CLEVELAND (Interstat) — In a back-and-forth affair that saw multiple late-inning rallies, the Cleveland Guardians mounted a decisive three-run eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit and held off a final Chicago Cubs push to secure a 6-5 victory in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Sunday at Progressive Field.

A crowd of 19,791 watched the Guardians improve to 6-4, while the Cubs fell to 4-5.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the bottom of the eighth, with the Cubs clinging to a 4-3 lead after Ian Happ’s solo home run in the top half of the inning. Cleveland’s response was immediate and potent. After José Ramírez flew out, pinch-hitter CJ Kayfus, batting for David Fry, launched a game-tying solo homer to right field off Cubs reliever Jacob Webb.

The rally continued as Chase DeLauter singled and Rhys Hoskins walked. Gabriel Arias then delivered a sharp line-drive single to left, scoring DeLauter to give Cleveland its first lead of the afternoon at 5-4. Austin Hedges followed with another single to left, plating Hoskins for a crucial insurance run.

That run proved vital when the Cubs mounted a threat in the ninth against Guardians closer Cade Smith. Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman worked walks with two outs, bringing Happ back to the plate. Happ, who had homered earlier, singled to center to score Hoerner and pull the Cubs within a run, moving Bregman to third as the tying run. Smith, however, stranded both runners by striking out Carson Kelly swinging to end the game and earn his third save.

The contest began as a pitchers’ duel between Chicago’s Shota Imanaga and Cleveland’s Parker Messick. The Cubs broke through first in the third inning when rookie right fielder Matt Shaw launched a solo home run to right field.

Chicago extended its lead in the sixth. After Carson Kelly singled with one out, shortstop Dansby Swanson connected on a two-run homer to left-center field, pushing the Cubs’ advantage to 3-0 and chasing Messick from the game.

Cleveland answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth, matching the Cubs’ two-run output and then adding a third to tie the game. Steven Kwan led off with a double and scored on a single by Kayfus, who was inserted as a pinch-hitter for the injured Angel Martínez. DeLauter brought home another run with a sacrifice fly, and after a walk to Hoskins, Arias tied the game with an RBI single to center.

The game remained deadlocked until the eighth, setting the stage for the decisive back-to-back homers from Happ and Kayfus and the subsequent Guardians rally.

Shawn Armstrong, who pitched a scoreless top of the eighth for Cleveland, was credited with the win, moving to 1-0. Webb, who surrendered three runs in the fateful bottom of the eighth, took the loss for Chicago, falling to 0-1.

The Cubs collected seven hits, with Happ’s homer and two RBIs leading the way. The Guardians finished with nine hits, utilizing timely contributions from the bottom of their order, as Arias and Hedges each drove in key runs from the eighth and ninth spots in the lineup.

The game lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes. The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader Sunday evening.

UP NEXT

The Cubs continue their road trip with a three-game series at Tampa Bay starting Monday. The Guardians begin a homestand with three games against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.