Guardians Secure 5th Straight Victory as Kayfus Nails First Major League Home Run Against White Sox, Winning 3-1
The Cleveland Guardians added another win to their tally, defeating the Chicago White Sox 3-1 in a thrilling game on Saturday. With the victory, the Guardians are now six games over .500 for the first time since June 4 (33-27).
In the fourth inning, Brayan Rocchio's double scored CJ Kayfus, tying the game at 1-1. Kayfus, who has been impressing in his first stint in the Major Leagues, scored again in the sixth inning, thanks to a home run by Michael A. Taylor. This made Kayfus the first Cleveland Guardians player with four extra-base hits, including a home run, in his first seven MLB games since Carlos Santana in 2010.
Kayfus, a left-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman, has shown initial promise in the big leagues. In his first 7 games, he has a batting average of .333, with 1 home run, 5 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. His MLB performance has been particularly successful on the road.
Prior to his MLB debut, Kayfus had an impressive minor league career, hitting around .293 batting average with a .920 OPS over 211 games, including 35 home runs in professional baseball combined. In Triple-A Columbus in 2025, he slashed .283/.367/.526 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 68 games.
Joey Cantillo, the starting pitcher for the Guardians, pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three. Cade Smith secured the win with a perfect ninth inning, earning his fifth save of the season.
The final game of the series between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will take place on Sunday. Cleveland RHP Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.72) will face Davis Martin (3-9, 4.11) for the White Sox.
The game started with Steven Kwan leading off with a double and scoring on Kyle Manzardo's single, giving the Guardians an early 1-0 lead. Taylor's eighth home run of the season in the second inning tied the game, but the Guardians pulled ahead in the sixth inning when Kayfus hit his first major league home run.
Sean Burke, the starting pitcher for the White Sox, pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Michael A. Taylor had two of the White Sox's four hits in the game.
The Cleveland Guardians have been on a roll, winning five games in a row. They will look to continue their winning streak in the final game of the series against the Chicago White Sox.
Kayfus' home run in the sixth inning gave the Cleveland Guardians a 3-1 lead against the Chicago White Sox, extending their MLB news of a five-game winning streak. With his first seven games in the Major Leagues, Kayfus matches Carlos Santana's record from 2010 as the first Cleveland Guardians player with four extra-base hits, including a home run.
