BOSTON — Angel Martinez’s second-inning home run was all the visiting Cleveland Guardians needed for a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, clinching the club’s third consecutive American League playoff berth.
Martinez broke up Ranger Suarez’s four-up, four-down start with a 319-foot solo homer inside Pesky’s Pole in right field. The Guardians managed just four hits on the night, but their pitching made the lone run stand up.
Joey Cantillo (11-9) dominated for five shutout innings behind opener Daniel Espino, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four. Cantillo has not allowed a run across his last three outings, spanning 15 innings as a bulk reliever. Espino bookended his 1-2-3 first inning with strikeouts.
Both bullpens were strong. Hunter Gaddis allowed the only relief hit for Cleveland, and Erik Sabrowski struck out two in the eighth before Cade Smith fanned the side in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 41st save of the season.
Cleveland (83-76) logged its seventh win in eight games and remains one game ahead of the Chicago White Sox (82-77) atop the American League Central with three regular-season games remaining. Boston (85-74), already playoff-bound, lost for the fourth time in five games.
A lot still rides on the Guardians’ final three games. If the season ended today, Cleveland would earn a first-round bye directly to the American League Division Series as the No. 2 seed — but a slip could drop them into the wild card round, which would be played on the road.
For the third straight year, Guardians fans get to enjoy October baseball. Cleveland fell in the wild card series to Detroit in 2025 after reaching the AL Championship Series in 2024, and the club is hoping for a deeper run this time around.