First Inning Explosion Pushes Guardians Past Rocky Red Sox Squad at Home

The Cleveland Guardians are nearly 10 games above .500, and series after series, they continue to find wonky ways to win ballgames.

May 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) steals second as Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (11) is late with the tag during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are nearly 60 games into the 2026 MLB regular season.

And while you'd expect most of the wacky, unconventional ways teams win games to have already happened, the Guardians found yet another way to showcase their "Guards Ball" mentality and give the rest of baseball something to scratch their head at.

On Friday, May 29, in front of a relatively packed house at Progressive Field, the Guardians dominated the first inning of action against the Boston Red Sox. That inning, where they hung four runs on their head, ended up being the dividing factor. They would win, 4-3.

Another example of #GuardsBall in full effect.
pic.twitter.com/3sdBnisH4b

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 29, 2026

"...Obviously, we were able to jump them today and, you know, six straight hits in the first, you're not gonna get that very often, that doesn't happen in the big leagues very often," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. "To cover four and two-thirds in any game is asking a lot; in a one-run game, it's asking a ton. And, all of them were lights out, they were all excellent, and I tipped my cap to our bullpen tonight."

The fun was started by José Ramírez as he singled to left field to get on the bags. From there, Chase DeLauter followed with a single of his own, before designated hitter Rhys Hoskins smacked a sharp liner to left field to score Ramírez.

With just one out on the board and a 1-0 lead, the Guardians would go on to single three more times in a row. Angel Martínez's knock to center field brought in two runs, one of which was credited as an RBI while the other was attributed to an error by the Red Sox.

May 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) hits an RBI single during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Patrick Bailey ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in the fourth and final run that the Guardians would end up scoring on the day.

While it would have been great to see more runs being scored and a further edge being pushed by the home squad, the pitching on the mound kept the game in hand.

Cecconi went through 4.1 innings, and while he did end up giving up three earned runs, he actually looked the part for the first four. Up until that fifth inning, he was dealing. Unfortunately, though, that third time through the lineup has been a major issue for him.

Slade Cecconi's looking sharp:

4 IP
53 Pitches
3 Hits Allowed
0 Runs Allowed
0 Walks Allowed
3 Strikeouts

He is now down to a 4.84 Season ERA.#GuardsBall

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 30, 2026

Once he exited, the Guardians' coaching staff leaned into the bullpen's most reliable arms.

A squad of Colin Holderman, Tim Herin, Shawn Armstrong, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith all finished off the game. All combined, they gave up just four hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five batters. Holderman was handed the win, pitching through the fifth and sixth innings.

Smith, who has been one of the best closers in baseball this season, recorded his 20th save in the process. No other closer in the league has such a mark just yet.

Cade Smith is the first to 20 saves this season

Smith this season:
27.2 IP
42 K
2.60 ERA
20/22 in save opportunities

Leads MLB in saves since 2025 All-Star break. pic.twitter.com/vcl7s2R6yD

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) May 30, 2026

"Yeah, I mean, we've been pretty blessed here for a while with that, and Cade has really taken to this new role," Vogt said. "You know, it's an adjustment for anybody, and obviously wasn't at his best at the beginning of the year, stuff-wise, but it's been pretty fun to watch him the last, last month or so...

"It's great, love that Cade's got 20 saves, I hope he ends up with as many as possible, but, you know, we need to be better, we need to extend leads."

With Cleveland's bats getting going at the right time, a bullpen that has continued to deliver and one of the best arms in the game coming in for the ninth inning, the Guardians couldn't be sitting in a much better spot as they cross over the 60-game mark on Saturday.

Back at Progressive Field, they'll host the Red Sox for the second outing of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. EST between the two parties.