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'No feeling in the world like that': C.J. Kayfus delivers clutch home run in playoff chase
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- 'No feeling in the world like that': C.J. Kayfus delivers clutch home run in playoff chase
CLEVELAND — Guardians rookie C.J. Kayfus turned a rocky introduction to the majors into a rockin' night in Cleveland, and one swing might have gone a long way toward keeping them alive in their playoff hunt .
Kayfus, who entered the Sept. 11 game with a .196 average and .634 OPS in 31 games since being promoted to the majors, stepped to the plate in the eighth inning with Bo Naylor on first base and the Guardians trailing the Kansas City Royals by one run. Both teams are in borderline dire situations when it comes to the playoff picture.
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From the No. 9 spot in the lineup, Kayfus delivered a mammoth, 425-foot go-ahead home run over the wall in center field. It led to a crucial 3-2 win over the Royals , and a joyous trot around the bases for a rookie.
"There is no feeling in the world like that one," Kayfus said. "That was truly, probably the best feeling I've ever had in my life, right there."
The term "must-win" is often overused in sports these days. No, the Guardians wouldn't have been eliminated from playoff contention had they lost. But considering they're trying to cling to some already-low chances (less than 10 percent, according to FanGraphs ) of chasing down and overtaking the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the final wild card spot, Kayfus' home run was bordering on necessary.
"It's so cool. You dream as a kid of those moments, right?" Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Like, a go-ahead homer late in the game or a walk-off or picking your team up and getting the big hit. So for C.J. to get that in the first month or so that he's been here, you could just see it. He doesn't smile much, doesn't show a lot of emotion, but he cracked a little bit of a smile as he was running by."
Cleveland Guardians' CJ Kayfus, right, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Bo Naylor (23) in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 11, 2025, in Cleveland.
AL wild card standings: C.J. Kayfus, bottom of Guardians lineup keeps them alive in race
And crucially for the Guardians, it was a game in which the bottom of the order came through at the right time. After Steven Kwan , Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo , the Guardians at times have had trouble finding enough production from spots 6-9, leading to two sizable offensive droughts that both threatened to sink their season.
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With the Guardians trailing 2-1 in the eighth, it was Bo Naylor in the No. 8 spot and then Kafus, hitting ninth, who came away with the loudest hits of the night. If the Guardians are to go on the type of run needed to keep playing into October, it's a trend they'll need to continue .
"Yeah, I think it could definitely act as a huge boost," Naylor said, referencing the comeback win. "I mean, we've been playing really good baseball as of late, and to be able to have that kind of ending to a really good game at that point, I don't think it's anything short of a boost.
"So I think the guys are definitely going to take it and just continue to run with our heads in the right spots and just continue to try to build off of it."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians rookie C.J. Kayfus delivers in playoff chase
