Friday was a long day at Progressive Field for the Cleveland Guardians. Players arrived ready for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, only to watch the rain roll in and refuse to leave. Both teams spent several hours at the ballpark waiting before the game was finally postponed to Saturday night. That left the Guardians with plenty of time to kill inside the clubhouse, and they found ways to keep themselves entertained. Steven Kwan gave fans a behind the scenes look at what the waiting game looked like during an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
“Definitely cards. We had more cards than ping pong. But we just had all kinds of games going on,” Kwan said.
The waiting is the hardest part.
Steven Kwan on the #Guardians clubhouse during last night's rain delay:#StandGuard #Postseason
📻 #ALCS Pregame Show with @DaniWex, @JimDuquetteGM, and @KevinFrandsen
🔗 https://t.co/iXax8hxC8m pic.twitter.com/NKDrs9egfM— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) October 17, 2026
Kwan explained that there were all kinds of games going on around the clubhouse while the team waited out the weather. Card games appeared to be the most popular choice, even beating out the ping pong table. When asked whether he joined in on any of the card games, Kwan admitted he stays on the sidelines and simply watches. He joked that he likes to offer his opinion on how his teammates should play, but nobody ever listens to him.
It was a lighthearted glimpse into a clubhouse that has stayed remarkably loose throughout this postseason run. The Guardians have shown time and again that they do not let pressure get to them. They came back from a two game deficit against the White Sox in the division series, won three straight elimination games and then opened the ALCS by taking two of the first three games against a Rays team that won 98 games during the regular season.
That kind of chemistry has been a theme all year. Nathaniel Lowe has talked about how quickly he felt welcomed after arriving at the trade deadline, Gavin Williams has joked about beating Austin Hedges on the golf course, and Stephen Vogt has repeatedly credited the depth and character of his roster. A clubhouse that can laugh through a long rain delay is a clubhouse that is comfortable with the moment.
Vogt also made it clear the postponement would not throw his team off. He said rain delays are a normal part of playing baseball in Cleveland and that the Guardians are used to days like Friday. The bigger challenge is the schedule that follows. The rainout means Cleveland and Tampa Bay could play four games in four days, with Game 4 on Saturday, Game 5 on Sunday and Games 6 and 7, if needed, on Monday and Tuesday.
Kwan will be right in the middle of it. He will lead off and play left field on Saturday in a lineup that is unchanged from the one Vogt had planned for Friday. The Gold Glove finalist has been one of the steadiest players on the team all year, leading the majors with a .353 batting average after the All Star break and setting the table for a Cleveland offense that has found ways to produce in big moments this October.
NEXT: Game 4 Will Determine Guardians' Pitching Plans For The Rest Of The Series
