Guardians clinch second AL Central title in three years

ST. LOUIS -- Forget about the final score. For the Cleveland Guardians, it was time to celebrate again.

Cleveland clinched its second American League Central championship in three years Saturday when the second-placeKansas City Royalslost at home -- yet another impressive accomplishment for rookie manager Stephen Vogt.

So despite a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals hours later, the Guardians broke out the bubbly and booze for another clubhouse party.

"I keep saying, this is about the players," said Vogt, who puffed on a victory cigar. "Of course, being the manager, you're the one bringing everybody together and keeping the focus going in the right direction -- but the players drive it. This is who they are.

"We took a lot of time getting to know who they are, getting to watch our team, seeing how we come together and watching intently. It's just using their skills and what they do really well to put them in positions to succeed. I do take a lot of pride because I love those guys."

Cleveland wrapped up the division title when Kansas City lost 9-0 to San Francisco. Jose Ramirez and the Guardians had already secured a postseason berth and they celebrated Thursday at home after locking up at least an AL wild-card spot with a 3-2 win over Minnesota.

"Our goal is always to try to find ways to get to days like today because we want to win a World Series," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "The only way you win the World Series is to pop champagne to get there. We've made some difficult decisions along the way, but all of those decisions are aligned with us trying to find a way to get to the postseason and win."

It's the fifth division crown for the franchise since 2016. Cleveland is going back to the playoffs for the first time since losing a 2022 AL Division Series to the New York Yankees in five games.

"I remember '22 like it was yesterday," Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said. "I thought I was going to be prepared for what it was, but a packed house at Progressive, it's just different. I'm really excited for what's about to come up."

Kansas City came from 10 games back on June 25 to tie the Guardians atop the division with a 6-1 victory in Cleveland on Aug. 27. But the Guardians rallied for a 7-5 win the following day to avert a four-game sweep.

That started a seven-game skid for the Royals, and the Guardians pulled away in September.

"You can kind of understand the dynamics of it going into it, but we have no choice but to just understand we have to win every single day," Kwan said about what he learned from Aug. 27. "162 games, you know? It's going to be a lot of games, a lot of ebbs and flows."

It's Cleveland's 12th division crown, all coming in the AL Central since 1995.

"The resilience that the group has showed throughout the year, how much they care about each other, the way they played till the last out," Antonetti said of what stood out about this team compared to others since he joined the Cleveland organization in 1999.

"It's a group of guys around them. They love being around each other. They love picking each other up and supporting them. Everyone's here just trying to figure out a way to help us win a baseball game, and that's all they care about. That's all they've cared about from day one."

Cleveland is in a nip-and-tuck race with the AL East-leading Yankees for the top seed in the American League playoffs. But the Guardians are close to nailing down at least the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.

Cleveland went 76-86 last year in Terry Francona's final season as manager. Vogt, a former All-Star catcher, was hired in November despite having no managerial experience.

It sure looks like a smart call at the moment.

"He's embraced learning from day one," Antonetti said. "He obviously came into the job with a great set of skills and personal attributes and experiences, but he has leaned into the job and trying to learn and get better every single day. He started off great, and he's only built on that from there."

Vogt is the fifth Cleveland manager to win at least 90 games in his first full season in charge, joining Francona in 2013, Charlie Manuel in 2000, Al Lopez in 1951 and Tris Speaker in 1920.

Under the 39-year-old Vogt, Cleveland got off to a surprising start. It had a nine-game lead in the AL Central and a 51-26 record after it beat Baltimore 10-8 on June 25.