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Fry, Hedges Homers Lead Guardians Past Rangers 9-4

Cleveland Guardians hitters Fry and Hedges launched home runs as the team defeated the Texas Rangers 9-4 at Progressive Field on Wednesday.

Coralie Oakley

July 2, 20262 min read

MLBFinal
Texas Rangers4
Cleveland Guardians9

July 1, 2026

Guardians Offense Explodes

The Cleveland Guardians’ power display was anchored by two key home runs that shifted the momentum early in the contest. In the second inning, Fry launched a 380-foot shot to right-center field, driving in three runs and giving Cleveland a commanding lead. Hedges followed suit in the eighth inning, hitting a 402-foot home run to left-center that added two more runs to the tally.

The Guardians built their advantage through a mix of power and opportunistic scoring. After Hedges’ sacrifice bunt advanced Rocchio, who later scored, the Rangers’ pitching struggled to contain the base runners. A series of wild pitches by Texas starter MacKenzie Gore allowed Arias to score twice in the second inning, further extending Cleveland’s lead before Fry’s homer.

Rangers Struggle to Contain Pitching

Texas Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore took the loss after allowing five earned runs over five innings. He struck out seven batters but struggled with control, issuing one walk while giving up seven hits. The Rangers’ bullpen could not stabilize the game, with Cole Winn and Winston Santos each allowing two earned runs in their respective outings.

Winn pitched one inning, giving up two hits and two earned runs, while Santos worked two innings, surrendering two hits and two earned runs with one walk and one strikeout. The Rangers managed only four total runs, with Díaz providing the team’s only home run in the eighth inning with a 402-foot shot to left-center.

Guardians Pitching Holds Firm

Cleveland Guardians starter Joey Cantillo earned the win by pitching five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out four batters. He walked five batters but maintained control enough to keep the Rangers off the board for most of the game.

Relief pitchers Colin Holderman, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Erik Sabrowski, and Matt Festa closed out the game. Holderman pitched one inning, allowing one earned run on three hits. Gaddis and Herrin combined for less than one inning with no earned runs. Sabrowski pitched one inning, allowing one earned run, while Festa closed with a perfect inning, striking out no batters but allowing no hits or walks.

Game Summary and Records

The final score of 9-4 reflected the Guardians’ offensive dominance and the Rangers’ pitching difficulties. The game was played at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, with an attendance of 20,141. The victory improved the Guardians’ record to 45-42, while the Rangers fell to 44-43. No team advanced, was eliminated, or clinched a playoff spot based on this result, as that information is not provided.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815984

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Coralie Oakley

Coralie Oakley covers Denton high school and area college sports.

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