Bazzana Walk-Off Lifts Guardians Past Tigers After Three-Run Deficit
CLE def. DET · September 4, 2026 · Final: Guardians 4, Tigers 3
Cleveland trailed Detroit 3-0 heading into the sixth inning, the Guardians' win probability having bottomed out at 12.7% in the top of the fifth — about as bleak as it gets without being mathematically eliminated from a single game.
Detroit built the lead methodically. Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee singled home Zach McKinstry in the top of the third to make it 1-0, and Kevin McGonigle's double to right field scored Gleyber Torres to push it to 2-0. Eduardo Valencia's single in the top of the fifth brought Torres home again, stretching the margin to three.
Cleveland first baseman Nathaniel Lowe started the climb in the bottom of the sixth. He lined a double to center field that scored José Ramírez, putting the Guardians on the board at 3-1.
The game stayed there until the bottom of the eighth, when Guardians designated hitter Travis Bazzana changed everything. Bazzana sent a fly ball to right center for his tenth home run of the season, with Steven Kwan aboard — a two-run shot that tied the game at 3-3 and sent it to extras.
In the bottom of the tenth, Cleveland had Brayan Rocchio at second base — the automatic runner — when Bazzana came up again. He grounded a single to center fielder Max Clark, and Rocchio scored standing up.
Cleveland Guardians 4, Detroit Tigers 3.
The Comeback
- Largest deficit
- 3 runs — in the top of the 5th
- Win-probability nadir
- 12.7% (down 3 in the top of the 5th)
- Lead flipped for good
- bottom of the 10th
- Lead changes
- 1
- Final
- CLE 4, DET 3 — won by 1, walk-off
Scoring Summary
| Inn. | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| T3 | Hao-Yu Lee singles on a ground ball to center fielder Steven Kwan. Zach McKinstry scores. Gleyber Torres to 2nd. | 1-0 |
| T3 | Kevin McGonigle doubles (25) on a ground ball to right fielder Jo Adell. Gleyber Torres scores. Hao-Yu Lee to 3rd. | 2-0 |
| T5 | Eduardo Valencia singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jo Adell. Gleyber Torres scores. Dillon Dingler to 3rd. | 3-0 |
| B6 | Nathaniel Lowe doubles (22) on a line drive to center fielder Max Clark. José Ramírez scores. | 3-1 |
| B8 | Travis Bazzana homers (10) on a fly ball to right center field. Steven Kwan scores. | 3-3 |
| B10 | Travis Bazzana singles on a ground ball to center fielder Max Clark. Brayan Rocchio scores. | 3-4 |
Box score
▸
Line score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
CLEWinning team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven KwanCF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .273 |
| Travis BazzanaDH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .242 |
| José Ramírez3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .239 |
| Jo AdellLF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .240 |
| Nathaniel Lowe1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .255 |
| Daniel SchneemannRF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .203 |
| Angel Genao2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .253 |
| Patrick BaileyC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .203 |
| Brayan RocchioSS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .247 |
| Chase DeLauterDH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .294 |
| Angel MartínezLF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .245 |
| David FryLF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .193 |
| Austin HedgesC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .254 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Griffin | 6.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 92 |
| Daniel Espino | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26 |
| Hunter Gaddis | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
DETLosing team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon DinglerDH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .249 |
| Kevin McGonigleSS | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .272 |
| Eduardo ValenciaC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .307 |
| Spencer Torkelson1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .223 |
| Max ClarkCF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .265 |
| Brett CallahanLF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .257 |
| Colt Keith3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .260 |
| Zach McKinstryRF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .212 |
| Gleyber Torres2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .268 |
| Hao-Yu LeeDH | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .266 |
| Ben MalgeriLF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .238 |
| John PeckSS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Sears | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 93 |
| Beau Brieske | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Jacob Waguespack | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| Kenley Jansen | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 |