Cleveland Guardians at Philadelphia Phillies: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
The Story
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 at Citizens Bank Park on May 22, 2026, in a game that was decided by a single swing in the ninth inning. Through eight frames, neither team had crossed the plate, as both offenses were held in check with Cleveland managing six hits and Philadelphia five. The DiamondIQ model's estimate had Philadelphia entering the day with a 44 percent home win probability, but that figure fell to zero by the final out.
The decisive moment came in the top of the ninth when Kyle Manzardo connected on a solo home run off Jhoan Duran, a swing that shifted win probability by 38.4 percent in Cleveland's favor and accounted for the only run of the game. Philadelphia mounted a response in the bottom half against Cade Smith, but the rally never materialized in meaningful fashion. Bryce Harper's groundout to end the game added 31.6 percent to the Phillies' win probability in the batting-team framing, reflecting how close the situation felt, while Trea Turner's flyout earlier in that inning erased 8.5 percent of Philadelphia's chances. The Phillies had also squandered opportunities in prior innings, most notably a double play off the bat of Justin Crawford in the eighth that cost them 11.3 percent in win probability, and a strikeout double play involving Adolis García in the seventh that shed another 8.6 percent.
Gavin Williams was the backbone of Cleveland's effort on the mound, accumulating 45.4 percent in pitcher WPA across his innings of work, while Cristopher Sánchez led all pitchers with 51.0 percent WPA for Philadelphia despite the loss, holding Cleveland scoreless through his portion of the game. Manzardo finished as the top offensive performer with a WPA of plus 38.4 percent and a RE24 of plus 1.0, and Austin Hedges contributed a modest plus 7.9 percent WPA and plus 0.4 RE24 in support. Cade Smith, who absorbed the loss in relief, finished with a pitcher WPA of minus 16.7 percent after surrendering the Manzardo home run.