ST. PETERSBURG -- Foster Griffin said a lot of people have asked him this season if he’s taken some time to look back on his journey and how far he’s come over the past year.
No, not yet. How could he? That script is still being written.
“I feel like there's still a job to be done,” Griffin said. “We're not finished quite yet.”
Griffin has experienced a ton in 2026. He returned to the Majors after a three-year stint in Japan, earned his first career MLB All-Star nod and was dealt by the Nationals to the Guardians before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. The latter experience is why he’s not ready to go to a place of reflection quite yet.
Griffin and the Guardians are one of the final four teams standing. And Cleveland is entrusting him to get it one step closer to the World Series.
Manager Stephen Vogt named Griffin his Game 1 starter for the American League Championship Series against the Rays on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Vogt relayed the decision to the 31-year-old on Sunday afternoon, after the Guards had their own journey over the previous 24 hours.
“I don't think it's really set in yet,” Vogt said. “But we're here, and the guys are excited.”
Cleveland spent Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday celebrating its comeback to beat the White Sox in the best-of-five AL Division Series. Immediately after, Vogt, understandably, was not ready to name his starter for Game 1 of the ALCS.
The Guardians’ decision came Sunday, after discussion amongst Vogt and team brass in St. Pete.
“We had to get through [Saturday],” Vogt said. “We got a group of us together and just kind of discussed what everybody was thinking, like how we make every decision around here. It was a no-brainer to give the ball to Foster in Game 1.”
Why Griffin? For one, co-aces Parker Messick and Gavin Williams aren’t available after pitching Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS -- and Games 4 and 5 on Thursday and Saturday. Williams’ second start came two days after he made an emergency relief appearance to close out Game 4.
Messick and Williams aren’t an option to start on normal rest until Games 2 and 3 of the ALCS. And even then, Vogt was not ready on Sunday to announce anything past Monday.
“It's a huge honor, Game 1 of an ALCS,” Griffin said. “We used our aces, Gavin and Parker, to really get us through that last series. I'm sure they'll be a big part of this series as well, but I'm looking forward to getting it kicked off.”
This is exactly why the Guardians acquired Griffin from the Nationals two months ago. At the time of that deal, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Cleveland viewed the lefty as “one of the best starters in baseball this year.”
Griffin’s production was better with Washington (3.06 ERA in 22 starts) than Cleveland (5.19 ERA in nine). But a chunk of his damage with the Guardians came on Sept. 9 against the Orioles, when he was charged with eight runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings. Griffin had a 3.73 ERA in 41 innings over his other eight starts.
Griffin was sharp in his final regular-season start on Sept. 23 at Boston, when he allowed one run on 10 hits with seven strikeouts over six innings. He was stellar in relief in the Guardians’ 9-3 win over the White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS, when he struck out seven and allowed one run over 2 2/3 innings.
The Rays also were much better against righties (.752 OPS, fourth in MLB) than lefties (.679, 25th) this season.
Griffin, Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo were among the Guardians’ Game 1 options. But Bibee worked just one-third of an inning in relief in the ALDS, and Cantillo could be an option to pair with opener Daniel Espino this series.
Even with limited work recently, Griffin said he feels good about where he’s at. He pitched in simulated games during the Guardians' first-round bye, and was sharp when he got on the mound in Chicago.
It’s up to him to get the Guardians off to a good start, with a quick turnaround to boot before facing a Rays team that led the AL in wins this season.
“They’re a really good team for a reason,” Griffin said. “A lot of dissecting that we'll try to do over the next 24 hours, and we'll go from there.”