Guardians rally behind Fry, Hedges homers to beat Rangers 9-4

Guardians Offense Explodes

The Cleveland Guardians secured a decisive 9-4 victory over the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The win improved Cleveland’s record to 45-42, while the Rangers dropped to 44-43 in the standings.

The game’s momentum shifted dramatically in the second inning. After Texas Rangers’ Hedges advanced via a sacrifice bunt by Rocchio, the Guardians capitalized on multiple wild pitches by Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Arias scored twice on Gore’s wild pitches, bringing the score to 2-0 for Cleveland.

Fry then homered to right-center field, a 380-foot shot that drove in Hedges and Schneemann to extend the lead to 5-0.

Cleveland added another run in the third inning when Foscue scored on a walk by Higashioka. The Rangers challenged the call on the field, but the umpires upheld the decision, keeping the score at 5-1. The Guardians’ offense continued to pressure the Texas bullpen, adding two more runs in the sixth inning.

Higashioka scored on a groundout by Díaz, and Osuna scored when Lopez doubled to left field, making it 5-3.

Late Inning Surge

The Guardians extended their lead in the seventh inning. DeLauter singled to right field to score Kwan, followed by Hoskins walking and DeLauter scoring on a wild pitch by Winston Santos. The score stood at 7-3 heading into the eighth inning.

Texas managed to get on the board in the eighth when Díaz homered to left-center field, a 402-foot shot. However, the Rangers could not complete the comeback. Hedges homered to left-center field, a 400-foot blast that scored Watson, pushing the final margin to 9-4. The Guardians’ defense held firm to secure the win.

Pitching Performance

Joey Cantillo earned the win for Cleveland, pitching 5.0 innings with 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Colin Holderman pitched 1.0 inning, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run. Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin each recorded a hold, combining for 0.2 innings with no earned runs.

Erik Sabrowski pitched 1.0 inning with 1 hit and 1 earned run, while Matt Festa closed the game with 1.0 inning of scoreless relief.

MacKenzie Gore took the loss for Texas, pitching 5.0 innings with 7 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts. Cole Winn pitched 1.0 inning with 2 hits and 2 earned runs, and Winston Santos pitched 2.0 innings with 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout.

The game drew an attendance of 20,141 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815984