Guardians win second AL Central title in 3 years | News, Sports, Jobs

Members of the Cleveland Guardians celebrate winning the American League Central after a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS — Forget the final score. It’s time for the Cleveland Guardians to celebrate again.

Cleveland won its second AL Central championship in three years on Saturday after second-place Kansas City lost at home — another impressive feat for rookie manager Stephen Vogt.

Despite losing 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals a few hours later, the Guardians opened the clubhouse to drink champagne and liquor.

“I keep saying it’s about the players,” Vogt said, taking a drag on his victory cigar. “Of course, as a manager, you’re the one who brings everyone together and keeps everyone focused in the right direction – but it’s the players who drive it. That’s who they are.

“We’ve put a lot of time into getting to know them, watching our team, watching how we come together and watching closely. We’re just using their skills and what they do really well to put them in positions where they’re going to be successful. I’m very proud because I love those guys.”

Cleveland clinched the division title when the Royals lost 9-0 to San Francisco. Jose Ramirez and the Guardians already clinched a spot in the postseason and celebrated at home Thursday after clinching at least the American League wild card spot with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota.

“Our goal is always to find a way to get to days like today because we want to win the World Series,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “The only way to win the World Series is to open champagne to get there. We’ve made some tough decisions along the way, but all of those decisions are consistent with us trying to find a way to get to the postseason and win.”

It is the team’s fifth division title since 2016. Cleveland returns to the playoffs for the first time since losing in five games to the New York Yankees in the 2022 AL Division Series.

“I remember ’22 like it was yesterday,” Guardians outside linebacker Steven Kwan said. “I thought I’d be prepared for what happened, but having a full house at Progressive was just something else. I’m really excited about what’s going to happen.”

Cleveland entered Saturday’s game needing a win in St. Louis or a loss in Kansas City to clinch the AL Central race. Before the Guardians were even deep in their night game with the Cardinals, the Royals had lost at home in a late afternoon opener.

On June 25, Kansas City, after a 10-game break, tied the score atop the division with a 6–1 victory at Cleveland on August 27. However, the Guardians rallied the next day and won 7–5, preventing a four-point win.

This started a seven-game losing streak for the Royals, and in September the Guardians bounced back.

“You can kind of understand the dynamics of it going into it, but we have no choice but to understand that we have to win every single day,” Kwan said of what he learned Aug. 27. “162 games, you know? It’s going to be a lot of games, a lot of ups and downs.”

It is Cleveland’s 12th division title, all won in the AL Central since 1995.

“The resilience that the group has shown all year, how much they care about each other, the way they played until the final whistle,” Antonetti said, referring to what has set this team apart since he joined the Cleveland organization in 1999.

“It’s a group of guys around them. They love being around each other. They love lifting each other up and supporting each other. They’re all just here to find a way to help us win baseball games, and that’s all they care about. That’s all they’ve cared about since Day 1.”

Cleveland is in the race for first place with the AL East-leading Yankees in the American League playoffs. But the Guardians are close to clinching at least the second seed and a first-round bye.

Cleveland went 76-86 last year in Terry Francona’s final season as manager. Vogt, a former All-Star catcher, was hired in November despite having no managerial experience.

At this point, this seems like a wise decision.

“He started learning from day one,” Antonetti said. “Of course, he came to work with a great set of skills, personalities and experiences, but he threw himself into the job and tried to learn and get better every day. He got off to a great start and just built on that.”

Vogt is the fifth Cleveland manager to win at least 90 games in his first full season in charge, joining Francona in 2013, Charlie Manuel in 2000, Al Lopez in 1951 and Tris Speaker in 1920.

Under the 39-year-old Vogt, Cleveland got off to a surprising start, taking a nine-point lead in the AL Central and a 51-26 record after beating Baltimore 10-8 on June 25.