November 7, 2024

Cleveland Guardians ‘hurting’ after emotional ALCS loss

CLEVELAND — The sound of backslaps filled theĀ Guardians’ clubhouse right after Cleveland lost in the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees on Saturday night — teammates giving one another season-ending hugs, silent expressions of thanks for a year of shared accomplishment.

In one corner, teammatesĀ Josh Naylor,Ā Austin HedgesĀ andĀ Matthew BoydĀ talked quietly, and whenĀ Steven KwanĀ walked up to the group, Boyd reached out and offered a fist bump. “Because we were so close,” Kwan said, “it makes it sting a little bit more.”

ManagerĀ Stephen VogtĀ gathered the players right after the Guardians lost on a 10th-inning home run byĀ Juan Soto, and told them how proud he was of them. “Obviously, we’re hurting,” Vogt told reporters after aĀ 5-2 loss. “What a game to finish on.”

The Guardians played well beyond expectations throughout the 2024 season, seizing first place in the AL Central early in the year and holding it throughout the summer on the way to a 92-69 record. Having clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Guardians came back to beat Detroit in the division series, beating presumptive Cy Young Award winnerĀ Tarik SkubalĀ with a dramatic grand slam byĀ Lane Thomas.

The matchup with the Yankees in a series was far more intense than the 4-1 result would suggest. In Game 3, the Guardians had come back with late-inning home runs fromĀ Jhonkensy NoelĀ andĀ David FryĀ to win in a walk-off, and in Game 4, Cleveland had rebounded from a 6-2 deficit to push the Yankees before losing. And in Game 5, the Yankees needed an extra-inning home run from Soto.

In the end, the relievers largely responsible for the Guardians’ success this season finally faltered in the playoffs.Ā Emmanuel ClaseĀ andĀ Cade SmithĀ gave up three homers in this series, after giving up only three during the regular season, andĀ Hunter Gaddis, who was spectacular during the regular season, gave up Soto’s homer. “They carried us here,” said Vogt, who is likely to receive strong consideration for manager of the year in his first season as the replacement for Terry Francona. “If it wasn’t for those guys, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. They deserve a ton of credit.”

Brayan Rocchio, the Guardians’ shortstop, would not accept the premise that the loss to the Yankees was a disappointment, “because along the way, we experienced a lot of growth.”

In the immediate misery of elimination, there seemed to be an acknowledgment of a year of progress, for young players such as Rocchio and Noel. ForĀ Tanner Bibee, who became the Guardians’ de facto ace after injuries and struggles of other starting pitchers; this might be why Bibee was emotional as he talked about the year the Guardians shared.Ā Jose Ramirez, Kwan, the members of that dominant bullpen will all be back next year. “This,” Boyd said, “was a special group.”

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