CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Roberta, come here … you gotta see this!”
I was upstairs, watching Sunday’s Guardians game on TV. My wife of 48 years was downstairs, finishing supper. She also was keeping track of the game on her phone every 10 minutes or so.
This was not a day that I expected much Guards drama. I figured they’d be a bit giddy (to be kind) after clinching a playoff spot Saturday night. They celebrated with Guards Ball vigor. Not sure how that would translate to a Sunday-after performance on the field.
I should have known better.
I should have remembered these are the Comeback Guardians.
Or as reader Jim Tomaszewski emailed me: “The Guardiac Kids.”
I kind of like that.
Confession Time: After being at Progressive Field the previous five games, I went to the office and watched the Browns on TV. I wrote about what became a 34-10 loss. By the time I was done with my column and got home, I only saw the last few innings of what became Cleveland’s 9-8 victory over Texas.
It ain’t over, is it?
Just like the Guardians saving the best for the last part of the season, they did so in this game.
It was the 10th inning. They had given up three runs to Texas, meaning it was 8-5 when Cleveland came to bat.
The Guardians already knew they were AL Central Division champs – that had happened about an hour earlier when Detroit lost in Boston. That gave the Tigers an 87-75 record. It also meant Cleveland would host the best-of-three wild card series starting Tuesday … against … the Tigers, of course.
So who cared if they won?
We know better, especially in the month of September.
The 10th inning opened with the “ghost” runner (George Valera) on second base. Bo Naylor ripped an RBI double. The 31,059 fans were screaming. Players in the Cleveland dugout were pounding on the railing, yelling and waving at Naylor.
Rookie Petey Halpin came to bat. He fouled off six pitches as he worked a walk. Some fans were standing and chanting “Pete – EE, Pete – EE” as he fouled off pitch after pitch.
Here came Brayan Rocchio to the plate.
Steven Kwan was one of Roberta’s early discoveries while she watched a spring training game with me. Another is Rocchio. She picked both of them before they ever played a big league regular-season game.
The score was 8-6. Two men on. Rocchio at the bat. A blur of a 96 mph fastball came his way.
You know what happened.
You had to hear it!
I later found Guardians broadcaster Tom Hamilton’s call on the internet:
“The 1-and-2 pitch …
“Swung on and blasted …
“Deep to right …
“Down the line …
“Off the pole!
“Can you believe it!!!
“A three-run walk-off home run!!!”
You had to see it
Roberta and I watched the replay of the homer that gave Cleveland a 9-8 victory,
We watched José Ramírez leading the charge of the players out of the dugout to meet Rocchio at home plate.
We watched Rocchio first standing at home plate, sort of leaning to his right … wanting to make sure the 380-foot fly ball stayed in fair territory.
We watched the ball bang off the foul pole. We watched Rocchio dancing around the bases. We watched him fire his helmet in the air. We watched more than a few fans hug. Others were screaming. Some probably had to fight off tears. We knew their hearts beat faster, motored by the sheer joy and drama of a walk-off win
We saw them break out the Central Division championship T-shirts and hats. We saw Ramírez grab the huge Central Division championship flag and strut around the field as only José Ramírez can.
- BETTING: Guardians moneyline is +140 on Caesars for Tuesday’s AL Wildcard Game 1 versus the Tigers. Our comprehensive Caesars Sportsbook review provides a guide on how to navigate through their platform.
We watched him plant the flag in the infield. It was like an exclamation point on the entire season, where they set a Major League record by coming back from 15½ games out to win a division title.
We saw once again why this is such an easy team to love.
Several times this season, I called the Guardians “The Little Team That Could.”
After the game, I received this email from Elliot Tramer:
“THE LITTLE TEAM DID!”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Source link
