Rookie's Historic Game
Rookie Travis Bazzana Achieves Career Highs, Leads Guardians to Dominant Win Over Astros
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Cleveland Guardians rookie Travis Bazzana delivered the best game of his young career on June 20, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored in an 8-1 demolition of the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, according to News Herald. The #1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzana set career highs across the board and staked Cleveland to a lead it never surrendered.
Left-hander Joey Cantillo matched Bazzana's dominance on the mound, tying a career high with eight innings pitched while allowing just one run on four hits. The Guardians, now 41-36, are firmly planted in the American League playoff race, per Morning Journal.
Bazzana Homers on First Pitch, Never Looks Back
Bazzana wasted no time. On the very first pitch he saw from Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, he crushed a solo home run to put Cleveland up 1-0, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Houston answered in the second inning when Yainer Diaz hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.
The Guardians pulled away for good in the third. Bazzana reached on a single, then Kyle Manzardo launched a two-run homer — his ninth of the season — to left-center to make it 3-1, per Newsday. Bazzana put the game out of reach in the fifth, hitting a 406-foot three-run blast to right-center with Steven Kwan and Patrick Bailey on base, stretching the lead to 6-1.
Cantillo Retires 14 Straight to Shut Houston Down
While Bazzana made headlines with his bat, Cantillo was equally impressive on the mound. The 26-year-old left-hander struck out nine batters and allowed only one hit after the second inning. He retired 14 consecutive Astros batters to close out his outing, per Morning Journal.
Cantillo improved to 6-3 on the season. Reliever Matt Festa recorded the final out as Cleveland cruised to the win. The Astros managed just one baserunner after the fourth inning, according to News Herald.
Arrighetti's June Collapse Continues for Houston
The loss was a nightmare for Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti. He gave up six earned runs on six hits and three home runs across six innings. His ERA has jumped to 6.95 over his last four starts — a steep fall after he posted a 0.93 ERA in May, earning AL Pitcher of the Month honors, per Newsday.
Houston now sits at 36-42, six games under .500. The Astros' offense has been equally lifeless. Yordan Alvarez's 25-game on-base streak also came to an end in the loss, per Winnipeg Free Press.
Australian-Born Rookie Emerges as AL Award Contender
Bazzana, 23, is the first Australian-born player ever selected #1 overall in the MLB Draft. His path to this breakout was not easy. He was limited to 84 games in 2025 due to two oblique injuries before making his MLB debut on April 28, 2026, per Morning Journal.
His career night pushes him into the top tier of AL Rookie of the Year candidates. Bazzana has shown exit velocities over 110 mph on his hardest-hit balls this season. He posted a 84th-percentile chase rate of just 23.5%, meaning pitchers cannot get him to swing at bad pitches, per News Herald.
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