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'Best year of managing I've ever seen': Stephen Vogt guides Guardians to playoff berth
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- 'Best year of managing I've ever seen': Stephen Vogt guides Guardians to playoff berth
CLEVELAND — This one was for Stephen Vogt , even if he never wants the spotlight.
To hear Guardians players talk about it, this one was for the first-year manager who guided a young team not expected to do much of anything in 2024 to a playoff berth and a celebration Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field.
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As players, front office members, coaches and clubhouse attendants sprayed champagne and beer and smoked cigars after t he Guardians' walk-off 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins Thursday , which was win No. 89 and the one that clinched their spot in the 2024 postseason , they wanted to celebrate their rookie manager who never wanted to make anything about himself.
But, for a moment, they were determined to shine the spotlight on him — and douse him in champagne while they were at it.
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, middle, celebrates with players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth with the win. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
At one point, veteran catcher Austin Hedges quieted down the room and had someone mute the music for a moment. The Guardians have a pro wrestling-style championship belt they've handed out after wins as sort of a Player of the Game or a Game Ball situation. It's bounced around the clubhouse all season. They tried to award it to Vogt earlier in the year, but he respectfully declined. As he stated then, it was about the players, not him.
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On Thursday, Hedges and some other players just about forced Vogt to accept it, shouting, "The new heavyweight champion of the world, Stephen Vogt " which was received with a roar of a chorus from every other player in the room. Vogt triumphantly raised it above his head. Their next mission is to get the real one in October.
"That was so cool. I'm thankful for that," Vogt said of being given the belt. "Again, everything we do is for our players and for them to give me the belt, that was really special."
Guardians make playoffs in first year with manager Stephen Vogt
The Guardians plucked Vogt, 39 and a player as recently as 2022 , from his homestead in Washington to follow future Hall-of-Fame manager Terry Francona and his 11-year run in Cleveland. Ever since, Vogt has seemingly pushed every correct button along the way . And the youthful Guardians will now have a chance to end the franchise's title drought, which dates back to 1948, as one of baseball's biggest surprise teams in 2024.
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This week, Vogt was brought to tears when talking about the camaraderie in the Guardians clubhouse, and how appreciative he is to be going to battle with the 26 players, the coaching staff and every other member of the organization every day. The feeling is mutual.
"He's one of the most special humans I've ever met," Hedges said. "Not just as a manager, but as a man, that guy, he is a leader of men. He's a standup human being. And to have him up top leading us, it's a blessing."
Vogt has helped the Guardians navigate the loss of Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery , inconsistency in the starting rotation ( Triston McKenzie was a notable absence from Thursday's celebration, as he remains stuck in Columbus), numerous injuries that could have wrecked havoc on their plans and a roster that saw plenty of turnover throughout the course of the season.
Vogt wasn't clear on what team the Guardians might be in spring training, when he was going through seemingly countless introductions every day. It didn't take long for him to be convinced that this team could accomplish something special, as a 7-2 road trip was the beginning of some eyes being opened.
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"I think it truly is just believing you can do it," Vogt said. "We didn't know what we had. I didn't know what guys were capable of. And until you see them play, you really don't know. But by the end of spring training, if you come to spring training and you're not expecting to win the World Series, don't come.
"And right away, right on that first road trip, we saw something special that this team might be able to get it done, and now we're in it and we have an opportunity."
Hedges was also in Cleveland two years ago when Francona took a youthful Guardians team not expected to make any noise and guided it to the playoffs — sound familiar?
"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," Hedges said. "But, I mean, this is probably the best year of managing I've ever seen in my life."
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It's not just the game day, baseball-centric decisions. It's in how Vogt relates to players on a daily basis, which was one of the things that attracted the Guardians to him in the first place.
"It's really, really hard to be the same every day and to allow guys to get better every day while also looking them in the eye, and they know he believes that they're more than good enough right now to help us win a ballgame today," Hedges said. "That guy just exudes that. And the fact that he's done it all the way up until now, I know he's only going to get better as we go into the postseason."
So Thursday, with the champagne flowing, the Guardians wanted to acknowledge their skipper at the helm of it all after he spent about six months deflecting credit to the players, or pitching coach Carl Willis, or bench coach Craig Albernaz, or many others.
And now, with a playoff spot locked up, the Guardians will have an opportunity to put together a memorable October.
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"This is really special," Vogt said. "The goal is to get in and then from here we keep pushing. You get in, you have a chance."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians secure 2024 playoff spot with manager Stephen Vogt
