'It hurts': Guards' incredible run ends 2 wins shy of World Series

ST. PETERSBURG -- As Stephen Vogt made the rounds in the Guardians' clubhouse Monday night, embracing the players who were fresh off a heartbreaking finish to the 2026 season, he eventually reached Austin Hedges’ locker.

There, Vogt and Hedges shared a long hug, before the skipper placed his hands on his backstop’s shoulders while sharing some words.

The emotions were fresh. With a 7-3 loss to the Rays in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, the Guardians’ season came to a close, sooner than anyone in that clubhouse hoped or expected.

“It hurts. I felt like this was a group that could win the World Series,” Hedges said. “It was a heck of a year. It’s tough to say goodbye.”

Every postseason elimination is painful. It marks the final chapter of a journey that begins earnestly in late January and ends when the chilled air in October. For the Guardians, the emotions of Hedges, Vogt and guys across the room Monday night said it all.

Once again, Cleveland got close. Once again, Cleveland came up short. The franchise with the longest drought without a World Series title, now 78 years and counting, will have to wait at least another 12 months.

• MLB's longest active title droughts

“It just hurts. It stings,” Vogt said. “I really felt like we had a team to go and just weren't able to get there. But I couldn't be more proud of our entire group, our players, coaches, staff, front office.”

Two months ago, it felt improbable that this team could restore Cleveland atop baseball’s mountaintop. The Guardians were five games under .500 on Aug. 19 (61-66) and 5 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. Cleveland finished the season on a 24-11 burst to win its third consecutive division crown.

The Guards then erased a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five ALDS against the White Sox to reach the ALCS. Cleveland came two wins short of a return trip to the Fall Classic.

“It's just a massive disappointment,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “We don't get to play baseball tomorrow, and that sucks, because the goal is to find a way to get to the World Series and win it. We weren't able to do that.

“We lost to a really good baseball team. The Rays won as many games as they did for a reason, and they deserve a ton of credit.”

Nonetheless, this was different from 2022, when an upstart Guardians team shocked everyone to win the AL Central. It was different from '24, when the Guards ran into a powerhouse Yankees team and lost the ALCS in five games. It was different from '25, when Cleveland used a historic comeback to win the division and then lost the AL Wild Card Series to the Tigers team it chased down.

The Guardians had a 2-1 lead in this series. They had a chance to win the AL pennant at their home ballpark over the weekend. You could begin to imagine what could follow, something generations of Clevelanders have been waiting to see.

After three straight losses, they were only left to wonder what could have been.

“It hurts,” outfielder Steven Kwan said. “This was the closest I’ve ever been. We were a great team and we had some really great momentum. We just couldn’t get the timely hit. It feels fresh right now. It’s disappointing."

When Antonetti and Co. acquired outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and starter Foster Griffin at the Trade Deadline, it signaled their belief this team could do something special. The Guardians’ offense was much better post-Deadline (232 runs, eighth in MLB) than on the season (678 runs, 24th).

The lineup is a big reason the Guardians reached October. It also struggled at the worst time. The Guards scored seven runs in their Game 1 win over the Rays, and 10 runs in the other five games of the series.

“We obviously have to be better than that in the ALCS,” second baseman Travis Bazzana said. “We have to come through if you want to be one of those two teams in the World Series, and we didn’t. We’ve got time to reflect and individually think about where we can improve.”

Perhaps some of that improvement comes organically. Bazzana, Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick flashed as rookies this season. Messick helped Gavin Williams and closer Cade Smith anchor the pitching staff, and with Bazzana and DeLauter in the lineup, you can see a nucleus here.

José Ramírez will return in 2027 motivated as ever, after this year was marred by the left hamate surgery he underwent in June. With a full offseason to recuperate, next year could usher in a return to form for the superstar third baseman.

There are things to be excited about going forward.

“We had a lot of young guys stepping up into those roles,” Kwan said. “It was really fun to be a part of. Winning baseball games can look different at times and we won them in a lot of different fashions. I’m excited for the future.”

But no one was ready to begin looking ahead to it on Monday. The stinging conclusion of a journey spanning eight months was clear. It always is.

There’s a lot to be proud of this season. But the ultimate goal is to bring a title back to Northeast Ohio.

“We want nothing more than to give them that,” Messick said. “I think all the fans know that we wanted to win this more than more than anyone, and we wanted to do it for them.”

They came close. They came up short. They’re coming back next season with one goal in mind.

“I've been doing it for 28 [years]. I'm 0-for-28,” Antonetti said. “Next year I want to make it 1-for-29. Not winning gnaws at me.”