The Cleveland Guardians scored twice in the top of the 10th inning to help score a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
The Guardians scored their runs in controversial fashion as Andres Gimenez sent a Jharel Cotton changeup off the right field wall to score ghost runner Ernie Clement from second base. Although Gimenez was initially credited with a single, he collided with Jose Miranda and was awarded second base.
The play proved costly for the Twins after Myles Straw singled to right field later in the inning. While Straw was tagged out trying to stretch the play into a double, Gimenez scored the insurance run that came in handy in the bottom half of the inning.
Although Gio Urshella drove in a run on an RBI single, Emmanuel Clase struck out Nick Gordon to end the game and even the series.
The path to extra innings was paved by great pitching by both teams. The Twins had an uphill battle against Guardians ace Shane Bieber but had him on the ropes several times. Ultimately, Bieber turned in a strong performance, allowing just a Urshella home run over seven innings.
The Twins countered with a solid start from Devin Smeltzer. The left-hander allowed one run over five innings with three hits and a pair of walks.
The Twins will look to claim the series victory when they send Joe Ryan to the mound on Sunday afternoon.
