CLEVELAND (Interstat) — For seven innings Friday night, a classic pitchers’ duel unfolded at Progressive Field, defined by zeros and mounting tension. For the final two frames, that tension erupted into a barrage of runs, with the Baltimore Orioles staging a stunning six-run eighth inning to overcome a late Cleveland Guardians rally and secure a 6-4 victory.

The game’s most important sequence was undoubtedly the Orioles’ immediate and overwhelming response in the top of the eighth inning, just moments after the Guardians had seized their first lead of the night. Trailing 4-0 and having been held to just four hits by Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee and reliever Hunter Gaddis, Baltimore’s offense exploded against the Guardians’ bullpen to turn the game on its head.

The decisive half-inning began with three straight free passes: a walk to Taylor Ward, a hit-by-pitch to Pete Alonso, and a walk to Dylan Beavers, loading the bases with no outs. Johnathan Rodríguez’s sacrifice fly to right field finally put Baltimore on the board. After a challenged walk to Leody Taveras reloaded the bases, pinch-hitter Weston Wilson delivered the critical blow, lacing a two-run double to left field to cut the deficit to one. Following a strikeout, second baseman Jeremiah Jackson provided the exclamation point, launching a three-run homer to left-center field to cap the six-run outburst and give the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish.

This offensive eruption completely negated what had been the game’s defining moment just minutes earlier. For six and a half innings, the story was dominant starting pitching. Baltimore’s Chris Bassitt and Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee engaged in a scoreless standoff. Bassitt, named the top star for Baltimore, worked five shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two. Bibee was even more impressive, tossing six scoreless frames, yielding four hits and striking out five.

The deadlock was broken dramatically in the bottom of the seventh. With Baltimore reliever Grant Wolfram on the mound, Steven Kwan reached on an error by Jackson and Chase DeLauter followed with a double. An intentional walk to José Ramírez loaded the bases with one out. After two strikeouts, shortstop Daniel Schneemann stepped in with the bases loaded and two outs. On a 2-1 pitch, Schneemann connected, sending a grand slam over the right-field wall to suddenly give Cleveland a 4-0 lead and send the crowd of 23,988 into a frenzy.

The euphoria was short-lived. Baltimore’s relentless eighth-inning rally made a winner of reliever Rico Garcia, who pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth, inducing three groundouts. He improved to 2-0. Cleveland’s Erik Sabrowski, who failed to record an out while allowing three of the eighth-inning baserunners, took the loss, falling to 0-1.

Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save, navigating around a two-out walk to Ramírez by striking out Kyle Manzardo and getting a game-ending groundout.

The victory evened the Orioles’ record at 10-10 and handed the Guardians their second straight loss, dropping them to 11-10. The game lasted 3 hours and 7 minutes.

The outcome defied several pregame projections. While Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 6-5 Baltimore win, its ELO system gave Cleveland a 58.5% probability to win. The Guardians had also been installed as a -1.5 run favorite. The total of 10 runs went over the closing over/under line of 8.

Key performances beyond the starters included Schneemann, who went 2-for-4 with his grand slam accounting for all four Cleveland RBIs. For Baltimore, Wilson’s pinch-hit, two-run double and Jackson’s three-run homer were the pivotal hits in the comeback. Cleveland’s Hunter Gaddis also turned in a standout relief appearance, striking out the side in a perfect seventh inning prior to the late collapse.

The Orioles’ win avenged a 4-2 loss to the Guardians in the series opener on Thursday. The two teams will continue their four-game set Saturday at Progressive Field. Baltimore will then travel to Kansas City for a three-game series starting Monday, while Cleveland will host Houston for three games beginning Monday.