Takeaways from the opening day game March 27 between the Guardians and Royals at Kauffman Stadium, won by the Guardians, 7-4 in 10 innings: • The Guardians came from behind 42 times to win games last year. The 2025 season started the same way. Cleveland fell behind the Royals, 3-0 after three inni ngs, but clawed back to take a 4-3 lead before giving up the lead in the ninth, scoring three times in the top of the 10th and keeping the Royals off the board in the bottom of the 10th. inning. The Cleveland baseball team is now 63-62 in 125 opening days. • Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has had more than three months to figure out ways to replace the run production lost when first baseman Josh Naylor was traded to the Diamondbacks in December. Carlos Santana, a 38-year-old in his 16th Major League season and third stint in Cleveland, was signed to take over first base. Kyle Manzardo, beginning his first full season with the Guardians, can play first, but will likely DH most games, as he did on opening day. Manzardo, batting fifth, walked in his first at-bat. He delivered with a triple in the top of the fourth inning and a two-run home run deep to center field in the top of the sixth to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead. Santana, batting cleanup, singled sharply up the middle on a grounder off the glove of Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. before Manzardo homered. Manzardo, who swings left-handed, looked relaxed at the plate and, naturally, was all smiles after his triple and home run. He hit the triple off Royals left-handed ace Cole Ragans and the home run off left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa. Manzardo wouldn’t have had a chance to deliver in the 10th inning if he didn’t deliver twice earlier, but his two-run double off another Royals left-hander — Sam Long — gave the Guardians a 7-4 after Steven Kwan doubled home ghost runner Brayan Rocchio to break a 4-4 tie. “That’s the theme of the team,” Manzardo told Andre Knott of CLEGuardians.TV in a postgame interview when asked about the comeback win. “It’s something everybody around here takes pride in. We pick each other up and never surrender an easy out at the plate. Staying tenacious and keep grinding out at bats.” It is only one game, but Manzardo being comfortable as the designated hitter after playing first base as he worked his way to the Majors is critical to the Guardians’ success. He admitted in a spring training interview that it is an adjustment to not be a position player in games. • Tanner Bibee was excited to be the Guardians opening day starter, but he became ill with a stomach ailment on March 25 and was scratched from the lineup. Ben Lively replaced Bibee and did what a Guardians starter is asked to do — get through five innings and turn it over to the bullpen. Lively gave up a three-run home run to Vinny Pasquantino in the bottom of the third, but the Guardians scored single runs in the fourth and fifth and took the lead on Manzardo’s clout, putting Lively in position to be the winning pitcher. Cade Smith, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis kept the Royals off the board, but Emmanuel Clase allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into the 10th inning. Clase blew only three save opportunities last year. He led the Majors with 47 saves. Paul Sewald, acquired in the offseason, shut the door on the Royals in the 10th inning to earn the save. Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and first baseman Carlos Santana collide after Naylor caught a fly foul ball for the out during the third inning March 27 in Kansas City, Mo. (Charlie Riedel – The Associated Press) ...read more read less