Pasquantino made sure to do his part with a two-run homer. But Guardians right fielder C.J. Kayfus countered with a go-ahead, two-run homer of his own, off Royals reliever John Schreiber in the eighth inning.

Nick Loftin singled in the tying run and scored on Maikel Garcia’s double in the seventh inning, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

The stage is set for the Guardians to stay in the American League wild-card race, perhaps until the final out of Game 162 when they host the Texas Rangers on Sept. 28 at Progressive Field.

The Guardians have already won the season series, but a win Thursday night would give them an 8-5 record for the season against Kansas City.

The Guardians scored their first run on a Jose RBI groundout after Kwan doubled to lead off the 4th (and break up Kolek’s perfecto). Then, silence. Nothing really happened until the 8th, when C.J. Kayfus rocketed a Schreiber fastball 425’ to dead center.

Major League Baseball MLB - Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians - 09/11/2025 Kansas City Royals Top Plays Vinnie Pasquantino

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt believes the key to defeating an opposing bullpen game is to disrupt the rotation of pitchers. To do that, it’s necessary to work over one of the pitchers.

The Kansas City Royals sent Noah Cameron to the mound with their backs against the wall on Tuesday night, and the rookie delivered, tossing seven strong innings