Cleveland, OH — A sold-out Memorial Day crowd packed Progressive Field on Monday to watch the Cleveland Guardians take on Shohei Ohtani and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani didn’t waste any time showcasing his star power. The two-time AL MVP led off the game with a solo home run, turning on a first-pitch fastball from Guardians starter Gavin Williams (4.2IP, 4H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 3 SO) and sending it over the right-field wall. It marked Ohtani’s fifth career leadoff homer and the third time this season Williams has surrendered one.
“They don’t miss much, i’ll say that,” said Williams. “Sometimes you gotta try to be a little too perfect to try and get it by then.”
Cleveland clawed back with a pair of runs but couldn’t keep pace with Los Angeles’ high-powered offense. Despite a solid effort from the bullpen and some late-inning traffic on the bases, the Guardians dropped the opener of the three-game series, 7–2.
Ramírez Rolls On- José Ramírez’s bat is showing no signs of cooling off, extending his hitting streak to 19 games — the longest active streak in the majors and the longest by a Cleveland player since Michael Brantley’s 19-gamer in 2018.
During the stretch, Ramírez is batting .387 (29-for-75) with 11 RBIs, anchoring the Guardians’ offense and showing why he's widely considered one of baseball’s elite hitters.
“He’s one of the best in the game for a reason,” said teammate Will Wilson. “Mentally, he takes every rep like it’s Game 7 of the World Series.”
Ramírez also extended his on-base streak to 23 games, the second-longest active streak in MLB behind Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (25 games).
From Rehab to Ready: David Fry & Shane Bieber - Guardians manager Stephen Vogt provided injury updates Monday on two key players the club hopes to see back soon — utility man David Fry and former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.
Fry, recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, has begun a multi-stop rehab assignment. He went 0-for-8 in the Arizona Complex League and 1-for-6 with Double-A Akron before being moved to Triple-A Columbus. Vogt said the team will evaluate Fry on a week-to-week basis before determining when he might rejoin the big league roster.
Bieber, meanwhile, is progressing toward a potential return. The right-hander threw a live batting practice session Monday and is scheduled to pitch in an Arizona Complex League game Saturday, pending how he responds this week.
The 29-year-old hasn’t pitched in a major league game since his Opening Day start on April 2 against Seattle. He underwent Tommy John surgery four days later after imaging revealed a re-injury to the proximal ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.
The Guardians Gentle Giant –Another Guardians prospect made his major league debut this week, but for right-handed reliever Nic Enright, the moment carried a far deeper meaning.
Enright, selected by Cleveland in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, took a long and winding path to his first big-league appearance. After being selected by the Miami Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 7, 2022, he was returned to the Guardians organization in May 2023. But the biggest challenge of his career wasn’t on the mound — it was a personal battle for his life.
On Dec. 22, 2022, shortly after being acquired by Miami, Enright was diagnosed with Stage 2 lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“When [the doctors] came in and told me, ‘We’re 99% sure you have Hodgkin’s lymphoma,’ me and my now-wife were sitting there in the hospital room like, there’s no way,” Enright said. “I’m healthy. I feel great. All of my numbers in the weight room were good. My throwing felt really good.”
The diagnosis was confirmed, and Enright began treatment while leaning on the support of family, friends and teammates.
“At first, I didn’t want to tell anyone — because if I told people, that made it real,” Enright said. “Then I realized as I reached out to people, and as I told people, there was overwhelming support around."
When he rejoined the Guardians, Enright was assigned jersey No. 59 — a number previously worn in Cleveland by Carlos Carrasco, who also battled cancer. His mother-in-law was the first to notice the connection. Carrasco became a personal source of inspiration and encouragement throughout Enright’s recovery.
Following his MLB debut in Detroit, during the Tigers' "Strikeout Cancer" series, Enright received numerous messages of support. One particularly meaningful note came from White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks, who also overcame cancer to return to the mound.
“The biggest thing was not letting it control me and not letting it dictate how I was going to live my life,” Enright said.
With his parents, wife and in-laws in the stands, Enright delivered two scoreless innings and struck out two in a memorable first outing.
“You wouldn’t think he’s got this killer instinct when he gets on the mound, but he does,” Vogt said. “He’s so gentle and kind. I’m really, really happy getting to know him."
Up Next – The Guardians and Dodgers continue the three game series on Tuesday, May 26. Guardians send Tanner Bibee (4-4, 3.57) to the mound – His last start pitching through seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Dodgers send another righty to the mound, Dustin May (2-4, 4.09) penciled in for the second game of the series. First pitch on Tuesday scheduled for 6:10 PM.