The Cleveland Guardians survived a huge game against the Detroit Tigers.
They led for most of it, thanks to another strong outing by starting pitcher Joey Cantillo.
Then, just when it seemed like they had it secured, the Tigers stormed back and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
That’s why, after watching his team respond in extra innings, manager Stephen Vogt wanted to tip his hat to his players.
“It just shows the resilience of this group all year. That game was tight. That game was intense the whole way. … To get gut-punched like that on the last hitter of the game, and then our guys come out and put up four (runs). Just the resilience of this group, it was so much fun to watch,” Vogt said.
Manager's thoughts.#GuardsBall | #GuardiWWWWWins pic.twitter.com/synafaKYnk
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 17, 2025
That’s been the story of the season with this team.
They’ve been through a lot, and it would’ve been easy to wave the white flag, especially after such a dreadful June.
They’ve weathered the storm despite losing two key pitchers (Luis L. Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase) to an MLB investigation of an alleged sports gambling scheme.
They couldn’t get some of their top prospects to the majors because of injuries, and they didn’t bring in more help at the trade deadline.
Instead, they gave up one of their best pitchers, trading Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Despite all of that, the Guardians still have a chance to make the playoffs, and that’s remarkable.
Of course, they may not have the most firepower or the most talent in the AL, but they’re arguably the most resilient team in baseball, and they will never stop competing.
That reveals Vogt’s managerial skills, and he deserves a lot of credit for keeping his team motivated.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Big Update About Rehabbing Guardians Pitcher
