The Cleveland Guardians did not get the start they wanted in the American League Division Series, but their manager is not about to hit the panic button. Cleveland fell to the White Sox 3-0 in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon, with the offense managing just three hits and coming up empty in two bases loaded situations. The loss gave Chicago a one game lead in the best of five series and put a lot of pressure on the Guardians heading into Monday. Stephen Vogt met with reporters, and his tone was calm and confident. The Cleveland manager made it clear he sees plenty of reasons for optimism as the series continues.
“We still have a great opportunity ahead of us to even the series tomorrow and go to Chicago with a chance to win it,” Vogt said.
“We still have a great opportunity ahead of us to even the series tomorrow and go to Chicago with a chance to win it.”#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Cleveland getting ready to bounce back in Game 2 tomorrow #GuardsBall x @WEWS pic.twitter.com/KnbLvmTvYf
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 4, 2026
Vogt reminded everyone that Saturday was only one game. He pointed out that the Guardians lost plenty of games during the regular season and always found a way to bounce back the next day or the day after. He admitted that anyone would have loved to win the opener, but he said the team still likes where it stands. In his view, Cleveland has a chance to tie the series on Monday and head to Chicago with a real shot at winning it.
Vogt also has some postseason history on his side. In his first October as manager in 2024, the Guardians fell behind Detroit two games to one in the division series after a pair of losses in which the offense was shut down. Cleveland won Game 4 on the road to force a decisive Game 5, then took that one at Progressive Field to advance to the American League Championship Series. Vogt has already seen this group, and many of the same core players, fight back in a short series.
The first step is Monday’s Game 2, which starts at 5 p.m. at Progressive Field. Gavin Williams gets the ball after leading the American League with 248 strikeouts, and he was at his best at home this season with a 2.84 ERA across eighteen starts in Cleveland. If he can give the Guardians a deep outing, it would also allow Vogt to lean on a rested bullpen led by Cade Smith, who tied for the major league lead with 41 saves.
The offense will need to hold up its end of the bargain, too. Cleveland went 0-3 with runners in scoring position in Game 1 and struck out repeatedly against a parade of Chicago left-handers. Steven Kwan and the rest of the lineup will be looking to turn the walks and baserunners they generated on Saturday into actual runs.
NEXT: Steven Kwan Reveals How Guardians Are Preparing For Game 2
