CLEVELAND — This team.
This unexpected but wonderful Guardians ride just keeps getting better and better. Not only is Cleveland headed to the American League Division Series, but they did so in the most dramatic of fashions Saturday.
Heading into the bottom of the 15th inning in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Progressive Field, the Guards and Tampa Bay Rays were both scoreless, the longest stretch without a run for any postseason contest in MLB history. There hadn't been a lot to cheer about for either side... until Oscar Gonzalez stepped to the plate.
"It's just very special," the rookie said just minutes after it happened.
What was "it"? Well, the man fans have lovingly called "SpongeBob" due to his unique walk-up music took a Corey Kluber pitch (how ironic) and sent it sailing into the left-center field bleachers, sealing a 1-0 triumph and a sweep in the best-of-three series. He would later claim he knew it was gone as soon as he hit it, and it seemed like everyone else in the ballpark agreed with him.
Who better to paint the picture for us than incomparable Guardians radio broadcaster Tom Hamilton? Maybe it's recency bias, but we feel like this was one of his best:
"Hello New York!" Hammy excitedly exclaimed as the ball sailed over the fence. Of course, the Guards will meet the Yankees in the next round.
It's a moment that will likely live on in Cleveland sports lore forever, and we don't think we're being hyperbolic when we say Gonzalez just went "legend."
"The way the fans reacted is a wake-up call to see where we are, what we're doing," Oscar told reporters after the game, through his interpreter. "This is something that I've been dreaming about since I was a kid."
What made the home run even more memorable was a peculiar piece of Gonzalez's wardrobe: In the seventh inning, the 24-year-old broke his belt while sliding into second base and had to borrow the one belonging to the Guardians' first base coach, none other than Sandy Alomar Jr. He was still wearing it when he made his joyous jog around the bases, so perhaps that strap has a little bit of magic in it from... 1997, perhaps?
We're not saying the belt definitely has supernatural powers or anything, but just like when Sandy hit his shot off Mo, we're never going to forget this day. Hopefully Oscar keeps the belt on against the Yanks next week!