CLEVELAND — You think Oscar Gonzalez is getting used to this?
For the second Saturday in a row, the man Guardians fans lovingly refer to as "SpongeBob SquarePants" because of his eccentric walk-up song came through when the lights shone brightest. Last week, it was against the Tampa Bay Rays with 15th-inning, walk-off homer to send Cleveland to the American League Division Series. This week, in that aforementioned series, it was facing baseball's "Evil Empire": the New York Yankees.
Trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Guards banged out four straight hits to close the gap to one, but Josh Naylor struck out swinging with the bases loaded for the second out. That sent Gonzalez to the dish, and down to his final strike, the 24-year-old rookie once again solidified his place in the "You'll never have to buy lunch in this town again" club of Cleveland sports lore.
As we did for his wild-card home run, we're going to let the legendary "Voice of the Guardians" Tom Hamilton set the scene as Oscar drove home both Kwan and Rosario with a two-run single.
"He's done it again!" Hammy exclaimed, about as stunned and overjoyed as the rest of us.
Most people had counted the Guardians out before the season even began. Heck, even after they won the AL Central and bested the Rays in the wild-card round, they were considered almost an afterthought against the powerful Yankees, whose 254 team home runs this year doubled Cleveland's total of 127.
On this night, the "Bronx Bombers" flexed their muscle, belting three home runs and appearing to be in control. Yet it was the Guards and their "small ball" (a brand of baseball described by some naysayers as "disgusting") who won out in the end, banging out 15 hits and driving in runners without putting a single pitch over the fence.
It's been said ad nauseum, but 17 Guardians players made their major-league debuts in 2022, including Gonzalez himself. They are the youngest team in baseball by far, even younger than most Triple-A squads.
And yet, this team of young upstarts is now one game away from playing for the AL pennant. Isn't baseball amazing?