 5 back in 1910.

Perhaps the Guardians' recent experience in extra-innings games pushed them over the edge Wednesday, as they made all the clutch plays down the stretch.

Left fielder Steven Kwan came through with an RBI double in the 10th that put Cleveland up 3-2. In the bottom of the inning, Kwan made a diving catch and doubled up the automatic runner to end the game.

With the win, the Guardians improved to 20-10 on the season, boosting their lead in the AL Central standings to 2.0 games. The Astros, meanwhile, fell to 10-20 and are now alone in fifth place in the AL West.

Cleveland and Houston will close out their three-game series Thursday at 8:10 p.m. ET. If it happens to go to extras yet again, the Guardians would break their 114-year-old franchise record.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.