All that was missing was Rajai Davis and a rain delay.
Josh Naylor brought home José Ramírez with the game-winning run in the eighth inning and the Cleveland Guardians earned a 9-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night in a back-and-forth duel that brought back memories of their 2016 World Series.
Rookie John Kensy Noel hit a three-run home run and a solo shot, and a pike catch in right field saved a couple of runs for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who returned home after tying a thrilling four-game series at second-place Minnesota.
Steven Kwan hit another two-run home run for the Guardians, who then squandered an 8-3 lead and then improved their league-best home record to 36-20.
“We’re proving to ourselves that we can win in different ways,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “This is one of the first times this year that we’ve been beaten this late in the game, and for our guys to respond and make runs late is great.”
Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit home runs for the Cubs, who have now played 14 consecutive games against AL teams.
Ramírez opened the eighth inning with a double against Julian Merryweather (1-1) and pinch hitter Will Brennan hit a single before Naylor bounced his base hit to left.
The Cubs led 3-0 and then fell behind by five before tying the score with four runs in the seventh and one in the eighth inning against Cleveland’s vaunted bullpen.
While the game wasn’t quite as dramatic as the 2016 series the Cubs won in seven games — featuring a dramatic 8-7 victory in Game 7 after Davis’ improbable home run against Aroldis Chapman and a rain delay that might have saved Chicago — there were plenty of game-deciding moments.
Nick Sandlin (7-0) made the final two outs in the eighth inning before Vogt brought in closer Emmanuel Clase for the third consecutive game. Clase put the Cubs down in order and earned his 36th save, which is a league lead.
“He wants to throw every day,” Vogt said. “I’ll probably talk to him about it tomorrow. But that’s what you love about him.”
Noel’s three-run hit in the fourth inning against Shota Imanaga – on a pitch that was just over the plate – came shortly after his sensational catch.
The Cubs were already up by three and were dangerous in the fourth inning when Noel showed up with his defensive gem.
With two players on base and two outs, Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki threw a ball to his right that flew toward the free-throw line. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Noel took a good leap and launched himself into the air to catch the ball before sliding facedown into the grass.
“That was a game-saver,” Vogt said. “It killed the momentum right away and was just an incredible play. He continues to shine on defense. He makes plays.”
In the fourth inning, Noel fell behind 1-2 before hitting his seventh home run, a flat splinter over the wall in left to make it 4-3.
After a one-out single by Austin Hedges in the fifth inning, Kwan hit his 13th home run, a massive hit to right.
Happ celebrated his 30th birthday by hitting a massive 429-foot home run against Guardians starter Ben Lively as the Cubs, who left nine runners on the bench, took a 3-0 lead.
“We played really well on offense, even hitting some balls from players in scoring position that weren’t falling, especially early in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said.
TRAINING ROOM
Cubs: Rookie RHP Ben Brown (neck strain) has been suspended. Counsell said Brown is not making progress and the team feels the best next step is complete rest. Counsell said the team has no timetable for Brown’s return, but he is not ruling out him pitching again this season.
Guardians: LHP Sam Hentges (shoulder) is seeking a second opinion on an injury that has limited him to just 25 games this season. Hentges has been in minor league rehab at Triple-A Columbus.
Next
Matthew Boyd makes his debut for the Guardians, who signed the left-hander as a free agent in June to bolster their starting lineup. Boyd underwent Tommy John surgery last year. He will face Cubs RHP Javier Assad (5-3, 3.24 ERA).
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