'Let this sting': Guardians reflect on unreal '25 after WC elimination

CLEVELAND -- Progressive Field was rocking in the eighth inning on Thursday as José Ramírez charged toward second base. The Guardians superstar’s routine ground ball drove in two runs thanks to a missed-catch error by Tigers reliever Will Vest.

Ramírez was thrown out to end the inning, but he helped the Guardians cut their deficit to three and energize a ballpark enveloped by nerves.

His effort embodied a season full of ups and downs, and one consistent theme.

These Guardians refused to give in, even when the decks were stacked against them. Their never-quit attitude defined a September to remember, which they punctuated with a historic division championship. But Cleveland’s magic ran out on Thursday.

With a 6-3 loss to the Tigers in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, the Guardians were eliminated from the postseason.

"It stings for it to end that way,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “I couldn't be more proud of them, of what we accomplished. But it's not enough. We want more, and I think that's really the message, ‘Let this sting.’”

There were plenty of opportunities for the Guardians to quit in a season that instead culminated with one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history. Cleveland sputtered through the first few months of 2025, then went on a 10-game losing streak before the All-Star break that sunk them below .500.

In July, they watched two players go on administrative leave due to ongoing MLB investigations, including three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. They endured a 1-9 stretch in August, and were under .500 as recently as Sept. 4.

For all the turmoil, the Guardians surged in September to clinch the AL Central. They became the first team to overcome a 15 1/2-game deficit to win their division (since 1969) or league (before 1969). They were one win away from continuing to author an improbable story straight out of a movie script.

“There’s only one team at the end of the year that’s happy,” catcher Austin Hedges said. “Twenty-nine other teams are disappointed in one way or another. We have a lot to be proud of with what we did and what we overcame during the regular season to give us a chance.”

“The predominant feeling is devastation, because everybody on this team rode the lows and the highs together,” Game 3 starter Slade Cecconi said of the season ending. “And the lows and the highs this year were as extreme as you can create. For it to come to a halt this quick feels terrible.

“But with those feelings, you don't want to lose what we did and what we accomplished from where we were.”

The Guardians fell short of where they ended last year, when they were eliminated in Game 5 of the ALCS, but they at the same time deserve credit for getting this far. And there are reasons for hope heading into the winter. The Cleveland Pitching Factory reemerged in full force, as a six-man staff propelled the Guardians to October. The rotation, which was a major question mark one year ago, is the backbone of the team heading into the offseason.

The bullpen stepped up despite losing Clase, including Cade Smith as he slid into the closer’s role. The Guardians got this far despite an offense that struggled for extended stretches this season, even with another terrific year by Ramírez on his continued path to Cooperstown.

There is plenty of time ahead to assess what may lie on Cleveland’s offseason to-do list, but it’s no secret bolstering the lineup must be at the top.

Cleveland can take solace in the in-season strides of catcher Bo Naylor, who emerged down the stretch after a tough year at the plate, and Brayan Rocchio -- who returned from a demotion to Triple-A in July a different hitter and once more shined in the playoffs.

Youngsters such as Chase DeLauter, George Valera and C.J. Kayfus weren’t even in the Majors until August, and each already has postseason experience under their respective belt.

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“Obviously you feel bad. You don't want to go home that early,” Ramírez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “But you’ve got to keep your head up and you’ve got to keep working and go back stronger, because you know that the goal remains the same.”

After the loss, members of the Guardians sat around the clubhouse together, in between packing up their lockers for the offseason. The group will look different next season, in some fashion. This was one of the last opportunities it could be together.

“We're close. We are really close,” Vogt said. “We're not quite there yet. There's things we need to improve upon. There's things we need to get better with. But the overarching theme is I'm so proud of that group for not quitting.”