CLEVELAND (Interstat) — In a taut pitchers’ duel defined by missed opportunities and dominant relief work, the Cleveland Guardians edged the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on a walk-off single by Brayan Rocchio in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday afternoon at Progressive Field.

A crowd of 10,328 watched as the two teams combined for just nine hits, with the Guardians managing eight against a solitary, solo home run for the Royals. The game, which lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes, saw both starting pitchers deliver standout performances before a parade of relievers took over.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the decisive ninth inning. With the score tied 1-1, Kansas City reliever John Schreiber, who took the loss and fell to 0-1, gave up a one-out single to CJ Kayfus. After a walk to pinch-hitter Bo Naylor moved the winning run into scoring position, Rocchio lined a 1-1 pitch into right field. Kayfus raced home from second, easily beating the throw to give Cleveland the victory and handing Schreiber the blown save and loss.

The game-winning hit made a winner of Cade Smith (2-0), who had pitched a perfect top of the ninth, striking out two. It capped a afternoon of exceptional work from Cleveland’s bullpen, as Erik Sabrowski, Tim Herrin, Shawn Armstrong and Smith combined for 3.1 perfect innings, striking out six of the ten batters they faced.

The contest was a stark contrast to the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 5-4 Guardians win, and their ELO system gave Cleveland a 54.3% probability of victory, though Kansas City had been installed as a -1.5 run favorite. The total score of three runs dramatically went under the over/under line of 7.

Kansas City’s only offense came early and in one swing. With two outs in the top of the second inning, catcher Carter Jensen connected on a Gavin Williams fastball, sending it over the wall in right-center field for his third home run of the season. It would be the Royals’ only hit of the game.

Williams, Cleveland’s top star on the afternoon, was otherwise magnificent. Building on a stellar outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 1 where he threw seven shutout innings, the right-hander overpowered the Kansas City lineup. Over 5.2 innings, he allowed just Jensen’s homer, walked three, and struck out eight. He consistently worked out of trouble, stranding Royals in scoring position in the third and fourth innings.

He was matched nearly pitch-for-pitch by Royals starter Noah Cameron. The left-hander navigated through a more persistent Cleveland threat, scattering six hits over 5.2 innings while allowing one run. He struck out five and walked one. His lone blemish came in the fifth. After a two-out single by Austin Hedges and a productive groundout moved him to second, Steven Kwan lined a single to left field to score Hedges and tie the game at 1-1.

From there, the bullpens dominated. Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears provided 2.1 innings of hitless relief, striking out three. Cleveland’s quartet of relievers, however, was untouchable, setting down all ten Royals they faced and striking out eight.

The Guardians improved to 8-5 with the victory, while the Royals fell to .500 at 6-6. The win gave Cleveland a split of the first two games of this series after Kansas City’s 4-2 victory on Monday.

Key performances beyond the starters included Juan Brito, who went 2-for-4 with a double for Cleveland, and the Royals’ Jensen, whose home run accounted for the team’s only run and hit. Kansas City’s offense struggled profoundly, striking out 16 times and going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, leaving six men on base.

The two teams conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field before Kansas City heads home to host the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland embarks on a road trip to face the Atlanta Braves.