From Tito to Naylor bros, here are Guards' top moments of '23

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It’s time to put the 2023 season to rest.

It was a year of unexpected hurdles that led to opportunities for new and exciting rookies. It also featured a disappointed clubhouse with a passion to win that led to a regretful on-field fistfight, sophomore struggles and optimistic breakouts. It culminated in a lackluster division race that remained competitive into August.

To say the least, this wasn’t what the Guardians expected.

But just because there were more lows than highs for Cleveland in 2023, it doesn’t mean that the highs shouldn’t be remembered. Let’s take one last trip down memory lane, re-living the best moments the Guardians enjoyed since last Opening Day.

1. Tito’s farewell
Not only was it the most memorable day of the season, it was also the most emotional. As much as Terry Francona tried to avoid the spotlight, Guardians fans gave him a tremendous ovation after his final game at Progressive Field. Thanks to a combined effort from José Ramírez and Andrés Giménez in blocking the entryway into the dugout, Francona was forced to stay on the field much longer than he would’ve liked in order to soak in all the screams.

2. José steals home
This one came with a painful loss, but that doesn’t take away Ramírez’s incredible feat.

Just as Royals reliever Aroldis Chapman was about to throw his fourth pitch to Giménez, Ramírez started inching farther down the third-base line. The game was tied in the top of the 10th inning, and Ramírez had started the frame as the automatic runner at second base. By the time he got to third base with Giménez up to bat, there were two outs and a small possibility of getting a run on the board. So, Ramírez took matters into his own hands.

He broke for the plate and was originally called out on the field. A replay review overturned the call, though, and Ramírez safely scored to put the Guardians ahead. He became the first Cleveland player to steal home in extra innings since 1974, the year steals of home began being tracked, according to the Radar360 database. Ramírez was just the eighth player in American League/National League history to steal home in extras.

3. Double trouble
The Naylor family won’t forget this one any time soon.

Again, the Guardians were able to find a lone bright spot in a loss when brothers Josh and Bo Naylor homered in the third inning against the Rangers at Globe Life Field in July. They became the first siblings in franchise history to hit a home run in the same game (let alone the same inning). The last time a pair of brothers hit a homer in the same game for the same team in the Majors was when B.J. and Justin Upton did it on Sept. 27, 2014.

The Naylors became the 13th pair of siblings to join this exclusive club.

4. Welcome to the bigs, Bibee
No one knew exactly what to expect from Tanner Bibee when he first got the call to make his Major League debut on April 26th, but fans were excited nonetheless. Within minutes of toeing the rubber, Bibee proved why they were right to feel that way.

The 2023 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up set the tone for his incredible season with an eight-strikeout performance in 5 2/3 innings against the Rockies. That prompted a thunderous ovation from the Progressive Field crowd.

Bibee gave up six hits with no walks and one hit batter. The outing was highlighted by his five consecutive strikeouts in the second and third innings, which marked the first time a Cleveland pitcher had at least five straight Ks in a Major League debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau and MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.

5. Straw’s assist
The Guardians had some exciting moments in extra innings this year, and this was at the top of the defensive list.

With the score knotted at 5 in the top of the 10th on the Fourth of July at Progressive Field against the Braves, a soft fly ball was served into center field. Myles Straw was able to casually make his way underneath its flight path, but with a runner on third and just one out, he knew he needed to turn up the intensity on his throw. Straw secured the ball and released it in a flash, firing a perfect strike to David Fry behind the plate. Fry reached across his body, caught the ball and dove back toward the third-base line to make the tag that ended the frame and set him up for a walk-off single in the bottom half of the inning.