Steven Kwan helped Cleveland take the lead by hitting an RBI double in the 10th inning. He also made a diving catch to start a double play in the bottom of the inning, leading the Guardians to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.
Shawn Dubin (0-1) walked Brayan Rocchio to begin the 10th inning, and then Kwan doubled down the left field line to bring in the automatic runner, putting the Guardians ahead 3-2.
Cade Smith (1-0) secured the final two outs of the ninth inning to earn the win, while closer Emmanuel Clase pitched a perfect 10th for his ninth save.
With one out in the 10th, Mauricio Dubón hit a shallow fly ball to left field, where Kwan made a diving catch before throwing to second base to retire the automatic runner and end the game.
Manager Stephen Vogt praised Kwan, a two-time Gold Glove award winner, saying, “Kwan has come through for us over and over… there’s gold out there for a reason. That’s beautiful.”
Kwan singled in the first inning and hit an RBI triple in the fifth inning, narrowly missing a home run and helping to end Cleveland’s two-game losing streak.
He leads the majors with seven three-hit games and tops the American League with 45 hits. Kwan is the fifth player in franchise history to have at least seven three-hit games in the first 30 games of a season and the first since Lyn Lary achieved this feat with 10 in 1937.
When asked which aspect he enjoyed more on Wednesday, his hitting or fielding, Kwan replied, “The defense is probably really good… It feels really good to see some results with that.”
This marked the Guardians’ fourth consecutive extra-inning game, matching a franchise record set in 1910. Cleveland has played seven extra-inning games this season, leading the majors and ranking second-most through 30 games in team history, behind the 1910 team.
