CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Playoff baseball will return to Progressive Field this October. With a 3-2 walk-off win on Thursday in the series finale against the Twins, the Guardians officially clinched their spot in the postseason.
It will be Cleveland’s 17th playoff appearance in franchise history. It’s their first postseason appearance since 2022, as the team will reach the postseason for the sixth time in nine seasons.
“Huge,” Andres Gimenez said about clinching the postseason berth at Progressive Field. “It had to be today. We had a meeting this morning and it had to be today in front of our crowd, the people who showed you love through the year.”
21,707 fans were in attendance for the 3-2 walk-off thriller. It’s the earliest Cleveland has clinched a playoff spot in a full season since 2018, which was also the last time the Guardians clinched a postseason position in front of a home crowd at Progressive Field.
Led by catcher Austin Hedges, the players crowned first-year manager Stephen Vogt as the “Heavyweight Champion of the World” in the clubhouse celebration.
“I’m thankful,” Vogt said. “Again, everything we do is for our players, and for them to give me the belt, that was really special.”
“He’s one of the most special humans I’ve ever met,” Hedges said. “Not just as a manager, as a man. That guy is a leader of men. We’ve had one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball for a long time, and I love Terry Francona with all my heart, but this is probably the best year of managing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Andres Gimenez hit a single to score the winning run in the 10th inning. It’s Gimenez’s fourth career walk-off plate appearance. The Guardians have logged back-to-back extra-inning walk-off wins for the first time since September 22-23, 2018.
“Coming into the play I was feeling really good,” Gimenez said. “I was ready to compete in that moment and put us there in the playoffs.”
“Obviously you think about this moment, but to be honest, right when I saw the ball go through the infield was the first time that I really allowed myself to be excited,” Vogt said. “The goal is to get in and then from here we keep pushing and you get in, you have a chance.”
Kyle Manzardo started the afternoon by hitting his fourth career major league homer. He drilled a changeup 379 feet to the seats in right field. Since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on September 1st, Manzardo is hitting .357 with four homers in 16 games.
“I had a couple of these in the minor leagues but it’s nothing quite like this,” Manzardo said. “Yeah, it’s just special. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
The Twins only two runs came in the fifth inning. Minnesota’s leadoff hitter Manuel Margot hit a double that scored runners from first and second base. Willi Castro scored from first after a fielding error by Lane Thomas delayed a potential relay to home plate.
That marked the end of Joey Cantillo’s eighth career major league start. Cantillo walked three batters and recorded six strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. He has posted a 1.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts in his last four games.
“We dream of big things,” Cantillo said. “We got a lot of baseball to be played, but I think this moment is special for every single person in here. It’s the best thing in the world. This is why you play, especially at this level.”
Brayan Rocchio tied the game at two runs a piece with a bases-loaded sac fly in the sixth inning. Josh Naylor scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single.
Cleveland’s pitching staff didn’t allow a hit after the fifth inning. Reliever Tim Herrin struck out all four batters he faced, and Eli Morgan escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 10th inning to set up the walk-off.
“It sounds cliche, but spring training,” Hedges said when he realized that this team could be special. “What the guys decided to buy into in spring was different. It was a decision to treat every day exactly the same.”
Thursday’s series finale was the 13th and final time the Guardians and Twins will meet in the regular season. Cleveland won the season series 10-3 with three walk-off wins. It’s the club’s best record against the Twins in a single season since 2007.
This will be Cleveland’s ninth postseason appearance since 2000. The Guardians magic number to win the AL Central is three, and the magic number to clinch a top-two seed is four.
The Guardians start their final road series of the regular season on Friday in St. Louis. Ben Lively (12-9, 3.87 ERA) will make his fourth career start against the Cardinals. He’ll be opposed by Kyle Gibson (8-7, 4.11 ERA), who earned a win in both of his starts against Cleveland last season.
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