CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan told reporters after Saturday’s loss in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series that the way things ended left a sour taste in his mouth.
“It hurts pretty bad right now,” Kwan said as reporters huddled around his locker for the final time in 2024.
Only the sweetness of a World Series title can erase the bitter feeling of another postseason loss to the Yankees, particularly when it felt like opportunities slipped away in both of the final two games.
But Guardians players managed to take solace in the aftermath of their latest defeat. As they exchanged handshakes, hugs and words of support, players also looked forward at the opportunity to finish what the group started next season.
“It’s been such a fun year,” said All-Star designated hitter David Fry.
Fry noted the number of young players on the roster that had impressive individual seasons, and how Cleveland accomplished more as a team than anybody outside of the clubhouse was willing to predict back in March.
“We’re really looking forward to next year,” he said. “Hopefully we have a very similar group coming back, but it was a lot of fun.”
From the top
With Terry Francona gone, nobody knew what to expect of the Guardians when spring training began, but rookie skipper Stephen Vogt set the tone from the very top.
“Vogt believed in all of us from day one,” Kwan said. “None of it was corny or fake. It felt really genuine. He believed in all of us and I think that’s what you need out of a manager, someone who’s going to go up to bat for you through the rollercoasters, the ups and downs, and we felt from day one that he was going to be really special.”
Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd agreed. He said finding good people is the key to establishing a winning environment, and Cleveland’s front office nailed it with bringing in Vogt.
“It’s my 10th season in the big leagues and I haven’t played on a team like this,” Boyd said. “The way people care about each other, it starts from the top down. Vogt is amazing.”
Lane Thomas, Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Hard to say goodbye
Despite players that came from a variety of different backgrounds, Kwan said the 2024 Guardians were a family, even off the field.
“These are my brothers, these are guys that I want to spend time with,” Kwan said. “It’s not because we have to, we want to. I came up with a lot of these guys in the minors, all the people that are coming for the first time. We just grew to love each other. So yeah, definitely family.”
Division Series hero Lane Thomas, who joined the team at the trade deadline in July, said everybody in Cleveland’s clubhouse had the same goal from the moment he walked through the door.
“We got along really well and the camaraderie in the clubhouse has been awesome,” Thomas said. “You combine that with a really talented group and the outcome is going to be good.”
Backup catcher Austin Hedges, regarded as a leader and “glue guy” among his teammates, said part of what made the Guardians special in 2024 was the way they cared about each other, more than any group he’s been a part of before.
“All the success that we’ve had this year can be attributed to the people in this room,” Hedges said. “That’s not just players, that’s coaches, that’s staff, that’s really everybody. That’s one of the reasons I’m proud to be a Cleveland guy. I love this city, I love this organization. I’m really, really proud to be a part of this group.”
Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, David Fry, and Josh Naylor.AP
Experience earned
Fry believes the team can roll that love of being together and playing together into next year and that not much will change.
“We have a bunch of guys with no egos and they’ve just shown how good they are,” Fry said. “It’s been so much fun, and I have a really good feeling it’ll carry over.”
Finding success in the regular season and postseason is important, Hedges said. But equally important are the lessons learned in defeat.
“As much as those successes we’ve had are amazing, the failures that we experienced in the last week are going to help us grow immensely and we’re going to get to use that next year. That’s probably the coolest part about it.”
Hedges pointed out that every player in the Guardians clubhouse now has the experience of playing in a league championship series that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
“We know exactly the roadmap,” Hedges said. “We know exactly next year what it takes. This year it started in spring training. Now going to the next year, it starts tomorrow.”
Fry described the playoff experience like an addiction.
“This is what you want to do, what you want to be back for,” Fry said. “We want to be back in the ALCS and have it be flipped and win it and be able to go to a World Series next year. Once you’re in the playoffs and get to experience it, this is all you want to do.”
Despite still having one of the youngest rosters in the majors, Hedges says all of the ingredients of a championship team are there. Nothing is missing.
“It’s just a matter of growing from what we’ve learned, and we now have the experience,” Hedges said. “Now these guys have been here and they know exactly what they maybe could have done better throughout the season to prepare for it.”
Tanner Bibee.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
The job’s not done
Thomas said the Guardians will not lack motivation to return next year.
“Just getting a little taste of it makes you kind of want it more,” Thomas said. “That’s the common denominator. We’ll be ready to go again once spring training starts.”
But for any Cleveland fans who walked away bitter after losing to the Yankees again, Hedges had a clear message about the club’s intentions for next season: The job’s not done.
“We’ve got this entire team coming back and (the fans) supported us all year and now they’ve got a group to look forward to coming back next year,” Hedges said. “They show up loud and rowdy. They were there all year for us. A lot of teams go in and they change personnel year after year, but this is a very similar group coming back next year and the Cleveland fans have a lot to look forward to.”