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CLEVELAND — A sign featuring Zippy, the University of Akron mascot, hung on a building opposite Progressive Field, offering a subtle hint that the Guardians possessed the ideal fun-loving, tight-knit clubhouse atmosphere required to handle the intense pressure of the MLB playoffs.
The University of Akron advertisement visible in the background of center field during Game 2 also served as an omen. The same could be said of Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who smiled broadly during a postgame news conference after Cleveland dropped the first two games of its best-of-five American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox at home.
The Guardians have the perfect combination of collective personality, identity, and culture to win three straight games in a tension-filled ALDS. They completed their comeback from a 2-0 series deficit with a 2-0 victory on Saturday, Oct. 10, in a winner-take-all Game 5 at a rainy Progressive Field.
Cleveland advanced to the best-of-seven AL Championship Series, where it will face the Tampa Bay Rays starting with Game 1 at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
On Monday, Oct. 5, the aforementioned UA sign showed Zippy wearing a knight's helmet. Accompanying the famous kangaroo mascot were the words, "Guards: Seize Them!" The Guardians eventually obliged.
Seven-time All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez stayed red hot by hitting a two-run home run off White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke in the fourth inning, and catcher Austin Hedges crowned the hero known as Hosey with the knight's helmet in the dugout.
"It's the little things," Hedges told the Beacon Journal. "It's a game of inches. It's a game of little things, doing the little things right, showing up every day for each other. That's just what we do. We believe in each other. We believe in one common goal, and we're so far accomplishing that goal. We got eight more wins to go, but to be able to move on, we don't take anything for granted."
The Guardians became the 11th team in MLB history to prevail in a best-of-five postseason series after falling into a 2-0 hole. Teams behind 2-0 to begin best-of-five matchups had previously gone a combined 10-83 in those series. Cleveland also became just the fourth MLB club to successfully finish a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit after losing the first two games at home, joining the 2001 New York Yankees, 2012 San Francisco Giants, and 2015 Toronto Blue Jays. The Giants won the World Series the same season.
With their backs against the wall, the three-time reigning AL Central champion Guardians bounced back from clunkers in Games 1 and 2 (3-0 and 4-3 losses) to win 9-3 and 9-5 at the division rival White Sox in Games 3 and 4. Then the Guardians finished the mission in Game 5.
A loose and relaxed clubhouse certainly does not guarantee postseason success, though it can be helpful when the goal is to flush disastrous results and forge ahead. This brings us back to Zippy and her knight's helmet.
During spring training in March, Hedges organized a team field trip to Medieval Times in Scottsdale, Arizona. Guardians players joined in revelry, dressing as knights and wizards. Pitcher Tanner Bibee bought a knight's helmet, and it has been worn by players throughout the season as a celebration for hitting home runs.
The Arthurian theme doesn't end there, though. After each Guardians win, Hedges pretends to knight a key player of the game with a sword purchased by first baseman Kyle Manzardo. Scrolls displayed on a wall in the clubhouse list every victory and the player who was knighted by Hedges. The honoree is labeled the Knight of the Night.
Hedges knighted Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams after his dominant Game 5 win over the White Sox. In 5 innings, Williams allowed no runs, one hit and two walks, hit a batter and tied Cleveland's single-game franchise playoff record with 12 strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 65 for strikes.
Hedges explained why Williams edged Ramirez for the most recent Knight of the Night award. "Could have given it to Hosey," Hedges said. "He's going to have a statue out there [in front of Progressive Field] in a few years or in 10 years, whenever he's done. But that's about as good of a pitching performance as I've ever seen in the postseason, and [Williams] deserved it."
In each of the last two seasons, the Guardians used a WWE pro wrestling belt to recognize a player who was vital to the team achieving glory. This year, the gimmick received a facelift. In with Daemon Targaryen. Out with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
"It definitely brings the guys together," Williams said. The grind of a 162-game regular season makes lighthearted rituals feel necessary. The stress of the postseason only increases their value.
"You have to celebrate every single win because it is really hard to accomplish a win in the big leagues every single night and they're all special," Vogt said. "Austin Hedges and his leadership in that clubhouse is why we're here. The consistent person that he is, you couple that with all of the other leaders in that clubhouse, these boys know how to have fun, they know how to work hard and they know how to go out and win."
Under Vogt, the Guardians have established a well-earned reputation for thriving late in playoff races. In three seasons with Vogt, they're 51-26 in September regular-season games. Now they're heading to the ALCS for the second time in three years.
Camaraderie and resiliency are important ingredients. They help players stick together and embrace selfless mindsets. Vogt knows his team's mental make-up. It's why he grinned on camera moments after Game 2. He wasn't merely putting on a brave face for a team on the brink of elimination. He was confident the series would return to Cleveland with everything on the line.
"Anytime you go down 0-2, you can sulk and you can pout, and I feel the emotions," Vogt said a few hours prior to Game 5. "It's frustrating, obviously, but it doesn't do myself or anyone good to feel sorry for myself or feel bad for us. We're still in it. We still have a chance, and so there's no acting. This is who I am. You're getting the authentic me."
The Guardians have bought in and followed Vogt's lead. Shortly before Game 5, they watched college football in the clubhouse and kept the mood light before competing in prime time. Then they improved to 2-1 in winner-take-all games with Vogt at the helm. Cleveland is 3-9 in winner-take-all games in franchise history.
After Hedges knighted Williams, he handed the sword to Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. The executive placed the massive blade on the floor in the clubhouse in front of an empty locker. Then the party resumed, with champagne spraying and music blaring. Cleveland's knights of the diamond are back in the ALCS.
Originally reported by yahoo.