CLEVELAND — In the end, it almost felt like it was too easy, in no way indicative of the trials and tribulations this team has faced for the last year.
No one will be complaining about a "dull" victory, though. The Guardians have cleared a major hurdle, and now they can continue to focus on the bigger prize ahead.
For now, Cleveland will celebrate an American League Central Division title, its 12th as a franchise since 1995. The Guards officially clinched first place before even making much of a dent in their game Saturday in St. Louis, with the Kansas City Royals instead finishing the job early with a whimpering 9-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
Magic number down to zero. Again, today's results make it seem like a cake walk, but anyone thinking that doesn't know what this club as been through.
It all really started last fall, when the Guardians followed up a surprise division title in 2022 with a dismal 76-86 campaign. Future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona decided to step away to focus on his health, and now without the man who had been its guiding voice for 11 seasons, the club suddenly found itself at a crossroads.
Enter Stephen Vogt, who when the Guards were wrapping up that playoff berth two years ago was wrapping up his own career as an All-Star catcher for the Oakland Athletics. Though widely respected and loved around the game, he had no prior managerial experience, and would now be tasked with replacing a legend in the dugout.
He has succeeded, and then some, not only captaining Cleveland to the top of the standings but doing it while dealing with several blows along the way.
The first came just two weeks into the season, when former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber was shut down with Tommy John surgery. One-by-one, other members of the once-vaunted rotation fell by the wayside, with Triston McKenzie proving ineffective and Carlos Carrasco showing his age.
We might've guessed that Tanner Bibee would step up and stabilize the starting five, but none of us would've expected that Ben Lively — a man with a 5.05 career ERA heading into 2024 — would do anything of substance. All he's done is lead the Guards with 13 victories.
Then there's the bullpen — a unit many could describe as "leaky" a year ago has improved to perhaps the best in franchise history. Rookies Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith came out of nowhere to bolster the back end, setting the table for the electric Emmanuel Clase as he makes his case for the Cy Young.
On offense, no one would confuse this with the '95 squad, but there's been marked improvement from what had been an anemic bunch. Steven Kwan briefly flirted with .400, David Fry road a hot bat to an All-Star appearance, Jhonkensey Noel and Kyle Manzardo made their debuts and become instant contributors, and Josh Naylor showed us all his true potential with a 30-homer, 100-RBI effort.
And yes, José Ramírez was his usual MVP-contending self, and still has a chance to become the first player in club lore to belt 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season.
On April 14, the Guardians took over first place in the Central and never gave it up again. True to their heart-stopping form, however, they did surrender a nine-game lead and found themselves tied with the Royals on the afternoon of Aug. 27.
Cleveland came back to win that day 7-5, one of an MLB-best 42 comeback wins this year. It kicked off a 15-7 stretch that saw the Guards leave KC and the Minnesota Twins in the dust, earning a playoff spot on Thursday and now wrapping up the division with still more than a week left in the regular season.
For the Guardians, the job isn't done. They would still like to earn a top two seed and a bye to the division series, and entering Monday they were just a half-game behind the New York Yankees for the AL's best record.
And once the playoffs do begin, players and fans will have only one thing on their minds: a chance to win Cleveland's first World Series championship since 1948.
For now, though, Vogt and his squad can hold their heads high knowing they already done something only the most optimistic of us (aka Stephanie Haney) felt they could do. A long road remains, but it's been a season to remember at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
Let's hope the fun is just getting started.
