And gotta say I’m excited about it

Welp, hate to say it but I think this brewers team would’ve cooked no matter who came out of the AL. I still wish we could’ve got the pennant

I grew up with my mom in Arizona eventually moving to Kentucky halfway through my childhood but one thing stayed consistent. Going to see dad in Cleveland over the summer and spending most of my time at the Jake. I basically grew up on Travis Hafner and Uncrustables from the kids area. If we weren't at the games we were usually gathered up as a family with them playing on TV. 

Eventually when the team decided to shift away from Wahoo, Dad decided that it was a personal attack against his own childhood and chose to boycott. I saw it differently; I was excited they incorporated something that nodded to Cleveland history. I thought the potential to use Art Deco in uniform design was neat and really it just didn't change the way I viewed our team... I mean we still had Ramírez, right?

Since the name change I've followed the team some years more closely than others and it kinda just felt like something was missing. My friends don't follow baseball, I'm a state away so everyone around me roots for the Reds. This year I have a new job and I'm a little busier so I planned on just casually following along until I found this sub. I didn't post or comment but it was fun following along in the live game threads and seeing all the posts of hope while our guys, yet again, defied odds. 

I spent each game posted up on the couch with a shot of rum, Hammy over the audio so I could keep my phone in hand and scroll while the game played on the TV. I finally had people to be excited with. So thank you, Cleveland, I wasn't able to make it out this year but Dad's been bugging me for a visit so it won't be long. You guys rock, I can't wait for next season. 

Stand Guard.

Gavin Williams’s October began with 12 strikeouts in ALDS Game 2, tying a franchise postseason record. He then saved Game 4 and struck out 11 more in Game 5. It was among the most dominant performances by a Cleveland pitcher in postseason history; he struck out over half the batters he faced. Andrew Miller did not do that, Cade Smith did not do it. Gavin dominated the White Sox and the Rays in 4 postseason appearances. While, sadly, Gavin’s run ended there: his 33 strikeouts ranks 3rd in Cleveland history for a single postseason behind Orel Hershiser and Corey Kluber (tied at 35 apiece). Both threw more than twice as many innings.

It was, in short, a masterful performance by the young righty. This led me to ask: what are the best Cleveland pitching runs in the playoffs? Certainly: Gavin Williams’ 4 appearances were superb, but where does it belong in Cleveland’s postseason history?

It’s a difficult question to answer. Today I aim not to definitively answer this question but to compare the leading candidates and, in the end, let you decide. I will rank them, but I will not claim to offer the definitive ranking. A few rules to provide some order to the chaos:

Rule 1: a pitcher must have made at least 3 appearances in the postseason. For this exercise, I am defining a run as at least three appearances and 15 innings.. I thought about making it 4, but this would disqualify Stan Coveleski who only made 3 appearances in 1920…back when there was only one series. Those thresholds inevitably exclude some outstanding performances from shorter postseasons, but it is also true that shorter performances are inherently less impressive.

Rule 2: a pitcher must have at least pitched 15 IP. I do not want to compare a pitcher’s work over a small sample size to one with a large one (particularly relief pitchers).

If you want to view my sample for best runs and best postseason starts you can find them in my Google Sheets here. Overall I am weighing run prevention, workload, dominance, and the importance of the assignments. Innings matter substantially, but so does how a pitcher performed relative to his era and role.OK, with that stated lets move to my rankings:

Honorable Mention: Dennis Martinez, 1995

Key Counting Stats: 5 Games over 29 ⅔ IP, 15 K, 11 BB
Key Rate Stats: 2.73 ERA, 11.3 K%, 8.9 BB%, 1.281 WHIP, .245 BA Against

I initially placed Williams outside the top five, but ultimately moved him ahead of Martínez. From a modern perspective: Dennis did almost nothing better than Gavin. He struck out fewer batters, walked more, allowed more baserunners and was more hittable. Heck even his run prevention was weaker. Martínez’s principal advantage was workload and even here, I think the difference is closer than it appears.

Dennis Martinez did pitch a dandy in the ALCS going 7 shutout innings in the clinching Game 6. I would rank that start ahead of any of Gavin’s starts by sheer length alone. However, all the other starts were between 5-6 innings. The only reason Dennis pitched more innings than Gavin is he received 2 more starts. I don’t think that’s quite enough to put “El Presidente” ahead of Williams. It’s still a great run for the second best pitcher in our rotation that year. An under appreciated part of the ‘90s Renaissance teams.

#5: Gavin Williams, 20

Key Counting Stats: 4 Games over 16 ⅔ IP, 33 K, 6 BB
Key Rate Stats: 2.16 ERA, 0.840 WHIP, 51.6 K%, 9.4 BB%, .140 BA Against,

As I said above: ranking these postseasons presented ath unique challenge. Gavin gave the Guards all he had this postseason and posted arguably the most overpowering performance for a Cleveland pitcher in October ever. He struck out over half the batters he faced: best I can tell no Cleveland pitcher has done that in the postseason. Cade Smith, arguably the best reliever in the game, has never done it. His run prevention, while nowhere near the best in this series, was outstanding. He even made a relief appearance in Game 4 of the ALDS to save the game (although: he should never have been needed; Vogt mismanaged that game). I cannot think of a single criticism to make of Williams’ postseason except start length.

Gavin started 3 games this year and went: 5, 5 ⅔ and 5 IP each start. That’s simply not particularly deep. His 16 ⅔ IP is the lowest on this list, and it’s not particularly close. Which led me to two thoughts:

Thought 1: It’s not Williams’ fault that he pitched less: he gave his team his all, and if the rest of the team played like him we would have advanced to the World Series (or at least to Game 7, where he would get another crack at the Rays). Furthermore it’s not Williams’ fault that he started Game 2 of the ALDS and not Game 1, which cost him a start. Finally, it’s not Williams’ fault that he plays in an era where managers do not trust their starters for long periods of time.

If we compare Williams to other ace pitchers this postseason: he was not used differently. Jacob Misiorowski, arguably the best pitcher in the game and the consensus NL Cy Young Winner: has only pitched even 5 innings once. None of the Dodgers pitchers went longer than 6 innings. Aaron Boone did not push Cam Schlittler or Max Fried past 6 innings. In fact: the only starters to go longer than 6 innings this postseason are Drew Rasmussen (who’s done it twice), Chris Sale (who went 6 ⅓ against Philadelphia in the Wild Card Series), Michael King (who did it once) and Tyler Mahle (who twice went over 6 IP). In this era: how can I hold start length against Williams?

Thought 2: On the flip side: Gavin Williams also pitches in an era where batters strike out a lot more than in previous years. While impressive: pretty much every Guardians pitcher was striking out Chicago White Sox this postseason. How much of this performance was Gavin being more overpowering than any Cleveland pitcher ever, how much of it is the era he pitches in, and how much of it is the opponent he faced in the ALDS? Certainly some of this is not just Gavin Williams.

In the end: I think Williams posted arguably a top 5-8 pitching performance in Cleveland postseason history of all time. However, partially due to the length of the postseason and partially due to Gavin being unable to go deeper into games I feel I could not rank it higher than 5th.

#4: Andrew Miller, 2016

Key Counting Stats: 10 Games covering 19 ⅓ IP, 30 K, 5 BB, 5 Holds, 1 Save
Key Rate Stats: 1.40 ERA, 41.1 K%, 6.8 BB%, 0.879 WHIP, 0.170 BA Against

The only reliever to pitch the requisite 15 innings: Miller’s 2016 performance was absolute dynamite. Joe Posnanski called him the “Lord of Darkness” that October since he squelched so many comeback attempts in all 3 series. I can say, even today with Cade Smith, that I have never seen a more dominant reliever in October for Cleveland. It felt like every time Miller came out of the bullpen we were safe.

Of the 10 games he appeared in we won 9 of them, the only exception was Game 7. Miller did not allow a run until World Series Game 4, covering his first 15 innings pitched. Until Gavin Williams came along: nobody struck out a higher percentage of batters than Miller. He was completely locked in. In the ALCS he was particularly vital, and particularly deadly. He appeared in all 4 wins, notching either a Save or a Hold each game, striking out 14 Blue Jays while walking none. I do not think you can ask any more from a reliever than we asked of Miller in 2016. He was the clear ALCS MVP Winner and had we won the World Series it’s plausible in my mind he wins that award too.

Now, why is Miller’s performance at 4th and not ahead of the 3 starters? The answer is length. Miller only pitched 19 ⅓ innings. While Miller is by far the most dominant of the top 4 in my rankings, I think it’s inherently much harder to start than to relieve. I can envision Corey Kluber filling Miller’s role in 2016. I cannot imagine Andrew Miller filling Kluber’s position. For that reason I rank Miller’s masterful run as a reliever just below the starters.

#3: Corey Kluber, 2016

Key Counting Stats: 6 Games covering 34 ⅓ IP, 35 K, 8 BB
Key Rate Stats: 1.83 ERA, 25.4 K%, 5.8 BB%, 1.049 WHIP, .222 BA Against

Kluber’s final postseason line obscures how dominant he was before Game 7. If you throw out Game 7 Kluber had a 0.89 ERA and a WHIP under 1, with a higher K% (Kluber struck out 0 batters in that last start). You can forgive Corey for faltering: he had pitched 30 ⅓ almost perfect innings before it, and started twice on short rest. He had nothing left in the tank at the end, and everyone knew it.

But until that point Kluber was an unstoppable force pitching 6-7 innings almost every start and basically surrendering 0 runs every time. He gave up 2 runs on short rest in Game 4 of the ALCS, and 1 run in Game 4 of the World Series. Besides Game 4 of the ALCS: he won every game. When I talked to Cubs fans at Wrigley Field in Game 5 they bitterly complained how they had no answer to Kluber and that was why we were beating them in that World Series. I wish that had stayed true.

In some ways I think Kluber’s first 5 starts is the best pitching performance by any Cleveland starter in franchise history. But Game 7 happened. Those 4 runs over 4 innings happened. It would be unfair to blame Kluber for that loss: but his performance is probably the #1 reason why the Indians could not quite close out the series in that game. The desperate last start we needed that we did not get. That is the cruel part: without Kluber, Cleveland never gets there but he could not quite deliver the final blow. Sounds like the Cleveland baseball club’s history in a nutshell.

#2: Orel Hershiser, 1995

Key Counting Stats: 5 Games covering 35 ⅓ IP, 35 K, 9 BB
Key Rate Stats: 1.53 ERA, 25.5 K%, 6.6 BB%, 0.821 WHIP, .160 BA Against

I wrestled with who to place at #2: Hershiser or Kluber. I initially put Kluber second because I felt his performance was slightly more impressive because of rest. But Hershiser only made 1 less start than Corey on short rest. Hershiser combined effectiveness with substantial workload, including eight innings in World Series Game 5 with Cleveland facing elimination. So I narrowly decided Hershiser’s performance edged out Kluber’s, although it’s quite close.

I compared Gavin Williams’ postseason unfavorably to future pitchers due to start length and volume and, while Orel and Kluber pitched a similar number of innings: that is only because Kluber started one additional start. Had Kluber not started Game 7 he would have fallen well short of Hershiser. Orel was masterful for Cleveland pitching two 8 inning masterpieces: one in the ALCS and one in the World Series. He also pitched a 7 ⅓ IP gem, and two other 6 inning games. Every start from Hershiser was quality. Orel even gets some solid style points. For the 90s he struck out a lot of batters and limited his walks. By the time Hershiser came to Cleveland he was past his prime. For one October in 1995: he turned back the clock and was 1988 Orel Hershiser again.

I did not get to see Hershiser ply his trade for the 1990s Indians but I would have loved him.

#1: Stan Coveleski, 1920

Key Counting Stats: 3 Games covering 27 Innings, 8 K, 2 BB, 3 CG, 1 SHO
Key Rate Stats: 0.67 ERA, 8.2 K%, 2.1 BB%, 0.630 WHIP, .160 BA Against

To close out we have arguably one of the best World Series performances of all time. 3 starts, 3 complete games and a shutout in the decisive Game 7. The Plain Dealer argued Cleveland should celebrate October 12th as “Stan Coveleski Day” moving forward because he delivered the 1920 World Series to Cleveland. For sustained run prevention: I do not think there’s any argument against Coveleski. Nobody comes close to doing what Stan did in 1920, and Stan did it in a single series. However, this is where perspective comes back: 1920 was absolutely unlike modern baseball.

You want to know how long ago 1920 was in baseball terms? Everyone knows that there was no DH, no batting helmet, and the game was segregated. But 1920 was so long ago that the spitball remained legal…and Coveleski was one of the last remaining spitballers in the game. How do I rank that over the modern game? For me the answer is that while things have changed a lot: I can still envision the performance in the context of the time. No Coveleski throwing a complete game in 1920 is not as impressive as it is now: but it was still viewed as a marvel at the time.

A starter’s job is to give your team a chance to win and to take as much pressure off the bullpen as possible. No pitcher in Cleveland postseason history did that as well as Coveleski.

I read this article and felt so many feelings. Cleveland born and bred and forever.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7703367/2026/10/20/guardians-game-6-alcs-loss-mlb-playoffs/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.4HuR.BiAUgOa-wK7n&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

My boyfriend has a dumpster company, and will pick through some looking for finds. He scooped this for me!

You can’t choose who you fall in love with, and I think it’s the same with baseball.

Two years ago, I didn’t know much about this amazing sport, other than casually playing The Show on my console. If anyone had asked me who the best player in the league was or what ERA meant, I wouldn’t have bothered to even google the answer. To me, baseball was that funny sport where you hit the ball as hard as you can and run like you are gonna fall off a cliff if you don’t reach a base. And the defense… my oh my, the defense consisted only of playing catch. What a drag not to be the one batting the ball. That’s what I thought.

And on top of that, baseball has practically no tradition in my country, and most people here know next to nothing about it

And I am no stranger to sports. I consider myself very well versed in the art of understanding football (soccer) tactics, basketball strategies, NFL plays… I can even tell different teams’ strategies apart in professional cycling. But baseball was only about hitting the ball harder than your rival, and some players never managed to look very fit, as if they weren’t taking their jobs seriously. What a mess of a sport, I would say, and then keep losing games in Out of the Park Baseball (because I’m a sucker for GM videogames).

But things were different this year. I lost my job because AI could supposedly work harder than me and approximately 300 of my colleagues. And suddenly I had free time to do whatever I wanted. To get some rest. To go back to hobbies I had forgotten because I was always so tired. It was then that baseball met me halfway. We were not looking for each other, but things changed forever that first night I stayed awake all night (I live in Europe, btw) watching my first full game.

That first game was a Guardians game.

I rapidly became obsessed with understanding everything happening in the park. Why was this player angry? Why did that one make that move? Why throw to third base now? Why would they change the pitcher? So many things and so much free time. I was constantly searching Wikipedia for the meaning of the stats appearing on my TV, the roles, the batting order… I did that until everything came together like a puzzle that had been left unfinished for years, waiting to be put back together.

I watched so many games that I stopped following other sports to focus only on baseball. It was thrilling, it was new, it was complex, and it was crazily random. I realized the magic of baseball is that you can do your best as an individual or as a team to get to where you want to be, but the ball sometimes plays by its own rules. It decides whether that centimeter between a homer and a triple is worth crossing. Sometimes it lets the wind guide its path; other times, it seems to defy the wind entirely, as if the forces of nature had no power over it.

Learning about baseball’s been amazing, and there was a point when I realized there was a constant, a pattern. It was the Guardians’ games that I enjoyed most. It all started with watching that José guy and thinking: Wow, the man surely knows how to inspire his teammates. How to lead. How to put the team on his back when the team needs it. And the guy has even rejected multiple multimillion-dollar offers to stay with his team. That’s something that, as a woman in her mid-thirties, I value a lot in a man. That kind of determination and commitment.

Little by little, I got to appreciate all the people on the team for their strengths and their weaknesses. And God, I have even wished I’d been born in Cleveland. But I think that is not necessary. Maybe I am an imposter because I’ll probably never visit the city (not a fan of flying), but I feel the weight of this team on my back too, even though I live thousands of miles away.

The Guardians have this aura of an underdog team that isn’t really such an underdog, because our guys are good and deserve every win they get. This aura of “we defend our home and everyone is welcome here.”

And I’ve never been particularly fond of teams that seem to treat money as the answer to everything. I love teams whose identity goes beyond the size of their payroll, and that’s what Cleveland feels like to me. It’s the players, the loyalty, the sense of belonging.

We may not have the market size of LA or NY, but I wouldn’t trade this team for any other. And I’ll support them just as fiercely as anyone.
I didn’t choose to become a fan. I wasn’t even expecting to get into baseball either, but you never can tell.

Ps: I would like we keep Kwan

TL;DR: I used to think baseball was boring. Then I lost my job, started watching games, and fell in love with the Guardians. I’m cheering from thousands of miles away, in a country where baseball is barely a thing, but I wouldn’t trade this team for any other.

I am recruiting for a MLB-realistic 30T Salary Cap dynasty baseball league that is currently about halfway full. We are trying to fill the teams with owners who are fans of that team, and the Guardians are one of our open teams right now. We use real player salaries and have a hard cap as well as a salary floor. It's super active and tons of fun, so I hope you consider joining us and repping the Guardians! DM or comment below for more info.

Just our luck

He may be streaky, but his hitting plus defense is an automatic 4-5 WAR a year and if ever finds consistency you've got a poor man's Ichiro out there. Do not trade Steven.

I know we're already missing Cleveland baseball, so here's a look back at Opening Day 1966 in Washington, thanks to some photos I recently digitized.

The Indians beat the Senators 5-2 to open the season, with Rocky Colavito and Max Alvis each notching three hits. Alvis and Vic Davalillo had two RBI and Sam McDowell gave up just two runs in eight innings, striking out nine to his four walks. Sonny Siebert got the save in what would be his first All-Star season and one that garnered him MVP votes.

Frank Howard, one of my favorite-looking players of all time, hit a two-run homer off McDowell in the sixth.

Always a beast at fielding

Hi

Just dropping in here to let you know that Tanner Bibee won The Fielding Bible Award for the 2nd time.

If you're not familiar with the Fielding Bible Awards, here's a quick primer. They're given for defensive excellence annually since 2006. Both times Bibee won it was a very close vote.

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/10/20/what-are-the-fielding-bible-awards/

Pitcher - Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Tanner Bibee won his second Fielding Bible Award. He also won in 2024. 

Bibee joined Dallas Keuchel, Mark Buerhle, Zack Greinke, and Max Fried as pitchers who have won the Award multiple times.

Bibee won the Award by one point in our voting over Shota Imanaga. Five pitchers received a first-place vote. Bibee was listed first or second on 10 ballots, the most of any pitcher. Bibee, Imanaga, and Michael McGreevy tied for second with 5 Defensive Runs Saved, behind the leader Brent Suter (7).

Here's the full list of winners:

With Bo on the 40 man roster for the Brewers if they were to win the WS would he get a ring?

Hey r/ClevelandGuardians!

With the season behind us, I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and say thank you to all of you.

My name is Dave Fetzer, and I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the weekend PA announcer at Progressive Field this season following the passing of Bob Tayek.

My story with Cleveland baseball actually goes back to 2008, when I was in 7th grade and had the opportunity to be the kid announcer at a game. That was the first time I ever picked up a microphone to announce a sporting event, and from that moment on, I knew it was something I wanted to do.

Growing up, Bob was one of my biggest role models when it came to announcing baseball. His delivery, cadences, and even his traditional "growl," as he called it (my mind immediately goes to Carlos Santana), have had a tremendous influence on my own announcing style. I spent years listening to him at the ballpark, never imagining I'd one day have the opportunity to sit in that same booth.

Fast forward 18 years, and somehow that kid from 2008 found himself back at Progressive Field as one of the PA announcers.

Of course, the circumstances were not how I ever would have wanted it to happen. I'd much rather walk into Progressive Field and hear Bob's voice over the speakers. There is no replacing him, but I'm incredibly proud that I was able to help the organization during such a difficult time.

One moment in particular will stick with me forever. On the day Bob passed away, I was scrolling through this subreddit reading everyone's memories of him. I came across comments from fans saying they had been at games I announced that weekend and genuinely thought Bob was behind the microphone.

I'm not ashamed to admit that those comments brought me to tears. Knowing that I had been able to give fans even a little bit of that familiar ballpark experience, especially through a voice so heavily influenced by his, was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever received.

For a little background, I live in Columbus and also announce games for Ohio State and the Columbus Aviators. I've been fortunate to work some incredible sporting events, but getting to announce Major League Baseball in the ballpark where I grew up going to games with my family but also discovered my passion for announcing is something I'll never take for granted.

I know just how passionate Cleveland fans are because I'm one of you! I wasn't sure what to expect stepping into a role filled by such a beloved voice for so long, but the support and kindness I received throughout the season meant more than you probably realize.

I'm always looking to improve, so if you heard me at a game this season, I'd genuinely love to hear your feedback. Good or bad, I'm always interested in ways I can make the experience better for the fans.

And before everyone asks, no, I don't know what the plan is for next season! Everyone was so focused on the playoffs that I think we're all just decompressing a bit now.

Whatever decision is made, I'm completely at peace with it. Even getting to do this for one season has been an incredible privilege and honor. That being said, if I'm asked to come back, I can promise you I'll say yes faster than I've ever said yes to anything in my life.

From the kid who got to live out a dream in 2008 to the guy who got to return to that same booth 18 years later, thank you for welcoming me and allowing me to be a small part of your game-day experience.

Go Guards!

Dave Fetzer

If anyone purchased tickets have you received a refund yet? Does anyone know who I would contact to resolve the situation?

Hello! I'm usually a Phillies fan but I was checking out your subreddit recently, (sorry about the ALCS!) and I noticed it was created all the way back in 2012. I was wondering, how? The Guardians changed their name in 2021, yet this subreddit isn't still called r/ClevelandIndians. As far as I know, you can't change subreddit names, and usually for stuff like this people will just make a new sub. Did y'all get special permission from reddit to change it?

I figured this would be a frequently asked question but I actually couldn't find any posts about this. I don't want to break rule 9, but I'm pretty sure it's okay to ask this since I'm just curious.

Been collecting Guardians baseball cards for the past 3 years now and thought I’d show them off. I try to buy signed Rookie Cards and Bowman 1st cards only.

The most expensive ones I bought are the Jose Ramirez Topps Heritage RC for $150 and the signed Chase DeLauter Bowman 1st for $150

The cheapest cards were the signed Bryan Rocchio Bowman 1st for $8 and the signed Jason Kipnis Bowman 1st for $9

Hoping to keep growing this and have players across multiple generations when I’m older!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the collection and who I should buy next! Go Guards!

1. Ralphy Velasquez and Cooper Ingle getting called up to the show.

2. Fully healthy Jose Ramirez back in form.

3. Year two jumps for Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, Angel Genao and Parker Messick.

4. A likely announcement of a date for the Blitzer ownership takeover.

5. Second round of City Connect jerseys and branding on the way.

6. Daniel Espino settling in as a reliable bullpen arm.

7. Angel Martinez continuing to progress his swing for power.

8. A salary floor forcing the Guardians to spend money to continue to improve.

9. Patrick Bailey and Joe Adell getting more fully integrated with the squad.

10. That first game in the ballpark after the lockout ends and you're sipping an $18 beer and the world feels like it doesn't hurt so bad and you can make something of yourself again and you wish they'd just play Tom Hamilton through the speakers to regulate your serotonin a bit more but hey what can you do and wow there's nothing like a baseball game maybe I should call my mom after this I haven't called her in a few weeks okay I'm gonna do it after this second beer and the bottom of the inning man life has meaning again.

11. Rock n Blast. So fun!

I was critical of Stephen Vogt earlier this October, specifically that I feel his bullpen management is poor. I famously dislike prognosticating the playoffs; anything can happen in any game. Any player can become the hero. Most managerial decisions, notably lineup choices among others, rarely impact the game. However, in October how you manage your pitching staff can matter a lot.

During the ALDS, I thought Vogt made avoidable mistakes in managing his pitching staff. I still do. This is not the first time Vogt has done this; Fangraphs eloquently discussed Vogt’s bullpen usage in 2024. In my article I use win expectancy to discuss Cade Smith’s usage, a better way to look at it is Average Leverage Index (aLI), which can be found on Baseball-Reference. Here is the aLI for each game Smith appeared in to that point:

ALDS Game 1: 1.46, lowest for Guards pitchers

ALDS Game 2: 7.56, second lowest for Guards pitchers

ALDS Game 3: 0.19%, lowest for Guards pitchers

ALDS Game 4: 6.12%, lowest for Guards pitchers

I stand by the underlying criticism, although I regret the angry tone of a piece written immediately after the game. Furthermore whether you use win probability or Average Leverage Index: the analysis is roughly the same: Vogt used Cade Smith in the least opportune times this postseason, taxing a pitcher who he leaned on heavily during the regular season and would need in the ALCS.

Needless to say: Stephen Vogt did need Cade Smith in the ALCS and while he did mildly improve from Game 5 onward: Vogt still taxed his best arms in a frustrating way. I intend to show this over the course of this article. For clarity: my criticism of Stephen Vogt is not that he trusted his best relievers in big moments. It is that he too often spent their workload in smaller moments, leaving himself fewer options when the stakes rose.

What I am, and am not, Arguing

I am not arguing that Stephen Vogt is a bad manager. He isn’t. He won AL Manager of the Year: twice. His teams show grit every season, and both the 2025 and 2026 comebacks were impressive. Furthermore: his teams came back in the 2024 ALDS to surprise Detroit (the first time Cleveland won an elimination game in decades), and roared back this year to beat Chicago down 0-2. I already said in 2024 that I was wrong about Vogt: he is a good manager. I still reserve judgment on whether he or Francona are better (I still lean towards Tito), but that does not change the fact I am glad Vogt is in Cleveland.

Nor would I argue Stephen Vogt cost the Guardians the ALCS. I think that’s silly. We lost because the Rays outplayed us; the better team won and there’s no shame in that. However, if the team wants to advance further under Vogt I think he will need to improve his pitching staff management in future playoff appearances.

The Perfect Scenario

Every game starts with a strategy on how you expect to deploy your pitching staff. I think it’s useful to look at what I would consider the ideal game: Game 5 of the ALDS. This was a game Cleveland’s pitching strategy worked as intended. Consider:

-Crucially, and most importantly, Jose Ramirez provided the Guards with an early lead

-Gavin Williams pitched well, and relatively deep into the game (5 ⅔ innings)

-With the bases loaded and left-handed hitter Munetaka Murakami due up, Vogt replaced Williams with Erik Sabrowski.

-After Sabrowski struck out Murakami Vogt went to Hunter Gaddis, arguably his 2nd best reliever, and left him in through the 8th

-Once Gaddis got in trouble in the 8th he turned the game over to Cade Smith and let his best pitcher finish out the game

A clear plan, well executed and backed up by a lead. This is how you draw it up. I think Vogt made all the right calls here, and the game likely went according to how he and Carl Willis planned it. That being said: the team made it easy for Vogt. He had a narrowlead to protect (which basically means you can justify using your best arms in any situation), he took advantage of splits where necessary, and put his best pitchers in a position to succeed.

You see a similar situation in Game 3 of the ALCS. Here were the scenarios:

-Gavin Williams went 5 strong innings, although he did leave without the lead

-In the bottom of the 5th Cleveland regained the lead

-Vogt immediately went to his bullpen letting Daniel Espino face the top of the Rays order in the 6th

-Vogt went to Erik Sabrowski in the 7th, and Hunter Gaddis in the 8th

-Like in Game 5 of the ALDS: he went to Cade Smith in the 8th with a runner at 3rd base and 2 outs. Smith struck out Yandy Diaz to end the threat

-Vogt let Cade Smith finish the 9th

Again, this game offered very few difficult decisions. The only true choice was whether to leave Gavin Williams in for the 6th after he struck out 9 batters in 5 innings. But Gavin’s velocity was down, so Vogt elected to use Espino. The other call was whether to let Hunter Gaddis face Yandy Diaz in the 8th with a runner at 3rd and 2 outs. Vogt wisely elected to bring in Cade Smith: that was arguably the pivotal at-bat of the game on our pitching.

With a narrow lead: I think Vogt’s aggressive instincts served him well. I think when we lacked a lead Vogt’s aggressiveness cost him.

Vogt’s Aggressive Tactics

I already wrote about how Stephen Vogt greatly overused Cade Smith, especially in the ALDS. Smith appeared in every game and, until Game 5, did not appear in the highest leverage situations. As I showed above: Cade Smith was not used ideally by Stephen Vogt in the first 4 games of the postseason. His usage improved later on, here’s the aLI for Smith’s games after Game 4 of the ALDS:

ALDS Game 5: 1.20 second lowest in the game

ALCS Game 1: 0.24, lowest in the game

ALCS Game 3: 2.43, highest in the game

ALCS Game 5: 0.43, lowest in the game

ALCS Game 6: 0.26, second lowest in the game

That is simply not the best use of your top reliever. I understand the desire to withhold your closer for the 9th inning. But I think this kind of thinking is best left to the regular season. As Games 1-4 of the ALDS show: the most pivotal at-bats often occur much earlier in the game. That does not mean you should throw out Smith at the first opportunity, but I do think it means saving him exclusively for the eighth or ninth makes little sense when the game’s decisive matchup often come earlier.

But Cade Smith was not the only pitcher Vogt mishandled. To critique this articlefrom Quincy Wheeler, a writer for Covering the Corner and one of the smartest bloggers who covers Cleveland: I think that Vogt definitely taxed his bullpen too much, and a corollary of that is he grossly underused his starting rotation. I want to stress again: we agree that Vogt has many good traits as a manager, and his article is well reasoned. I disagree with Wheeler on how necessary all of Vogt’s aggressive tactics were this October.

To quote Quincy directly he defends Vogt’s usage of his best arms:

Guys, we all know that Smith, Gaddis, Sabrowski and Armstrong were overused. We know that Espino probably saw Caminero one too many times. But, the reason it happened was because it was still Vogt’s best shot at winning this series. He recognized his best weapons and put them in position to carry him over the top. Smith and Gaddis ran out of gas at the very end (notably, Armstrong and Espino remained extremely effective), but this is because Vogt was lacking the weapons he needed to reduce their usage, not because he was attempting to run them into the ground.

I disagree with Quincy strongly on the usage of Cade Smith. At least four of Cade’s appearances were, in my view, not necessary appearances where Vogt had no choice but to use him or otherwise lose the game. Smith’s appearances in Games 1 and 4 of the ALDS were unnecessary. Smith’s initial deployment in Game 3 was defensible. Leaving him in for another inning after the lead grew to six runs was a separate decision—and, in my view, harder to justify.. Smith pitched only 2 innings in Games 1 and 4, but if we throw in the second inning of Game 3: that’s 54 pitches off Cade’s arm saved. I cannot show that removing those pitches would have prevented the Game 6 home run. My argument is that the workload was avoidable, not that the counterfactual outcome is knowable.. I think Vogt’s usage of Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis was more defensible. Where I think Vogt erred the most is on Foster Griffin.

Wheeler and I agree most clearly on Griffin: Cleveland should have considered accepting more risk from him to reduce the bullpen’s workload. Our disagreement is over how strongly that opportunity should count against Vogt’s overall strategy. Foster Griffin was dynamite for the Guardians this postseason, striking out 15 batters in 10 ⅓ innings. He only made 1 start, but he was the ‘bulk’ guy in Game 3 of the ALDS and Game 4 of the ALCS. I think Vogt’s Game 3 decision to pull Foster after only 2 ⅔ IP was fine. It was an elimination game, and Vogt managed accordingly. But Vogt could easily have stretched Foster in either Game 1 or Game 4 of the ALCS. In Game 1: Foster was only at 63 pitches after 4 innings. He had already faced the Rays lineup twice, but pitched well striking out 3 batters and walking none. Yes: he got touched up in the 1st inning, but those touchups were largely due to bad BABIP luck. Griffin got through the top of the order much easier the second time through. I think it was defensible to pitch Espino in the 5th inning that game, but Vogt pulled Foster earlier than he had to in my judgment. His Game 4 removal is harder to defend. Vogt pulled Foster after only 44 pitches in the 5th inning…with 2 outs and nobody on base. Furthermore Foster was arguably pitching better, striking out 5 and walking none. There was no reason Vogt had to pull Foster: he definitely could have stuck with Griffin.

That is not to say that leaving Foster Griffin in the game is not a risk. Of course it’s risky to let Foster face the top of the order a 3rd time. I agree with Quincy that the avoidance of that risk is a legitimate fear. But the risk of overtaxing the bullpen also has to be managed. You are never going to hand your pitching staff a perfect matchup in every situation.

I do agree with Quincy that pushing Joey Cantillo further, given his performance, was not a good idea. I further agree that, given avoiding Tanner Bibee was Cleveland’s strategy: it makes sense that they did not pitch him at all in the ALCS, and only once in the ALDS. I think this was a mistake on both Vogt’s part and the Front Office’s part. Wheeler’s concern about Bibee rests on his full-season performance as well as his poor September. I understand that concern. My question is whether those risks justified making him effectively unavailable while the trusted relievers accumulated innings. I am open to more data on this but I cannot escape Corey Kluber’s superb September in 2017 when he posted a terrific final month before getting pummeled against the Yankees. Kluber had a 0.84 ERA with a 16.67 SO/BB ratio in 43.0 IP in September 2017: that did not prevent him from struggling against New York. Or even this year: Foster Griffin’s worst month of the season was September (6.17 ERA, although his 3.17 SO/BB was in line with his season norms). Individual examples cannot settle how much predictive weight September deserves. They do remind us that recent results are not destiny.

Furthermore, while Bibee was not great this season: we should also acknowledge that Tanner Bibee has pitched well in October for Cleveland. Before his (brief) appearance this year Bibee posted a 3.10 ERA in 20 ⅓ postseason innings. While Bibee is not the best pitcher on this staff: I am confident he would not wilt in the moment. All of which is to say: yes, using Tanner Bibee would have been a risk. But taxing your pitching staff is also a risk. It’s a risk Vogt consistently takes in the postseason. He did the same thing in 2024. I will quote the Fangraphs article from 2024:

My biggest issue with Vogt’s bullpen management is that he leaned on his top four relievers to a ridiculous degree. Herrin and Smith are tied for the most appearances this postseason; Gaddis is one appearance behind them, and Clase is one appearance behind him. Do you think that relievers do worse when they face the same batters repeatedly in a series? Smith and Gaddis faced the scariest part of the Yankees lineup three times. Smith faced Riley Greene four times in five games. Clase saw so much of Matt Vierling that I bet they became pen pals. Herrin was omnipresent.

Do you think that relievers do worse when they aren’t rested? Smith and Herrin appeared in all but one game. Each top reliever pitched on three consecutive days the one time Vogt had that option. Every time that there was a game the day after a top reliever had pitched, they came in. Every. Single. Time. No wonder their stuff all looked worn down.

I think you can defend each individual decision Vogt made. But taken as a whole Vogt’s strategy was to replicate Francona’s from the 2016 postseason. The difference being that Francona did not ‘chase’ wins from behind as Vogt did. Francona handed his bullpen leads more often than not and, when he had a big lead, would lean on us lesser pitchers. It’s one thing to tax your bullpen hoping to scratch out a fast series, it’s another when you overuse your bullpen behind.

I Believe in Stephen Vogt

If I wanted a manager to get the most out of my roster, and get my roster to play hard: I would take Vogt as arguably the best in the game alongside Terry Francona and others. That is by far the most important function of a manager in modern baseball. However, if I wanted a manager specifically to run a playoff pitching staff: I think Vogt would struggle. It would be different if his offense was good enough to consistently give him a lead. But Cleveland’s postseason offenses have offered little margin for error. Vogt could not afford in my view to lean as heavily on his best arms the way he did in 2024 and 2026.

Would another good arm like a healthy Colin Holderman instead of Tanner Bibee have made a difference? Yes, I think so. Maybe that allows Vogt to mix and match more and we win the ALCS. But another way to put his pitching staff in the best position to win would be to trust his full staff more, especially pitchers like Foster Griffin who had plenty of gas left in the tank and were pitching well. Every decision in October comes with risks. Vogt’s aggressiveness has plusses and minuses. I think given the situation of his teams: it’s been more of a detriment than a plus. A deeper pitching staff would help. So would using the available staff more selectively. I am not asking Vogt to stop being aggressive; I am asking him to distinguish the outs that demand his best arms from the outs someone else can reasonably get. Cleveland needs both better options and a plan that preserves those options.

Like many on here, I badly wanted Cleveland to go to the World Series and win. Since they sadly are out, who between Milwaukee and Tampa would you like to see win?

Neither team has ever won a World Series. I would like Milwaukee to win since Tampa ended Cleveland's run. Another reason I want Milwaukee to win is they represent hard working, blue collar America the best of the two. What better time for Milwaukee to win than on America's 250th anniversary!?! Don't forget, Milwaukee swept the reigning Champion Dodgers to get to the World Series!