Cleveland Guardians Top Prospect Joins Rare Team History with Big Day at Plate

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday thanks to a stellar pitching performance from Alex Cobb and a huge day from rookie Kyle Manzardo.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo (9) hits an RBI double during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field on May 22. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. With the win, they are now 78-59 and they lead the American League Central by 3.5 games over both the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins.

This win was defined by two things: Stellar pitching from veteran Alex Cobb and stellar offense from top prospect Kyle Manzardo, who was recently re-called.

With regards to Cobb, he went 6.0 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on two hits. He walked none and struck out six. Acquired from the San Francisco Giants earlier this year, he's 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

Manzardo went 2-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, two runs scored and two RBI. With only 85 major league at-bats under his belt, those were his first two career homers.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com on social media:

Kyle Manzardo is the 10th player in Cleveland history to hit his 1st 2 career HR in the same game, joining:

8/13/21 Ernie Clement
6/17/95 Herbert Perry
9/3/93 Manny Ramirez
9/7/88 Luis Medina
5/21/84 Jerry Willard
6/9/72 Jack Brohamer
6/15/49 Ray Boone
8/6/47 Hank Ruszkowski
4/27/40 Lou Boudreau

Kyle Manzardo is the 10th player in Cleveland history to hit his 1st 2 career HR in the same game, joining:

8/13/21 Ernie Clement
6/17/95 Herbert Perry
9/3/93 Manny Ramirez
9/7/88 Luis Medina
5/21/84 Jerry Willard
6/9/72 Jack Brohamer
6/15/49 Ray Boone
8/6/47 Hank Ruszkowski… https://t.co/mY9eWppsbh

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 1, 2024

Manzardo is the No. 3 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. He was acquired by Cleveland in a trade deadline deal with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

A left-handed hitter, Manzardo utilizes a simple approach at the plate, recognizing pitches well and making quality swing decisions. Despite a reputation as a hit-over-power guy, he always has shown a natural ability to drive balls in the air to his pull side and more aggressively sought home runs in the AFL. He has the pure hitting ability to bat .280-.300 and the strength and bat speed to produce 25 homers per season. 

He was hitting .267 with 20 home runs and 20 doubles at Triple-A Columbus.

The Guardians will have a critical division battle against the Royals beginning on Monday. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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