Tale of 2 halfs.

So much for platoooooooooning.

Let's face it fellas, Vogt is a baseball guru.

Can't ever recall a starting rotation of 5 much less 6 that has been this exceptional, excluding the first half.

Can't recall so many replacement players performing at this level at this level.

The puppet master pulling all the right strings at the right time.

If Ramirez doesn't win the MVP award this year, finally, something is wrong with the system despite 4 straight 50 homer seasons or a 59 homer season. Has any one player lifted his team to new heights in so many ways than Ramirez has in this exceptional season? Both emotionally and physically?

Let's admit it. I am. I thought this season was over before the second half even started. I counted them down and out. I still can't believe what I am seeing.

I've kept my distance because I didn't want to put the whammy on this run. Couldn't help myself. Hope to God I haven't jinxed this team by coming out.

This is a lotta fun.

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Tonight’s Guardians lineup:

LF Kwan
DH Valera
3B Ramírez
1B Manzardo
SS Arias
CF Martínez
RF Kayfus
2B Rocchio
C Hedges

CLINCHED - CONDENSED GAME

https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-gam ... nsed-games





Johnathan Rodríguez cleans up for the Guardians, delivering a critical home run in playoff clincher


By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A week ago Johnathan Rodríguez was in Columbus wrapping up the Triple-A season with the Clippers. Stepping to the plate in a postseason race was the furthest thing from his mind.

But fate and baseball have a funny way of guiding players like Rodríguez into big September moments.

Rodríguez smashed a go-ahead two-run homer off Jacob Lentz in the bottom of the first inning during Saturday’s win against the Rangers, putting the Guardians ahead 2-1.

His two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning set the stage for C.J. Kayfus’ bases loaded walk-off hit by pitch in a 3-2 Guardians victory.

Cleveland’s win clinched the team’s 15th postseason appearance in the last 30 years.

Rodríguez’s unexpected opportunity came after David Fry suffered a frightening injury Tuesday when he was struck in the face by a 99 mph Tarik Skubal fastball during the series opener against Detroit. Fry was placed on the 10-day injured list, opening the door for Rodríguez to return to Cleveland’s big league roster for the first time in two months.

The Puerto Rico native, who has been part of Cleveland’s farm system since 2017, had remained with the Clippers after last Sunday’s finale against Omaha to work out with pitchers and position players in case the big league roster needed help during the season’s final week.

Rodríguez watched a first-pitch curveball from Lentz dip below the strike zone before connecting on a belt-high changeup over the outside part of the plate. He drove the pitch 397 feet to the seats in right field with an exit velocity of 105.7 mph for his second homer of the season.

Rodriguez said he was focused on not letting his swing get too big during the at-bat

“I didn’t want to get carried away after that,” Rodriguez said via Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. “I knew there’s a lot of game left. So for me it was just we got the outcome we wanted, but we’re going to continue playing. There was a lot of game left.”

The blast marked Rodríguez’s first time hitting cleanup in the big leagues, despite having 97 career at-bats. He added a base hit in the fourth inning for his third career multi-hit game.

Manager Stephen Vogt was asked what went into batting Rodriguez fourth on Saturday and said it made the most sense with the way Rodriguez controls his at-bats, but it also left open the option to pinch hit behind Jose Ramirez if an opportunity arose.

“But Jonathan earned that third at-bat by his first two,” Vogt said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to go on a hunch, and Jonathan’s been known to hit left-handed pitching. Honestly, he’s had really good bats in Columbus.”

Rodríguez’s journey to Saturday’s heroics has been marked by limited opportunities at the major league level. He made Cleveland’s opening day roster but earned just five plate appearances over the team’s first 14 games before being optioned in mid-April. He returned briefly in June and July but spent more than two months in the minors to end the season.

During his three stints in the minors this year, Rodríguez combined to hit .312 with 16 home runs and 66 RBI in 324 plate appearances. His career minor league numbers show sustained success with a .285 average, 114 home runs in 674 games, 426 RBI, and an .835 OPS.

However, that success has not translated to the majors due to limited opportunities. In 2024, he appeared in 13 games after making his major league debut May 21 against the Mets. Rodríguez managed just a .129 average in 31 at-bats with a double and five RBI. His strikeout rate climbed to 35% while slugging just .161, and he was pulled late for defensive purposes in five of his last seven appearances.

None of those struggles mattered Saturday, as Rodríguez’s early heroics helped propel Cleveland into the postseason.

Austin Hedges beamed with pride when asked about Rodriguez’s ability to stay ready despite not having taken a big league at-bat since late June. He talked about awarding Rodriguez the team’s WWE belt, emblematic of the player of the game, and the journey of Rodriguez’s season, including having to spend an extended period in the minors.

“Then now, boom, in the biggest game of our season, you’re hitting cleanup behind Jose Ramirez and you go just put the team on your back like that,” Hedges said. “There’s a reason he got the belt today and I could not be any more proud of him right now.”

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Postseason FAQ: What's next for Guardians?
12:53 AM CDT

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/guar ... season-faq

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By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians did not need to wait until their game against the Rangers finished on Sunday in order to claim the 13th American League Central Division championship in franchise history.

The Tigers handed to them with a 4-3 loss in Boston against the Red Sox.

Related: Tigers vs. Guardians and full MLB wild-card schedule.
Cleveland trailed the Rangers, 5-4 in the eighth inning when Boston closed out the Tigers. Regardless of the outcome, Cleveland would claim the division based on owning the head-to-head tiebreaker against Detroit.

Cleveland’s historic rally from a 15 1/2 game deficit in the division and Detroit’s equally-historic collapse means the Tigers will open the AL wild card series at Progressive Field on Tuesday.

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Unbelievable season ends with another pair of unbelievable walkoffs!

Bases loaded HBP to clinch the playoffs
4 run 10th for a win they didn't even need.

CONDENSED GAME - 10 INNING WALK OFF


https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-gam ... nsed-games






AL Central belongs to the Guardians, who celebrate with a 9-8 walk-off win over Texas in 10 innings

CLEVELAND, Ohio —

They clinched on paper in the top of the eighth inning as the fans rocked, cheered and sang along to “Hang on Sloopy” blasting out of the Progressive Field’s sound system. That’s when the Tigers’ 4-3 loss to Boston went final, meaning the AL Central belonged to the Guardians for the 13th time since 1995.

They clinched it on the field in the 10th inning on Brayan Rocchio’s three-run walk-off homer for a 9-8 victory over Texas at Progressive Field.

It looked like there would be no clinching on the field when Rowdy Tellez hit a three-run homer in the 10th off Zack Kent for an 8-5 lead. It was Tellez’s fourth homer against Cleveland this season and the seventh in his career. But it turned out the Guardians had the Rangers right where they wanted them — extra innings.
Updated: Sep. 28, 2025, 6:43 p.m.|Published: Sep. 28, 2025, 6:39 p.m.

Bo Naylor started the 10th with an RBI single to score George Valera the automatic runner from second base. After Petey Halpin walked, Rocchio hammered a pitch from Jose Corniell into the right field bleachers for the victory.

The Guardians are 12-6 in extras this year.

The win completed the biggest comeback in baseball history, with the Guardians rallying from a 15 1/2 game deficit on July 8 to rip the AL Central title from the hands of the Tigers. Until this year, the biggest deficit overcome by a team was 15 games by the 1914 Boston Braves to win the NL pennant.

The Guardians won the Central with a 88-74 record. The Tigers finished at 87-75.

Cleveland and the Tigers will open the AL wild card series on Tuesday at Progressive Field.

The Guardians entered the eighth trailing, 5-4. Rocchio’s sacrifice fly in the pulled the Guardians into a 5-5 tie. Naylor, who opened the inning with a double off the wall in left, after going to third on Kyle Manzardo’s double off the wall in right. Naylor had to hold up to make sure Manzardo’s drive wasn’t caught. Rocchio followed with his line drive sacrifice to right.

Jonathan Rodriguez, back in the cleanup spot after getting two hits in Friday’s playoff-clinching victory, gave the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run single to right off Texas starter Patrick Corbin.

Steven Kwan walked to start the inning and Angel Martinez was hit by a pitch. Jose Ramirez flew out to the wall in left field as Kwan moved to third to bring Rodriguez to the plate. After Martinez stole second, Rodriguez sent a 3-2 sinker from Corbin into right field.

The Guardians recalled Rodriguez from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday when David Fry was placed on the injured list.

Alejandro Osuna tied it for the Rangers at 2-2 with a two-run, two-out double off Guardians starter Logan Allen in the second inning. Ezequiel doubled with one out, but was caught too far from second base on Jonah Helm’s grounder to short. Gabriel Arias threw to second baseman Brayan Rocchio, who tagged him for the second out.

Allen, however, hit Dylan Moore with a pitch before Osuna doubled to center to score Helms and Moore.

The Rangers made it 4-2 on Jake Burger’s bloop single to right field in the third. Cody Freeman and Josh Jung started the inning with a single and double. Adolis Garcia struck out, but Burger dumped a single into short right field to break the 2-2 tie.

Naylor’s sacrifice fly in the third cut the Texas lead to 4-3. Angel Martinez opened the inning with a single back to the mound. Ramirez moved him to third with a single to center. After Ramirez stole second (No. 42), Corbin walked Rodriguez.

Naylor’s fly ball to center scored Martinez, but the Guardians could do no more damage despite a double steal by Ramirez and Rodrituez to put runners on third and second. Ramirez’s two steals gave him a single-season high of 43.

Texas stretched its lead to 5-3 in the sixth with its version of Guards ball. An error by sure-handed Arias made the run possible.

Moore opened the inning with a bouncer to short off Matt Festa. Arias fielded it, but his throw to first was high and wide to put Moore on second. It was Arias’ 14th error of the season.

Osuna moved Moore to third with a ground out and Helman delivered him with a perfect squeeze bunt. Jhonkensy Noel had no play on the ball as Helman reached first.

Festa replaced Allen in the fifth with two on and one out. He hit Burger with a pitch to load the bases, Jung was forced at home on Duran’s grounder to short and Festsa struck out Helm to end the inning.

The Guardians made it a one-run game at 5-4 in the seventh on Noel’s one-out homer to center of Hoby Milner. The Guardians kept the inning game with a single by Kwan, his first hit of the series, and a walk by Martinez.

However, Luis Curvelo replaced Milner and retired Ramirez and pinch-hitter George Valera.

Allen, in his 29th start of the season, allowed four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two on 88 pitches.

Next
The Guardians are off Monday before beginning play in the three-game wild card series.

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Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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3h
Cleveland #Guardians 23-year-old OF prospect Chase DeLauter will be on the 26-man roster and make his MLB debut in the AL Wild Card Series vs the Detroit.

Beat me to it Rusty. He was shagging flyballs yesterday. Kinda worried with all these "rookies" facing Skubal. Only 2 runs against uus his last 2 starts. We know how his last outing turned out. ERA the last 2 starts against under 1. Need 1 more miracle this afternoon.

Can't temember the assistant pitching coach's name but during this second half run, he's been orgainizing the game plans for the pitching staff. Digging deep into the opposing lineup stats.

I would be surprised if DeLauter bats against Skubal.

Hard to believe that Rodriquez might be batting 4th.

DeLauter on the roster. 3 pitchers taken off playoff roster.

As much as I liked Vogt's moves all year, I think he outsmarted himself this time.
Why start our ACE against Skubal? Chances of beating Skubal were 1 in 100.
I would rather have started Cecconi and take our chances.
I would have liked to see Williams and Bibee in games 2 & 3.
I think that move is going to cost us moving on to the next round.

The Guardians are about to be tested, AGAIN!