The Cleveland Guardians won their series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6, powered by Angel Martínez's two 2-run home runs. The Guardians held off a late rally from Toronto to secure the victory.
Key points
Cleveland Guardians won 8-6 against Toronto Blue Jays
Angel Martínez hit two 2-run home runs
Guardians scored five runs in the first inning
Gavin Williams pitched six innings for the Guardians
Next game features Joey Cantillo vs Kevin Gausman
Cleveland GuardiansToronto Blue Jays
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 16: Angel Martínez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians hits the ball in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 16: Angel Martínez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians hits the ball in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In what looked like it could be a laugher early, the Guardians were able to hold on for an 8-6 victory to open the series in Toronto, off the back of two 2-run home runs from Angel Martínez. It was Martínez’s first career multi-home run game.
The first inning started off with a bang, as Daniel Schneemann took Max Scherzer deep on the 8th pitch of the first at bat of the game. The Guardians weren’t done yet, though. After a José Ramírez walk and a Rhys Hoskins single, George Valera just missed a home run, as he hit a 2 run double off the very top of the high wall in right field, giving the Guardians a 3-0 lead. Then the very next hitter Angel Martínez took Scherzer deep, capping off a 5 run first inning.
Toronto was able to answer back in the bottom half. doubled off to lead off the inning for Toronto, but he would leave with injury. (As of writing, the only available update was “left hamstring discomfort”.) The pinch runner moved to 3rd on a sac fly and scored on a ground ball to short stop. Then with two outs and no one on base, Jesús Sánchez took The Big Rig deep, making it a 5-2 game.
After a scoreless 2nd from the Guards, the were able to tack on one more on a solo shot from , closing the gap to just 2 runs. Then it was Angel Martínez to the rescue again. After falling behind 0-2, Martínez fouled off several pitches, working the count back to full. On the 11th pitch of the at bat, he took Scherzer deep again to right field for his second 2-run home run of the night.
Gavin Williams was able to settle in after that, at one point retiring 11 Blue Jays in a row, before walking Davis Schneider in the 5th, who would go on to score on an double. The Guards would tack on a big insurance run with an RBI fielder’s choice by , making it 8-4. The Jays would go on to score two more in the 6th on a bloop double by off Williams to bring the Jays closer at 8-6. Williams would get out of the inning though, and was done for the night. His final line was 6IP 6ER 7H 2BB 4K, and while not ideal from the pitcher most consider the Ace of this staff, he was able to keep the lead intact and get through 6 innings to help ease the load on the bullpen.
The Guardian’s bullpen then came in and got 6 hitters out in a row, with both and each throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th and 8th respectively. After that, it was up to to close it out. It wasn’t without drama, as Okamoto led off the inning with a 112 mph laser beam high off the wall in left field, but a great play on the ball off the wall by Angel Martínez held Okamoto to a very long single. He was followed by known Guardian hater Andrés Giménez lining a single to RF, and it looked like the inning was set up perfectly for the Blue Jays. However, Cade Smith was able to get the pinch hitter to hit a weak ground ball to José Ramírez, and the Guards defense got the very clutch 5-4-3 double play. Finally, with a runner on 3rd and 2 outs, Smith was able to get Schneider to pop out to second base to end the game and seal a series opening victory for the Guardians.
The Guards will have a chance to take the series tomorrow afternoon, but they’ll have to take down , the Blue Jays Ace, to do it. It’ll be on the mound for Cleveland, with first pitch scheduled for 3:07pm.
Q&A
What was the final score of the Guardians vs Blue Jays game?
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6.
Who hit two home runs for the Guardians in the game?
Angel Martínez hit two 2-run home runs for the Guardians.
How did the Guardians perform in the first inning against the Blue Jays?
The Guardians scored five runs in the first inning, including a home run by Angel Martínez.
What is the pitching matchup for the next game between the Guardians and Blue Jays?
Joey Cantillo will pitch for the Guardians against Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays.
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