Ramírez's Twin Home Runs Lift Cleveland to Series-Closing Win Over Baltimore Orioles

Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez hits two home runs to surpass franchise legend Earl Averill for second-most homers at home.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 9:06pm

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In the final game of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez hit two home runs to lead his team to an 8-4 victory. Ramírez's homers were his 137th and 138th at home, moving him past franchise legend Earl Averill for second-most home runs hit at Progressive Field. Brayan Rocchio and Juan Brito also had strong offensive performances, driving in multiple runs to support starting pitcher Joey Cantillo and the Guardians' bullpen.

Why it matters

Ramírez's historic performance continues to cement his legacy as one of the best players in Guardians franchise history. As the team's biggest star, his ability to consistently produce at the plate is crucial to the Guardians' success. The win also keeps Cleveland in the hunt in the competitive American League Central division race.

The details

Ramírez's two home runs on Sunday brought his season total to six, and he is now slashing .229/.354/.494 with 19 hits, four doubles, and 12 RBIs. Brayan Rocchio had a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three RBIs, while Juan Brito drove in two runs with a double. Starting pitcher Joey Cantillo gave the Guardians four strong innings before running into trouble in the fifth, but the bullpen combination of Matt Festa, Erik Sabrowski, Peyton Pallette, and Cade Smith shut down the Orioles over the final 4.1 innings to secure the victory.

  • The game was played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
  • Ramírez's 137th and 138th home runs at Progressive Field moved him past Earl Averill for second-most in franchise history.

The players

José Ramírez

A star player for the Cleveland Guardians, Ramírez hit two home runs in the game to surpass franchise legend Earl Averill for the second-most home runs hit at Progressive Field.

Brayan Rocchio

A Guardians player who had a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three RBIs to support the team's offense.

Juan Brito

A Guardians player who drove in two runs with a double to contribute to the team's scoring.

Joey Cantillo

The Guardians' starting pitcher, who gave the team four strong innings before running into trouble in the fifth.

Stephen Vogt

The manager of the Cleveland Guardians, who praised Ramírez's performance and the bullpen's effort to secure the win.

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What they’re saying

“It's extremely hard [to do], and yeah, I do marvel at it. When your name is circled thicker or darker than anybody else's in the lineup, especially when he's hitting right-handed, teams do not want him to beat them right-handed... So for him to get two homers back-to-back at bats like that, you could just see, he hits a different gear, he hits a different mindset. It's super impressive.”

— Stephen Vogt, Guardians Manager

“Yeah, that was probably one of my favorite outings of the year, was Peyton coming in and hadn't pitched for, what, eight, nine days. And he had to get six outs for us just with where the bullpen was, with who we had available. We needed that from Peyton. Man, he was not big-eyed and locked it in and got six very good hitters out.”

— Stephen Vogt, Guardians Manager

What’s next

The Guardians will host the Houston Astros for a three-game series starting on Monday, April 20, 2026.

The takeaway

José Ramírez's historic performance at the plate continues to cement his status as one of the Guardians' all-time greats, and the team's ability to get strong contributions from role players like Brayan Rocchio and Juan Brito will be crucial as they look to contend in the AL Central.