BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles secured a 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on April 17, 2025, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, driven by strong pitching from Tomoyuki Sugano and timely home runs from Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, and Heston Kjerstad. The game, attended by 16,201 fans, showcased Baltimore’s offensive depth and defensive resilience against a competitive Guardians squad.
The Orioles struck first in the opening inning when Henderson launched a solo home run off Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, giving Baltimore an early 1-0 lead. Cleveland responded in the third inning, tying the game with back-to-back solo home runs from Jonny Schneemann and Josh Hedges off Sugano. However, Baltimore regained control in the same inning when O’Hearn delivered a three-run homer, scoring Henderson and Adley Rutschman to make it 4-2.
Kjerstad extended the Orioles’ lead in the sixth inning with a two-run homer, scoring Jordan Westburg and pushing the score to 6-2. Sugano, earning the win with a 2-1 record, pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three. His performance stifled Cleveland’s offense, which struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities, leaving five runners on base.
Bibee, taking the loss for Cleveland, dropped to 1-2 after surrendering six runs on five hits over 5.2 innings. The Guardians’ bullpen, including Jake Junis, Sam Herrin, and Hunter Gaddis, held Baltimore scoreless in the later innings, but the early deficit proved insurmountable. Cleveland’s offense managed seven hits, with Schneemann leading the team, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
Baltimore’s defense was sharp, turning a double play and catching Cleveland’s Gabriel Arias stealing second base. The Orioles also executed two pickoffs, with Hedges nabbing Ramón Urías at third and Bibee catching Cedric Mullins at first. Cleveland’s defense was equally clean, with no errors and a pickoff of their own, but their bats couldn’t match Baltimore’s power output.
Sugano’s outing marked his second win of the season, lowering his ERA to 3.43. Baltimore’s bullpen, featuring Keegan Akin, Seranthony Domínguez, and Félix Bautista, closed out the game efficiently, allowing just one hit over the final two innings. Bautista, in particular, navigated a bases-loaded situation in the ninth, striking out two to secure the victory.
The game, played under clear skies with a temperature of 65 degrees, lasted 2 hours and 27 minutes. The Orioles improved to 8-10, sitting fourth in the AL East, while the Guardians fell to 9-9, holding second in the AL Central. Both teams displayed competitive spirit, but Baltimore’s early power and pitching depth proved decisive.
