Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals: Final Score & Recap

The Cleveland Guardians put together a dominant 11-5 road victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 26, 2026, with the DiamondIQ model's estimate of a home win probability falling from 43% before first pitch all the way to 0% by the final out. Cleveland struck early and decisively, pushing three runs across in the first inning before erupting for four more in the second, a surge that effectively buried Kansas City before the game had fully taken shape. Patrick Bailey's home run off Michael Wacha in the top of the second was the engine of that early damage, adding 9.5% in win probability, and Chase DeLauter extended the lead further with a home run off Wacha again in the third, a swing worth 9.8% in win probability. The Royals managed their lone moments of resistance in the eighth, when Jac Caglianone doubled off Craig Yoho for a 9.8% win-probability swing and Vinnie Pasquantino singled for another 8.7%, but those rallies amounted to only two runs in the inning and never threatened to close the gap meaningfully. Cleveland answered with four runs of their own in the ninth to finalize the margin.

Bailey was the offensive standout among position players, posting a WPA of plus-11.2% and an RE24 of plus-1.9, while Travis Bazzana led all batters with a WPA of plus-11.9% and an RE24 of plus-2.1, supporting the Guardians' 14-hit attack. On the mound, Tanner Bibee headlined the pitching performance with a WPA of plus-14.6%, and Cade Smith was nearly as impactful at plus-14.4%, the pair collectively neutralizing a Kansas City lineup that committed two errors on the day. Shawn Armstrong added plus-3.6% in his relief work to round out a clean collective effort from the Cleveland staff.