Minnesota Steals One in Cleveland on a Brutal Kwan Error
Gavin Williams struck out 11 batters over 7 innings, allowed just 2 hits, walked nobody, and still lost. A two-run 12th inning — punctuated by a throwing error from Steven Kwan in left field — sent Minnesota home with a 3-1 win.
Williams was the story of the night in the worst possible way for Cleveland. Seven innings, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 11 strikeouts — a line that looks like a win on paper and ended up being anything but. Taj Bradley matched him with 7 innings of his own, giving up 1 earned run on 2 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. Both starters were dominant enough that this game felt destined for extras, and that's exactly where it went.
Cleveland drew first blood in the 5th when Patrick Bailey launched a 420-foot home run to right, putting the Guardians up 1-0. That lead held through 7 innings of Williams, through 2 innings of Colin Holderman (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER), and into the 8th, when Minnesota finally cracked the door. Alan Roden singled to center, scoring Lewis to tie it at 1. Then came the 12th, and it unraveled fast. Trevor Larnach singled to left, scoring Ryan Jeffers to make it 2-1 — the win probability swung from 69% to 39% on that single swing of the bat. Cleveland's night was already slipping, and then Kwan made it worse: Luke Keaschall singled to left, Lewis scored on an error, and Larnach advanced to third on a throwing error by Kwan. Minnesota 3, Cleveland 1. Ballgame.
The numbers here are almost absurd. Minnesota's three runs in the 12th came on three singles, an error, and a throwing mistake — not a single extra-base hit in the decisive frame. Larnach, Keaschall, and Roden each drove in exactly one run on one hit apiece. Jeffers went 1-for-5 but scored the go-ahead run. Kwan went 2-for-4 at the plate and then handed Minnesota the insurance run with his arm. It appears the Guardians simply ran out of margin for error against a Minnesota lineup that was patient enough to wait for the game to come to them. Williams deserved better. That's not an opinion — it's just math.