Bazzana hits 2-run homer in 9th to rally Guardians to 5-3 victory over Pirates

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie All-Star Travis Bazzana hit a two-run homer to center field in the ninth inning for his first career walk-off hit and the Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday night to split in a doubleheader.

The Pirates won the first game 7-1.

Patrick Bailey led off the ninth with a single to right, Steven Kwan followed with a double down the left-field line. Bailey tried to score from first but was tagged out at home by Pittsburgh catcher Rafael Flores Jr. after the relay throw by third baseman Nick Gonzales.

Bazzana — the top overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft — then connected on a 1-0 changeup by Dennis Santana (2-5) and drove it 414 feet for his eighth homer of the season and give Cleveland its fourth walk-off win of the season.

Cade Smith (3-1), the Guardians' seventh pitcher of the night, got the win after retiring the Pirates in order in the ninth. Kwan had three hits.

Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings, which included an improbable RBI double by Esmerlyn Valdez in the third. With one out and a runner on second, Valdez hit a towering fly ball to shallow center. Outfielder Petey Halpin lost the ball in the lights and hazy conditions as Cleveland was still dealing with smoke from wildfires in Canada.

The ball landed in right center and was picked up by right fielder David Fry. Gonzales beat the throw home to make it 2-0. According to Statcast, the ball reached an apex of 204 feet and had a hang time of 7.4 seconds.

Cleveland tied it in the eighth with three runs. Chase DeLauter's base hit to right drove in Kwan, Brayan Rocchio scored on a wild pitch and DeLauter scored on Kahlil Watson's single to right.

NL All-Star Paul Skenes (8-3, 3.57 ERA) goes for Pittsburgh. Cleveland will go with lefty Joey Cantillo (8-4, 3.56 ERA) in the series finale.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rafael Flores Jr., left, reaches for a wild pitch thrown by pitcher Gregory Soto to Kahlil Watson, right, allowing Brayan Rocchio to score, in the eighth inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Patrick Bailey, center, is tagged out by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rafael Flores Jr., right, at home plate in the ninth inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey, left, douses Travis Bazzana, right, with a cooler after Bazzana hit a game winning home run in the ninth inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians right fielder David Fry catches a fly ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates' Brandon Lowe for a sacrifice as Ryan O'Hearn scores in the second inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn, right, is congratulated by Rafael Flores Jr., left, after scoring in the second inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn is congratulated in the dugout after scoring in the second inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Rafael Flores Jr. breaks his bat hitting a foul ball in the second inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The Cleveland Guardians run off the field in the third inning of the second baseball game of a split doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates as smoke filled skies return to Cleveland after rain delayed the start of the game in Cleveland, Saturday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — One person was killed and 16 others wounded in an overnight Russian attack on Kyiv that included ballistic missiles, local authorities said.

The attack began at around 1:30 a.m. local time and continued for several hours, with explosions echoing across the capital.

Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones across Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force. The attack included 25 ballistic missiles. Ukrainian forces intercepted and suppressed 108 drones and 18 missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most of the missiles had targeted the capital.

The strikes on Kyiv sparked fires in five districts of the city, damaging residential buildings, office and industrial sites, a dormitory and vehicles, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Viktoria Shejko, 32, was taking shelter in the corridor of her apartment block with her seven children and husband when they heard the loud explosions.

“When the alarm started, we checked that there were ballistics, then went into the corridor. Then it started exploding one missile after another," she said.

“It’s very difficult psychologically, because lately they’ve been firing ballistic missiles at us very often. It used to be once a week or even more rarely, but now if not every day, then every other day," she added.

Rescue workers pulled four people from a burning private home in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while in the Shevchenkivskyi district they rescued residents from a burning three-story building. A fire in a nonresidential building was also contained. One person was later found dead.

Firefighters also responded to blazes in the Solomyanskyi, Desnianskyi and Dnipro districts.

Russia's defense ministry claimed the attack on Kyiv targeted sites linked to the Ukrainian military — including plants producing Flamingo drones and parts for Neptune guided missiles, as well as a postal terminal “used for storing dual-use goods and assembling drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment.”

Russia has launched several large-scale attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks as Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defense missiles, which are its most effective means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Ukraine said it shot down at least 17 ballistic missiles in Sunday’s attack, indicating it may have replenished some of its dwindling stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles. During a major Russian attack earlier this month, Ukraine was unable to intercept any ballistic missiles, exposing gaps in its air defense capabilities.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, potentially bolstering Kyiv’s defenses against Russian ballistic missile attacks. However, the details and timeline for implementing the decision remain unclear.

Activists kneel as they take a moment of silence to honor the fallen soldiers in Russia-Ukraine war during a rally to denounce President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A woman carries a cage with a parrot as she leaves her damaged house following a Russia missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Smoke rises over the city after a Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Debris surrounds a missile crater in the foreground of a building following Russia's missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Local residents wander among debris following a Russia missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)