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'Our guys stayed ready': Guardians pitchers post shutout in home opener win over White Sox
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- 'Our guys stayed ready': Guardians pitchers post shutout in home opener win over White Sox
CLEVELAND — Guardians catcher Bo Naylor is very familiar with cold weather.
Growing up in Canada, Naylor experienced his fair share of frigid temperatures playing baseball in Mississauga, Ontario. He also came up through the Guardians organization and played minor league ball in Akron and Columbus before reaching the major leagues.
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Naylor felt right at home Tuesday with temperatures around freezing as the Guardians won their 2025 home opener in walk-off fashion 1-0 over the Chicago White Sox before a crowd of 33,722 at Progressive Field .
"I have a little bit of a background growing up with it," Naylor said with a smile. "You learn to accept it. Both teams have to deal with it, so once you have that in your mind, you kind of understand that it is anybody's game. It is the same game that we are playing, and you just gotta go out there and ball."
The Guardians who balled the best were pitchers Ben Lively, Cade Smith, Paul Sewald, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase , who combined to shut out the White Sox . Starter Lively struck out four, walked three and allowed two hits.
"It didn't bother him," Naylor said of Lively pitching on a cold day. "He came out there pounding the zone and doing what he does. He was doing what we know he can do consistently. That is go out and put together good pitches and put them on their heels as early as possible."
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively (39) throws during the second inning of a Major League Baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Lively worked around walks to Luis Robert Jr. and Nick Maton in the first inning and singles by Robert and Maton in the fourth inning.
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"The grip was a little tough in the beginning, but once I started getting warmed up and getting sweaty, it was normal," Lively said. "I felt pretty good, except for the cold hitting my neck, but it was not bad.
"... [Cold weather] makes me want throw two seams inside and make those knuckles [on the batters] hurt for them. I feel like pitchers have the effect in the cold weather. Those guys don't want to hit. Hit off the end of the bat one time and even a foul ball, I'm just going to throw one over the plate next time. I know you're not going to get all of it."
Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt takes the field before a Major League Baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said his players stayed warm in the dugout and by getting in extra work in the batting cages and running around in the weight room.
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"We have jackets, we've got hand warmers, gloves," Vogt said. "I mean, we did everything we could. It was cold. It was definitely cold out there, but our guys stayed ready."
Lively benefitted from two double plays, with Guardians third baseman José Ramírez , second baseman Gabriel Arias and first baseman Carlos Santana turning one in the second inning and shortstop Brayan Rocchio , Arias and Santana accounting for the other in the fourth.
"Stuff like that fires me up," Lively said. "I told myself in my head, I was like, 'Don't try to make a perfect pitch. Just execute and get the ball down.' And we got what we wanted. It was perfect."
Smith said Lively was "awesome."
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"That glove-side two-seam was pretty to watch," Smith said. "Just how repeatable it was, just over and over again, just running back in the zone. Nobody wanted to swing at it. They just wanted to watch it, and he just did that all day."
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Paul Sewald (34) throws during the seventh inning of a Major League Baseball game at Progressive Field on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Smith, Sewald, Gaddis and Clase each pitched a scoreless inning and did not allow a hit.
"I think that for the most part, they do a good job keeping us warm," said Smith, who is from Abbotsford, British Columbia, and played at the University of Hawaii. "There are heaters in the dugout and the bullpen, and then when you're out there, your body temperature's up and you're moving around. That's really all you can do. ...
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"I can't imagine that anybody would want to take one off the handle or off the end of the bat today, but it's been a while since I hit. But I still, I don't think it would be very fun."
White Sox pitcher Shane Smith was perfect the first four innings against the Guardians, and finished with six strikeouts, a walk, a hit batter and allowed only singles by Ramirez and Santana in the sixth.
"Ben was outstanding," Vogt said. "That's a tough day to pitch. Their guy, Smith, and Ben were both phenomenal."
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones (22) is mobbed by teammates after his walk-of walk during the ninth inning of a Major League Baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Guardians scored the lone run in the ninth off Mike Clevinger . Santana singled and Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel walked to load the bases. Nolan Jones worked the count full and walked to score Santana, who was celebrating his 39th birthday.
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"Obviously, your hands get cold but, I mean, I grew up playing in Philadelphia , so I am a little bit used to it," Jones said. "... Once you get moving around, it warmed up a little bit for us."
Vogt praised Jones for having "outstanding plate discipline" and said "when he hits it, he hits it hard."
"We're really excited about having Nolan here, and that's a professional at bat," Vogt said. "That's a big leaguer's at-bat right there, being able to take that close borderline pitch that was down, and he knew it."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians win cold home opener against Chicago White Sox
