José Ramírez made history and lifted the Cleveland Guardians to another tight victory, belting his second home run of the night in the eighth inning to beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Tuesday at Progressive Field.
Ramírez, who entered the game mired in an 0-for-12 slump, wasted no time snapping out of it, sending a solo shot to right in the first inning. He struck again in the eighth, driving a Calvin Faucher (3-3) cutter just over the wall in right field for his 27th career multihomer game — the most in franchise history. The milestone moves him past Hall of Famer Jim Thome and slugger Albert Belle, both of whom had 26. It was Ramírez’s second multihomer performance this season.
Kyle Manzardo also went deep in the opening frame, immediately following Ramírez for Cleveland’s seventh set of back-to-back homers in 2025. Manzardo’s blast was his third in the past two games, giving the Guardians a quick 2-0 lead.
The Marlins clawed back in the fifth inning with a three-run rally. Dane Myers lined an RBI single to left-center, then scored from third on a throwing error by left fielder Steven Kwan. Heriberto Hernández tied the game with a double down the left-field line.
One of the game’s biggest defensive plays came in the sixth when Miami’s Eric Wagaman attempted to score from second on Agustín Ramírez’s single. Kwan atoned for his earlier error by firing a perfect throw to catcher Bo Naylor, who applied the tag for the out. It was Kwan’s MLB-leading 11th outfield assist this season.
Cade Smith (5-4) earned the win after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Emmanuel Clase closed the door in the ninth for his 30th save.
Cleveland has now won six of its last seven games and continues to roll in the AL Central race. The Guardians send right-hander Gavin Williams (7-4, 3.17 ERA) to the mound Wednesday for his first start since coming within two outs of a no-hitter against the Mets on Aug. 6. Miami counters with righty Eury Pérez (4-3, 3.25 ERA).
