The Cleveland Guardians’ run ended the hard way Monday night, with a 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay closed out the series four games to two, advanced to the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and left Cleveland with the kind of finish that doesn’t fade quickly.
Stephen Vogt didn’t try to soften it. Asked after the game what he told his club in the clubhouse, the Guardians manager delivered a message in three blunt words: “let it hurt.”
“Let it hurt. That hurts.
I couldn’t be more proud of our group. This hurts.
This stings. Felt like we really had a team to go…let it hurt.
Let it sink in. Let it fuel you this winter,” Vogt said.
That was the tone from the manager throughout his postgame comments. He acknowledged the pain, said the Guardians had a team he believed could go all the way, and made it clear he was still proud of the effort from everybody in the organization - players, coaches, support staff and the front office. More than anything, he said, he is proud of this group.
And there’s plenty for him to point to. Cleveland’s season looked buried in the middle of August, when its playoff odds sat at 24.4 percent.
By Sept. 3, the Guardians were 70-70 and three games behind the White Sox. They answered with a 15-6 finish to grab a third straight AL Central title.
The postseason only raised the stakes. Cleveland dropped the first two games at home in the division series, then became the first team in franchise history to come back from a 2-0 deficit by winning three straight elimination games against Chicago. After that, the Guardians took two of the first three against a Rays club that won 98 games in the regular season before Tampa Bay slammed the door with three straight wins.
Vogt’s first three seasons as manager have already produced three division titles and two trips to the ALCS. His “let it fuel you this winter” message sounds like a manager expecting his team to be in this same conversation again next year.
A big reason for that belief is the young talent that got a taste of October. Parker Messick and Gavin Williams helped steady the rotation, and Williams put together one of the most dominant postseason strikeout runs in baseball history.
Chase DeLauter set a franchise record for hits by a rookie in a single postseason. Travis Bazzana, Petey Halpin and Daniel Espino also came through with big moments.
José Ramírez, dealing with the effects of hand surgery all season, showed flashes of his old self in October. The Guardians expect him to be fully healthy in 2027.
The frustration is real, and so is the history behind it. Cleveland has not won a World Series since 1948, so this loss will linger.
Vogt’s message, though, was not to move on too quickly. He wants the hurt remembered, then turned into fuel.
The Rays will begin the World Series against the Brewers on Friday in Milwaukee. For Cleveland, the offseason starts now, with Vogt hoping this ending becomes next year’s edge.
In Other News...
Guardians Turn To An Unexpected Arm In Must Win Game 6
With their backs against the wall in Game 6, the Guardians are making a less conventional call on the mound by turning to right-hander Shawn Armstrong as the opener. It is the kind of move that speaks to the urgency of the moment, especially with the series slipping and Cleveland looking for any edge it can find against a Rays club that has been getting strong pitching at the right time.
Tampa Bay brings plenty of confidence into the matchup after Drew Rasmussen followed up with another dominant postseason showing in Game 5, while Freddy Peralta is lined up to get the ball for Game 6 after settling in quickly since arriving. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still trying to rebound from Parker Messick's rough recent start, and the Guardians' choice to hand the first inning to Armstrong only adds another layer of intrigue to a game they simply cannot afford to waste. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Messick Sent A Defiant Message Guardians Fans Will Love
Parker Messicks two innings in Game 5 were only a small part of a night that left the Guardians in a tough spot, as the Rays pulled out a 3-1 win and moved within one victory of the World Series. Even so, the young pitcher did not sound rattled after the loss, and his postgame message carried the kind of edge Cleveland fans tend to appreciate when the season is hanging in the balance.
The Guardians now head to Tropicana Field needing to win both remaining games to keep their postseason run alive, a steep ask against a Rays club that has already taken control of the series. Messicks confidence after his early exit offered a reminder that the mood inside the clubhouse is still pointed toward a comeback, even with the margin for error gone. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Took A Risk With Parker Messick In The Worst Spot
The Guardians made a notable change behind the plate in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, pairing Parker Messick with Patrick Bailey instead of Austin Hedges for the first time. It was the kind of move that spoke to the moment as much as the matchup, with manager Stephen Vogt leaning on Baileys strong bat while accepting the possibility that it could alter the rhythm Messick had built with his usual catcher.
It proved to be a tough night for the rookie. Messick got through only two innings and allowed two runs, and Cleveland never quite recovered in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In a postseason game where every small edge matters, the Guardians took a calculated swing on catching alignment, and the result only sharpened the question of whether the risk was worth it in the biggest spot. [Read more 🡒]