CLEVELAND, Ohio — George Valera could not contain his emotions as he rounded the bases after hitting a home run Wednesday off Detroit’s Jack Flaherty in a crucial at-bat for the Guardians.

After swinging wildly at a Flaherty curveball for a strikeout in his first inning at-bat, Valera was ready the second time around. He drove Flaherty’s first-pitch curve deep to center and off the glove of Parker Meadows, who deflected the ball over the wall for a two-run homer that turned Cleveland’s one-run deficit into a 2-1 lead. The Guardians would go on to win, 5-1 and extend their lead over the Tigers in the race for the American League Central Division title.

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