Travis Bazzana is learning the postseason from the inside, and he’s not pretending the moment feels ordinary.
With the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays deadlocked 1-1 in the American League Championship Series, the 24-year-old second baseman said the thrill of October hits him every day. Cleveland is set to host Game 3 on Thursday afternoon, and Bazzana is in the middle of his first postseason run after becoming a major part of the club this season.
“It's amazing. Every day you wake up with a great sense of excitement,” Bazzana told reporters ahead of Game 3, via MLB Network Radio.
“Each game, each pitch is, like, a rush. I think you will remember it forever, but also, like, in the moment it's special.
So, it's great.”
Bazzana has already been one of the more interesting stories in Cleveland’s lineup. The Guardians are fronted by superstar Jose Ramirez, with two-time All-Star Steven Kwan also giving them plenty of punch.
Rookie Chase DeLauter has contributed, too. Bazzana, though, has been part of the group making an impact since his big league debut early in the regular season.
His first full look at the majors turned into a productive rookie campaign. He earned an All-Star selection and finished the year with a .245/.335/.408 slash line, 15 home runs and 19 stolen bases. For an infielder with obvious upside, it was a strong start.
The postseason has been a tougher batting line so far. Bazzana is hitting .167 through his first seven games, but he’s still finding ways to matter with his speed on the bases and the kind of hustle that shows up even when the hits aren’t falling.
Game 3 was pushed to 1 PM ET because weather is expected in Cleveland later Thursday. Bazzana and the Guardians will try to use the home date to move ahead 2-1 in the series.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay has long lingered as one of the organizations toughest second guesses, and fresh reporting only adds another layer to the regret. The Guardians moved the then-rising prospect for pitcher Tobias Myers, a deal made with the hope of solving a pitching need while parting with a young hitter who was still far from the majors.
Now the sting is not just what Cleveland gave up, but how close the Rays came to asking for something else from the system before settling on Caminero. Xzavion Curry was among the minor leaguers Tampa Bay initially sought, and the fact that Caminero has developed into a top prospect while Myers and Curry have had quieter big league careers makes the trade look even harder to defend in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Schedule Change Created An Unusual MLB Playoff Ripple
MLBs postseason calendar picked up an odd little domino effect Wednesday, with the league moving Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers up an hour to 8 p.m. ET. The change did not come out of nowhere. It followed the earlier decision to shift ALCS Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of expected inclement weather, a reminder of how one playoff adjustment can ripple across the rest of the bracket.
For Cleveland fans, the practical part is simple: the team confirmed that tickets and parking passes will still work for the new start time. The bigger picture is a postseason schedule that can still bend quickly around weather, TV and the rest of the leagues needs, even as the Guardians try to stay focused on the field rather than the clock. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Guardians Fans Another Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams has already done his share to fuel Clevelands October run, and now he is looking to add something else to the mix as the Guardians head into the next round. The young starting pitcher said he wants to be a more vocal leader as the club prepares for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, a sign of how quickly he has grown from power arm to one of the voices in the room.
Williams backed up that confidence with his latest outing, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland now turns to a Game 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, set for 1 PM ET Thursday after a weather-related delay from the original 6 PM start, and the Guardians will be hoping their emerging starter brings the same edge both on the mound and in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]