CLEVELAND, OH - For the Cleveland Guardians (33-17), Wednesday's matinee 6-3 win and subsequent sweep over the New York Mets (21-28) was more than another win in the 162 game season. It marked a chance to look back at one chapter and forward to another.
With the return of Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor back to Cleveland for the first time since the trade that sent him to New York in 2021, it was only natural to look back at that chapter in the franchise's history, including the club's run to the World Series in 2016.
Countless memories of Corey Kluber dominant starts, Lindor double-plays with Jason Kipnis, and bullpen brilliance from Cody Allen and Andrew Miller all come rushing back from one of the best stretches of baseball in the club's history.
Despite only having one player from that era, Jose Ramirez, still on the roster, one aspect that has stood the test of time with the Cleveland Guardians, however, is their ability to find a way to win.
Following a 3-0 start to the game off of three Mets solo home runs, the Guardians, much like the winning team's of old, were able to amass six runs in the team's final three frames to get the win, including seeing 84 pitches over the three innings. It was the team's 13th come-from-behind win in the young season.
While the return of Lindor brought back memories from those old runs, it gave fans a look to the future. Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez, 25, has now turned into one of the veterans that the team leans upon when the game is on the line, both in the field and at the plate.
The 6th inning three-run home run from Gimenez, who was acquired in the Lindor trade, made all 22,322 fans erupt with cheers and elation, bringing back memories from those teams of old.
With names like Gimenez, Tyler Freeman and Emmanuel Clase taking their place among the team's next generation of talent alongside Ramirez and Josh Naylor, this team has a bright future ahead and they aren't waiting around to showcase their readiness to win.
BUNT-ERFUL JOB
While the first five innings didn't produce much of anything at the plate for the Guardians, the turning point came when Guardians catcher Austin Hedges laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line. When you ask Guardians manager Stephen Vogt about Hedges, he certainly agrees.
“Austin Hedges is the heart and soul of his team,” Vogt said of the catcher. “When he did that, it woke our dugout up. … He finds a way to get the boys going, no matter if it's with the bat, at the plate, in the dugout, and in the clubhouse. It's just what he does. He is. He’s the heart and soul and that bunt meant the world for us today. I’d go out as far to say that's probably the biggest factor that led to the comeback.”
Fresh off of a World Series championship with the Texas Rangers last season, Hedges, 31, has returned to Cleveland as both a leader for the pitchers and clubhouse as a whole. He's also helped give this young roster a focus and mentality to the game each and every day.
“We just treat every game like a playoff game,” Hedges said after the win. “Every game matters. Every year you look up and in the beginning of October, there's gonna be two, three, four teams that missed the playoffs by a game. That game might have happened in April or May. It doesn't matter when it happens. There's one game.”
“There's a lot of teams that go out there and think they're just going to roll through the season and then we'll turn it on for the playoffs,” Hedges continued. “It's like we're playing playoff baseball, so when the playoffs come, nothing has to change. This is exactly the style of game that we play, and we will have had 162 games reps of data. I think that's going to give us a clear advantage that we don't just take games off. It doesn't matter if you don't score for the first five, six innings. We're here to play nine innings and treat each game like a playoff game.”
Hedges was one of the team's key offseason acquisitions, and, so far in 2024, his leadership and both on the field and in the dugout have been worth every cent.
CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY
Once again, Guardians super-utility star David Fry continued his success against left-handed pitching, despite Mets starter Jose Quintana having a tremendous start on the mound. Fry, 28, chimed in with yet another 2-3 day at the plate, as well as being plunked by a pitch in the 5th inning.
Since April 28th, Fry has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball, hitting .419 in that stretch. He also improved to batting .424 with three home runs and nine RBI against left-handed pitching this season.
He also displayed his defensive versatility when he switched from first base to third after first baseman Kyle Manzardo pinch hit for infielder Gabriel Arias in the 7th inning. That was the first time that Fry has appeared at both positions in the same game in his career.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
The Guardians have gotten plenty of help this season from young players across the board and Wednesday was no exception with three rookies all making an impact in the win. The first was Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez.
Rodriguez got his first hit in the 7th and made it count, notching his first RBI on his single to right field. Manzardo, after pinch hitting in the 7th, followed him up in the 8th inning with yet another double in the first baseman's young career.
The left-handed hitter has eight hits in the big leagues, with five of them being doubles. He also became the youngest Guardians hitter (23 years, 309 days) to double in four-straight games since Lindor accomplished the same feat back in 2017.
To close things out, Guardians rookie reliever Cade Smith came out to record his first save, and Hedges had nothing but praise for the rookie and his cannon of an arm.
I thought he was 120 [MPH],” Hedges said of Smith's fastball. “I was like ‘Why do you call a split-finger to Lindor when [Smith] is throwing invisible fastballs?’ When he's throwing 98 plus [MPH], that's as good of a fastball I've ever caught. Honestly, that is as good as it gets. He's got a good slider and split, but you [have a] fastball like that? You're going to get some pretty good hitters over there. I can see him pitching [in] high leverage [situations] for us for a long time.”
What's Next?
The Guardians will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Angels on Friday. Left-hander Logan Allen (5-2, 4.91) will look to continue the team's six-game winning streak against the Halos. Los Angeles will counter with fellow left-hander Patrick Sandoval (2-6, 4.59). First pitch from Angels Stadium of Anaheim will be at 9:40 PM on Friday night.
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