Steven Kwan gave Cleveland every defensive chance it could ask for in a 3-1 Game 5 loss, throwing out a runner at the plate from left field and later making a wall-climbing catch in center. The Guardians could not turn those saves into a rally, though, and now head to Tropicana Field needing a win Monday night to keep their season alive.
Key takeaways
- Kwan erased Taylor Walls at home in the fourth inning after Jonathan Aranda’s single, preventing Tampa Bay from adding to its three-run lead.
- The Guardians trail the series heading into Monday’s Game 6, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
- After moving from left field to center in the ninth, Kwan robbed Victor Mesa Jr. of extra bases with a leaping catch at the wall.
- José Ramírez added a standout barehanded play on Chandler Simpson’s eighth-inning bunt.
- Cleveland’s offense could not solve Rays starter Drew Rasmussen well enough to capitalize on its defense.
Kwan keeps Cleveland within reach
The fourth inning carried the feel of a possible breakaway moment for Tampa Bay. The Rays already had three runs on the board when Aranda lined a single that sent Walls racing around second and toward the plate. Kwan charged the ball in left and delivered a one-hop throw to catcher Patrick Bailey on the tag side of home plate. Bailey handled it cleanly and cut down Walls.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that, from the crack of the bat, he did not expect there to be a play at the plate. Kwan did.
The outfielder viewed the throw as an opportunity to atone for an earlier play. A run had scored on a second-inning single hit his way, and Kwan believed he had not gotten enough on his earlier throw.
“I had an opportunity to make up for a less-than-good throw the first time,” Kwan said. “I was glad to save some runs there, but I left some meat on the bone, I felt like, with that first one.”
That is the standard Kwan brings to a club that has long leaned on pitching and defense. Manager Stephen Vogt said Cleveland had not played to its usual defensive level in a couple of earlier games in the series, making Game 5’s clean work especially important.
“That game could have looked a lot different without our defense tonight,” Vogt said. “Pitching and defense is how we’re built, and that kept us in this game tonight.”
From left field to center, and back into the spotlight
Left field remains Kwan’s customary address. He has won a Gold Glove Award there in each of his first four major league seasons. But he spent a significant portion of 2026 in center field and is a finalist there this season, a shift that has given Cleveland greater flexibility when building its lineups.
That versatility showed in the ninth. When Petey Halpin exited for a pinch-hitter, Kwan moved from left to center. Victor Mesa Jr. then drove a ball deep into right-center, with a run seemingly available if it fell. Kwan reached the wall, went up and brought it back, taking away extra bases.
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, pointed to Kwan’s willingness to move wherever the club needs him as a major part of his value.
“First and foremost, his team-first approach” has stood out, Antonetti said, noting that Kwan has put in the work to become more than a Gold Glove-level left fielder. “He’s made a massive impact on our team, and that’s helped us build lineups in different ways as we’ve gone through the season.”
Ramírez made sure Kwan was not alone on the defensive reel. In the eighth, Simpson dropped down a well-placed bunt, but Ramírez barehanded the ball and made the throw to first in time to retire the speedy runner.
Those plays kept the margin from widening, but Rasmussen and the Rays kept Cleveland’s bats quiet enough that the highlights did not change the final score. The Guardians have already shown they can climb out of a postseason hole in the ALDS. To do it again in Game 6, they will need the same dependable gloves behind their pitching—and considerably more offense to match them.
