Cleveland’s Franmil Reyes, right, and Amed Rosario celebrate after Rosario hit a solo home run in the third inning Monday against the Kansas City Royals at Cleveland. Tony Dejak/Associated Press
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians won their last home game before becoming the Guardians, beating the Kansas City Royals 8-3 on Monday to close a run that started in 1915 and will continue next season with a new identity.
Amed Rosario homered and Cal Quantrill pitched six strong innings to delight a Progressive Field crowd of 13,121 that came to see their team as the Indians play one last time. Rosario finished with four hits and three RBI.
Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer homered off his brother, Kansas City reliever Kyle Zimmer, in the eighth.
Salvador Perez drove in two runs for the Royals.
The home finale was the club’s final game in Cleveland as the Indians, ending a 106-year run in a city where the name will forever be attached to those of legendary players like Bob Feller, Larry Doby and Jim Thome.
But now the Indians are a memory, just not yet faded or distant.
The team announced the name change earlier this year in the wake of a nationwide reckoning over racist names and symbols. For some, the change was overdue. Others still aren’t ready.
When “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” was played during the seventh-inning stretch, Cleveland fans shouted “root, root, root for the Indians!” as if to send a message.
And in the ninth inning, fans chanted “Let’s Go Indians!”
Cleveland won two World Series (1920 and 1948) as the Indians, and came close to winning it all in 1995, 1997 and 2016 only to twice lose in heartbreaking fashion. Now, baseball’s longest current title drought carries on under a new name.
Monday’s matinee was a makeup from a rainout last week, pushing the Indians’ sendoff to a previously scheduled off day.
WHITE SOX 8, TIGERS 7: Eloy Jimenez hit a two-run home run, Yasmani Grandal homered to spark a six-run fourth inning and AL Central champion Chicago won at Detroit.
The benches cleared after Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu and Detroit shortstop Niko Goodrum exchanged words when Abreu was tagged out attempting to steal second base in the ninth. Abreu had been hit by a pitch from Alex Lange one inning after the Tigers’ Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch. There were no ejections.
Jimenez reached base four times and scored two runs. Cesar Hernandez and Zack Collins drove in two runs apiece in the makeup of a game postponed last Wednesday because of rain.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
REDS 13, PIRATES 1: Joey Votto homered twice and drove in four runs, and host Cincinnati pounded Pittsburgh to stay alive in the race for the second NL wild card.
Nick Castellanos, Jonathan India and Eugenio Suarez also connected as Cincinnati (82-75) posted its fourth straight victory, clinching a second straight winning season, Castellanos had five RBI, and India finished with four hits and scored four times.
The Reds pulled within 5 1/2 games of idle St. Louis for the second wild card. The Cardinals (87-69) need just one more to secure the spot.
NOTES
GIANTS: First baseman and home run leader Brandon Belt has a broken left thumb and his availability for the final week of the regular season and playoffs is unclear.
The Giants said an X-ray showed the broken bone and that Belt will “continue to meet with doctors over the next couple of days to develop a recovery plan and timetable for his return.”
The injury is a big blow for the NL West leaders, who begin a home series with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night still seeking to close out their first division title since 2012. The Dodgers are two games back to start the season’s last week.
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