The 44-25 Cleveland Guardians lost both weekend games against the Toronto Blue Jays after winning on Friday.
Sunday’s affair finished 7-6 in favor of Toronto, but there is more to games than just the box score.
The Guards were down in the score 7-2 after Toronto’s big fifth inning that chased Ben Lively from the game.
Any other team would have probably crumbled, but not Cleveland.
Well, at least not the 2024 Guardians.
Yes, they still lost, but sometimes we should analyze more than just the box score.
The Guardians made things really interesting and scored four unanswered runs to put the game 7-6 in the ninth inning.
Second baseman Andres Gimenez found runners on first and third with two outs in the ninth frame after Brayan Rocchio homered to make it a one-run game.
Gimenez, however, lined out to center field to end the threat and the game.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt discussed the team’s fighting spirit and praised his team for making it a game when they were down five runs.
This @CleGuardians team just keeps fighting. 💪 #ForTheLand | #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/m4KJ6e3JPE
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 17, 2024
He called it a “moral victory”, and it was so close to becoming an actual win.
“There is no quit. There is no lack of fight. We come back. We always punch back,” were some of the things Vogt said after the loss.
He is proud of his guys, and for good reason: they gave all they had and could have won it in that ninth frame.
They still have a healthy five-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central standings, and that’s partly because they are resilient and mentally tough.
These Guardians don’t usually succumb to pressure: they embrace it.
NEXT: Guardians Insider Provides Team Update On All-Star Game Voting
