Go-Ahead and Give Kyle Manzardo His Flowers as Guardians Take Down Phillies

The Cleveland Guardians just seem to always get it done.

And on Friday, May 22, even though he wasn't in the starting lineup, Kyle Manzardo rose to the occasion and stepped up when the team needed him the most.

"Yeah, you know, Manzo, since he's gotten here a couple years ago, he knows his role and, when you come off the bench, you gotta be ready to go, and he's really come a long way as a pinch hitter and, he's been swinging the bat really well," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Guardians were knotted at zero with the Philadelphia Phillies. The previous eight innings were spotlighted by incredible pitching from starters Gavin Williams and Cristopher Sánchez. With both approaching 100 pitches, the coaching staffs turned to the bullpen to close out the contest.

For the Phillies, they handed the ball off to Jhoan Duran, who immediately allowed a single to José Ramírez. However, the future Hall of Fame third baseman attempted to take second base, but was thrown out to take him off the base paths.

Manzardo then stepped up to the plate with one out, pinch-hitting for veteran righty Rhys Hoskins.

He saw a 97.2 mph splitter down the heart of the zone and blasted it 364 feet into left field, recording his fifth home run of the season en route to giving Cleveland the go-ahead run.

"Yeah, man, just, just proud to, to be with a group like this," Manzardo said postgame. "I'm just really, really grateful."

His home-run shot was the first tie-breaking pinch-hit home run for Cleveland in the ninth inning since Jason Giambi belted one way back in September of 2023. That moment came against in-division rival, the Chicago White Sox.

For a player like Manzardo, who has had an up-and-down start to the year, seeing him only see one pitch the whole game and send it the distance is impressive. Not only does it show just how ready he is to step into the game on a moment's notice, but just how confident he is in his abilities.

"[I am] just staying, staying ready, man," he said when reflecting on what his mindset was like throughout the game. "The way we, the way we kind of play baseball here is, is we're gonna empty the bench a lot, man. So, just cause you start on the bench, you're not usually gonna finish on the bench."

And he isn't wrong. Nearly every single game, multiple different players will come off the bench for the Guardians with hopes of providing late-game sparks. This time, though, it was the difference maker.

Along with an exciting finish from Manzardo, closer Cade Smith held on to the one-run advantage.

He lowered his season ERA to 2.55, allowing no baserunners in the final frame. He retired Trea Turner on a flyout, struck out Kyle Schwarber and got Bryce Harper to ground out, a dominant finish against three of baseball’s most well-rounded bats.

The win moves the Guardians to a mark of 31-22 on the campaign as they now own a seven-game winning streak.

The Phillies and Guardians are right back in action on Saturday, May 23, as they face in game two of a three-game set at 4:05 p.m. EST.

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