The Cleveland Guardians shocked the baseball world last season. They pulled off something that had never been done to win the AL Central.
No team had ever overcome a 15.5-game deficit to win a division. Cleveland trailed the Detroit Tigers by as many as 11 games in the final month.
Manager Stephen Vogt recently revealed how the Guardians pulled off the historic comeback.
“We can’t control the 11 games. The only way you can overcome a deficit like that is to win each individual game. We preached it and tried to live it every day,” Vogt said.
Cleveland’s historic finish, during which Stephen Vogt kept the belief of a Guardians team, was enough to sway my vote for AL Manager of the Year.
FOX Sports’ @RowanKavner on why Vogt was once again a deserving choice ➡️ https://t.co/wz5iWeuBpK pic.twitter.com/IF5kXSjtBk
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 12, 2025
That might sound simple, but sometimes, things are. The Guardians knew they couldn’t win all the games at once, so they focused on the task that was right in front of them.
The Guardians didn’t have the most talent or the hottest offense by any means. They did have an easier schedule in the second half after a tougher one to start the year, but that wasn’t the key to their success, either.
The team never stopped fighting or believing. It would’ve been easier to throw in the towel and focus on next season.
But after the front office gave them a vote of confidence by not blowing up the roster at the MLB trade deadline, even with pitchers Luis L. Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase sidelined by a gambling investigation, the players held up their end of the deal by staying motivated.
That’s what separates good leaders from great ones, and that is why Vogt was named AL Manager of the Year for a second straight season. Anybody can excel with strategy, but it takes a special talent to keep a team grounded through the storm.
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