It’s walk-off déjà vu all over again as Guardians beat Tigers, 3-2, in 10 innings

Guardians71/7Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers, September 6, 2026CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians only went 5-5 in one of their most important homestands of the season. They lost series to Kansas City and Toronto, but they certainly sharpened their walk-off game.For the third time this weekend, the Guardians beat the Tigers in walk-off fashion on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Daniel Schneemann joined Brayan Rocchio and Travis Bazzana as Cleveland’s walk-off hero with a game-winning single in the 3-2 win in 10 innings.The single scored Angel Genao, the automatic runner, from third after he was pushed there by a Patrick Bailey single off Kyle Finnigan (3-1).The win went to Cade Smith (5-1), who entered in the ninth and retired six straight.With the victory, the Guardians pulled within two games of the division-leading White Sox in the American League Central. Chicago plays Sunday evening at home against Minnesota to end their series. In Friday’s doubleheader sweep, Rocchio won the first game with a walk-off homer in the ninth. Bazzana won the second game with a single in the 10th.The victory overshadowed another strong start by Gavin Williams, who allowed two runs and struck out 11 in six innings. Williams leads the big leagues with 228 strikeouts.How unique was this weekend? The Guardians never led at any point in the four-game series until their final at-bats on Friday and Sunday.The Guardians have won 11 of their last 17 games. The Tigers have lost 17 of their last 22 games.It was Cleveland’s seventh walk-off win of the season. They are 7-5 in extra innings.Guardians, Detroit Tigers starting lineups for Sept. 6, 2026: Game No. 144Guardians bring the heat with promotion of Franco Aleman; Austin Peterson optionedGuardians’ Parker Messick strikes out 12, but can’t fan Riley Greene in 6-0 loss to TigersThe Tigers, as they did the entire series, scored first.Red-hot Riley Greene hit a two-run double that was good for a 2-0 lead off Williams in the first inning. Williams struck out Kevin McGonigle to start the game. Hao-Yu Lee walked and Colt Keith singled him to second.Greene lined the double to the fence in right center. It was his fifth hit and sixth RBI in six at-bats going back to Saturday’s 6-0 Tigers victory. Greene went 4 for 5 with two homers and four RBI Saturday.The Guardians came right back against right-hander Jackson Jobe to make it 2-1 in the first on consecutive doubles by Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana, the first two batters in the lineup.Walks by Nathaniel Lowe and Angel Martinez loaded the bases with one out, but the Guardians could not take advantage. Jobe struck out Genao and retired Bailey on a grounder to second.Jobe, once one of Detroit’s top prospects, was making just his sixth start after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2025. For the next three innings he made the 2-1 lead stand until he ran into Rocchio with one out in the fifth.Rocchio, who hit a grand slam and a walk-off homer Friday in the first game of a doubleheader, sent Jobe’s 0-2 pitch into the right field seats to tie the score at 2-2. Rocchio’s third homer of the series gave him 13 for the season.Williams did not allow another run in his six innings of work. Along the way, he struck out 11 to give him 24 strikeouts in 13 innings over his last two starts.It was Williams’ eighth start against the Tigers, but just his first this season. His career ERA against Detroit went from 1.88 to 2.03.Williams leads the big leagues with 11 games of 10 or more strikeouts. After allowing three hits in the first, Williams allowed just one more in his 29th start of the season. Greene doubled over Petey Halpin’s head in center field with two out in the third, but that was it. He finished the start by retiring the Tigers in order in the sixth.NextThe Guardians open a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday afternoon at Camden Yards with LHP Joey Cantillo (9-8, 3.81) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.30) at 1:35 p.m. Guardians.TV, WTAM/1100, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network will carry the series.Paul Hoynes, born in Cleveland, has been the beat writer for the Indians/Guardians since 1983. He attended Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland and received a journalism degree from Marquette University. He...