Good luck with that……our hitting coaches have been terrible…….

Honestly, kinda relieved it’s not us getting our asses beat this badly in the World Series. Still sad that it’s not us, but also… I would be delusional if I said we made it past game 5 if we were in right now

And gotta say I’m excited about it

Welp, hate to say it but I think this brewers team would’ve cooked no matter who came out of the AL. I still wish we could’ve got the pennant

8 Runs, all on singles and doubles. I don't get all the hoobla over HR hitters than only average .220. Cecil Fielder won how many championships?

I grew up with my mom in Arizona eventually moving to Kentucky halfway through my childhood but one thing stayed consistent. Going to see dad in Cleveland over the summer and spending most of my time at the Jake. I basically grew up on Travis Hafner and Uncrustables from the kids area. If we weren't at the games we were usually gathered up as a family with them playing on TV. 

Eventually when the team decided to shift away from Wahoo, Dad decided that it was a personal attack against his own childhood and chose to boycott. I saw it differently; I was excited they incorporated something that nodded to Cleveland history. I thought the potential to use Art Deco in uniform design was neat and really it just didn't change the way I viewed our team... I mean we still had Ramírez, right?

Since the name change I've followed the team some years more closely than others and it kinda just felt like something was missing. My friends don't follow baseball, I'm a state away so everyone around me roots for the Reds. This year I have a new job and I'm a little busier so I planned on just casually following along until I found this sub. I didn't post or comment but it was fun following along in the live game threads and seeing all the posts of hope while our guys, yet again, defied odds. 

I spent each game posted up on the couch with a shot of rum, Hammy over the audio so I could keep my phone in hand and scroll while the game played on the TV. I finally had people to be excited with. So thank you, Cleveland, I wasn't able to make it out this year but Dad's been bugging me for a visit so it won't be long. You guys rock, I can't wait for next season. 

Stand Guard.

Gavin Williams’s October began with 12 strikeouts in ALDS Game 2, tying a franchise postseason record. He then saved Game 4 and struck out 11 more in Game 5. It was among the most dominant performances by a Cleveland pitcher in postseason history; he struck out over half the batters he faced. Andrew Miller did not do that, Cade Smith did not do it. Gavin dominated the White Sox and the Rays in 4 postseason appearances. While, sadly, Gavin’s run ended there: his 33 strikeouts ranks 3rd in Cleveland history for a single postseason behind Orel Hershiser and Corey Kluber (tied at 35 apiece). Both threw more than twice as many innings.

It was, in short, a masterful performance by the young righty. This led me to ask: what are the best Cleveland pitching runs in the playoffs? Certainly: Gavin Williams’ 4 appearances were superb, but where does it belong in Cleveland’s postseason history?

It’s a difficult question to answer. Today I aim not to definitively answer this question but to compare the leading candidates and, in the end, let you decide. I will rank them, but I will not claim to offer the definitive ranking. A few rules to provide some order to the chaos:

Rule 1: a pitcher must have made at least 3 appearances in the postseason. For this exercise, I am defining a run as at least three appearances and 15 innings.. I thought about making it 4, but this would disqualify Stan Coveleski who only made 3 appearances in 1920…back when there was only one series. Those thresholds inevitably exclude some outstanding performances from shorter postseasons, but it is also true that shorter performances are inherently less impressive.

Rule 2: a pitcher must have at least pitched 15 IP. I do not want to compare a pitcher’s work over a small sample size to one with a large one (particularly relief pitchers).

If you want to view my sample for best runs and best postseason starts you can find them in my Google Sheets here. Overall I am weighing run prevention, workload, dominance, and the importance of the assignments. Innings matter substantially, but so does how a pitcher performed relative to his era and role.OK, with that stated lets move to my rankings:

Honorable Mention: Dennis Martinez, 1995

Key Counting Stats: 5 Games over 29 ⅔ IP, 15 K, 11 BB
Key Rate Stats: 2.73 ERA, 11.3 K%, 8.9 BB%, 1.281 WHIP, .245 BA Against

I initially placed Williams outside the top five, but ultimately moved him ahead of Martínez. From a modern perspective: Dennis did almost nothing better than Gavin. He struck out fewer batters, walked more, allowed more baserunners and was more hittable. Heck even his run prevention was weaker. Martínez’s principal advantage was workload and even here, I think the difference is closer than it appears.

Dennis Martinez did pitch a dandy in the ALCS going 7 shutout innings in the clinching Game 6. I would rank that start ahead of any of Gavin’s starts by sheer length alone. However, all the other starts were between 5-6 innings. The only reason Dennis pitched more innings than Gavin is he received 2 more starts. I don’t think that’s quite enough to put “El Presidente” ahead of Williams. It’s still a great run for the second best pitcher in our rotation that year. An under appreciated part of the ‘90s Renaissance teams.

#5: Gavin Williams, 20

Key Counting Stats: 4 Games over 16 ⅔ IP, 33 K, 6 BB
Key Rate Stats: 2.16 ERA, 0.840 WHIP, 51.6 K%, 9.4 BB%, .140 BA Against,

As I said above: ranking these postseasons presented ath unique challenge. Gavin gave the Guards all he had this postseason and posted arguably the most overpowering performance for a Cleveland pitcher in October ever. He struck out over half the batters he faced: best I can tell no Cleveland pitcher has done that in the postseason. Cade Smith, arguably the best reliever in the game, has never done it. His run prevention, while nowhere near the best in this series, was outstanding. He even made a relief appearance in Game 4 of the ALDS to save the game (although: he should never have been needed; Vogt mismanaged that game). I cannot think of a single criticism to make of Williams’ postseason except start length.

Gavin started 3 games this year and went: 5, 5 ⅔ and 5 IP each start. That’s simply not particularly deep. His 16 ⅔ IP is the lowest on this list, and it’s not particularly close. Which led me to two thoughts:

Thought 1: It’s not Williams’ fault that he pitched less: he gave his team his all, and if the rest of the team played like him we would have advanced to the World Series (or at least to Game 7, where he would get another crack at the Rays). Furthermore it’s not Williams’ fault that he started Game 2 of the ALDS and not Game 1, which cost him a start. Finally, it’s not Williams’ fault that he plays in an era where managers do not trust their starters for long periods of time.

If we compare Williams to other ace pitchers this postseason: he was not used differently. Jacob Misiorowski, arguably the best pitcher in the game and the consensus NL Cy Young Winner: has only pitched even 5 innings once. None of the Dodgers pitchers went longer than 6 innings. Aaron Boone did not push Cam Schlittler or Max Fried past 6 innings. In fact: the only starters to go longer than 6 innings this postseason are Drew Rasmussen (who’s done it twice), Chris Sale (who went 6 ⅓ against Philadelphia in the Wild Card Series), Michael King (who did it once) and Tyler Mahle (who twice went over 6 IP). In this era: how can I hold start length against Williams?

Thought 2: On the flip side: Gavin Williams also pitches in an era where batters strike out a lot more than in previous years. While impressive: pretty much every Guardians pitcher was striking out Chicago White Sox this postseason. How much of this performance was Gavin being more overpowering than any Cleveland pitcher ever, how much of it is the era he pitches in, and how much of it is the opponent he faced in the ALDS? Certainly some of this is not just Gavin Williams.

In the end: I think Williams posted arguably a top 5-8 pitching performance in Cleveland postseason history of all time. However, partially due to the length of the postseason and partially due to Gavin being unable to go deeper into games I feel I could not rank it higher than 5th.

#4: Andrew Miller, 2016

Key Counting Stats: 10 Games covering 19 ⅓ IP, 30 K, 5 BB, 5 Holds, 1 Save
Key Rate Stats: 1.40 ERA, 41.1 K%, 6.8 BB%, 0.879 WHIP, 0.170 BA Against

The only reliever to pitch the requisite 15 innings: Miller’s 2016 performance was absolute dynamite. Joe Posnanski called him the “Lord of Darkness” that October since he squelched so many comeback attempts in all 3 series. I can say, even today with Cade Smith, that I have never seen a more dominant reliever in October for Cleveland. It felt like every time Miller came out of the bullpen we were safe.

Of the 10 games he appeared in we won 9 of them, the only exception was Game 7. Miller did not allow a run until World Series Game 4, covering his first 15 innings pitched. Until Gavin Williams came along: nobody struck out a higher percentage of batters than Miller. He was completely locked in. In the ALCS he was particularly vital, and particularly deadly. He appeared in all 4 wins, notching either a Save or a Hold each game, striking out 14 Blue Jays while walking none. I do not think you can ask any more from a reliever than we asked of Miller in 2016. He was the clear ALCS MVP Winner and had we won the World Series it’s plausible in my mind he wins that award too.

Now, why is Miller’s performance at 4th and not ahead of the 3 starters? The answer is length. Miller only pitched 19 ⅓ innings. While Miller is by far the most dominant of the top 4 in my rankings, I think it’s inherently much harder to start than to relieve. I can envision Corey Kluber filling Miller’s role in 2016. I cannot imagine Andrew Miller filling Kluber’s position. For that reason I rank Miller’s masterful run as a reliever just below the starters.

#3: Corey Kluber, 2016

Key Counting Stats: 6 Games covering 34 ⅓ IP, 35 K, 8 BB
Key Rate Stats: 1.83 ERA, 25.4 K%, 5.8 BB%, 1.049 WHIP, .222 BA Against

Kluber’s final postseason line obscures how dominant he was before Game 7. If you throw out Game 7 Kluber had a 0.89 ERA and a WHIP under 1, with a higher K% (Kluber struck out 0 batters in that last start). You can forgive Corey for faltering: he had pitched 30 ⅓ almost perfect innings before it, and started twice on short rest. He had nothing left in the tank at the end, and everyone knew it.

But until that point Kluber was an unstoppable force pitching 6-7 innings almost every start and basically surrendering 0 runs every time. He gave up 2 runs on short rest in Game 4 of the ALCS, and 1 run in Game 4 of the World Series. Besides Game 4 of the ALCS: he won every game. When I talked to Cubs fans at Wrigley Field in Game 5 they bitterly complained how they had no answer to Kluber and that was why we were beating them in that World Series. I wish that had stayed true.

In some ways I think Kluber’s first 5 starts is the best pitching performance by any Cleveland starter in franchise history. But Game 7 happened. Those 4 runs over 4 innings happened. It would be unfair to blame Kluber for that loss: but his performance is probably the #1 reason why the Indians could not quite close out the series in that game. The desperate last start we needed that we did not get. That is the cruel part: without Kluber, Cleveland never gets there but he could not quite deliver the final blow. Sounds like the Cleveland baseball club’s history in a nutshell.

#2: Orel Hershiser, 1995

Key Counting Stats: 5 Games covering 35 ⅓ IP, 35 K, 9 BB
Key Rate Stats: 1.53 ERA, 25.5 K%, 6.6 BB%, 0.821 WHIP, .160 BA Against

I wrestled with who to place at #2: Hershiser or Kluber. I initially put Kluber second because I felt his performance was slightly more impressive because of rest. But Hershiser only made 1 less start than Corey on short rest. Hershiser combined effectiveness with substantial workload, including eight innings in World Series Game 5 with Cleveland facing elimination. So I narrowly decided Hershiser’s performance edged out Kluber’s, although it’s quite close.

I compared Gavin Williams’ postseason unfavorably to future pitchers due to start length and volume and, while Orel and Kluber pitched a similar number of innings: that is only because Kluber started one additional start. Had Kluber not started Game 7 he would have fallen well short of Hershiser. Orel was masterful for Cleveland pitching two 8 inning masterpieces: one in the ALCS and one in the World Series. He also pitched a 7 ⅓ IP gem, and two other 6 inning games. Every start from Hershiser was quality. Orel even gets some solid style points. For the 90s he struck out a lot of batters and limited his walks. By the time Hershiser came to Cleveland he was past his prime. For one October in 1995: he turned back the clock and was 1988 Orel Hershiser again.

I did not get to see Hershiser ply his trade for the 1990s Indians but I would have loved him.

#1: Stan Coveleski, 1920

Key Counting Stats: 3 Games covering 27 Innings, 8 K, 2 BB, 3 CG, 1 SHO
Key Rate Stats: 0.67 ERA, 8.2 K%, 2.1 BB%, 0.630 WHIP, .160 BA Against

To close out we have arguably one of the best World Series performances of all time. 3 starts, 3 complete games and a shutout in the decisive Game 7. The Plain Dealer argued Cleveland should celebrate October 12th as “Stan Coveleski Day” moving forward because he delivered the 1920 World Series to Cleveland. For sustained run prevention: I do not think there’s any argument against Coveleski. Nobody comes close to doing what Stan did in 1920, and Stan did it in a single series. However, this is where perspective comes back: 1920 was absolutely unlike modern baseball.

You want to know how long ago 1920 was in baseball terms? Everyone knows that there was no DH, no batting helmet, and the game was segregated. But 1920 was so long ago that the spitball remained legal…and Coveleski was one of the last remaining spitballers in the game. How do I rank that over the modern game? For me the answer is that while things have changed a lot: I can still envision the performance in the context of the time. No Coveleski throwing a complete game in 1920 is not as impressive as it is now: but it was still viewed as a marvel at the time.

A starter’s job is to give your team a chance to win and to take as much pressure off the bullpen as possible. No pitcher in Cleveland postseason history did that as well as Coveleski.

I read this article and felt so many feelings. Cleveland born and bred and forever.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7703367/2026/10/20/guardians-game-6-alcs-loss-mlb-playoffs/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.4HuR.BiAUgOa-wK7n&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

My boyfriend has a dumpster company, and will pick through some looking for finds. He scooped this for me!

You can’t choose who you fall in love with, and I think it’s the same with baseball.

Two years ago, I didn’t know much about this amazing sport, other than casually playing The Show on my console. If anyone had asked me who the best player in the league was or what ERA meant, I wouldn’t have bothered to even google the answer. To me, baseball was that funny sport where you hit the ball as hard as you can and run like you are gonna fall off a cliff if you don’t reach a base. And the defense… my oh my, the defense consisted only of playing catch. What a drag not to be the one batting the ball. That’s what I thought.

And on top of that, baseball has practically no tradition in my country, and most people here know next to nothing about it

And I am no stranger to sports. I consider myself very well versed in the art of understanding football (soccer) tactics, basketball strategies, NFL plays… I can even tell different teams’ strategies apart in professional cycling. But baseball was only about hitting the ball harder than your rival, and some players never managed to look very fit, as if they weren’t taking their jobs seriously. What a mess of a sport, I would say, and then keep losing games in Out of the Park Baseball (because I’m a sucker for GM videogames).

But things were different this year. I lost my job because AI could supposedly work harder than me and approximately 300 of my colleagues. And suddenly I had free time to do whatever I wanted. To get some rest. To go back to hobbies I had forgotten because I was always so tired. It was then that baseball met me halfway. We were not looking for each other, but things changed forever that first night I stayed awake all night (I live in Europe, btw) watching my first full game.

That first game was a Guardians game.

I rapidly became obsessed with understanding everything happening in the park. Why was this player angry? Why did that one make that move? Why throw to third base now? Why would they change the pitcher? So many things and so much free time. I was constantly searching Wikipedia for the meaning of the stats appearing on my TV, the roles, the batting order… I did that until everything came together like a puzzle that had been left unfinished for years, waiting to be put back together.

I watched so many games that I stopped following other sports to focus only on baseball. It was thrilling, it was new, it was complex, and it was crazily random. I realized the magic of baseball is that you can do your best as an individual or as a team to get to where you want to be, but the ball sometimes plays by its own rules. It decides whether that centimeter between a homer and a triple is worth crossing. Sometimes it lets the wind guide its path; other times, it seems to defy the wind entirely, as if the forces of nature had no power over it.

Learning about baseball’s been amazing, and there was a point when I realized there was a constant, a pattern. It was the Guardians’ games that I enjoyed most. It all started with watching that José guy and thinking: Wow, the man surely knows how to inspire his teammates. How to lead. How to put the team on his back when the team needs it. And the guy has even rejected multiple multimillion-dollar offers to stay with his team. That’s something that, as a woman in her mid-thirties, I value a lot in a man. That kind of determination and commitment.

Little by little, I got to appreciate all the people on the team for their strengths and their weaknesses. And God, I have even wished I’d been born in Cleveland. But I think that is not necessary. Maybe I am an imposter because I’ll probably never visit the city (not a fan of flying), but I feel the weight of this team on my back too, even though I live thousands of miles away.

The Guardians have this aura of an underdog team that isn’t really such an underdog, because our guys are good and deserve every win they get. This aura of “we defend our home and everyone is welcome here.”

And I’ve never been particularly fond of teams that seem to treat money as the answer to everything. I love teams whose identity goes beyond the size of their payroll, and that’s what Cleveland feels like to me. It’s the players, the loyalty, the sense of belonging.

We may not have the market size of LA or NY, but I wouldn’t trade this team for any other. And I’ll support them just as fiercely as anyone.
I didn’t choose to become a fan. I wasn’t even expecting to get into baseball either, but you never can tell.

Ps: I would like we keep Kwan

TL;DR: I used to think baseball was boring. Then I lost my job, started watching games, and fell in love with the Guardians. I’m cheering from thousands of miles away, in a country where baseball is barely a thing, but I wouldn’t trade this team for any other.

I am recruiting for a MLB-realistic 30T Salary Cap dynasty baseball league that is currently about halfway full. We are trying to fill the teams with owners who are fans of that team, and the Guardians are one of our open teams right now. We use real player salaries and have a hard cap as well as a salary floor. It's super active and tons of fun, so I hope you consider joining us and repping the Guardians! DM or comment below for more info.

Just our luck

He may be streaky, but his hitting plus defense is an automatic 4-5 WAR a year and if ever finds consistency you've got a poor man's Ichiro out there. Do not trade Steven.

I know we're already missing Cleveland baseball, so here's a look back at Opening Day 1966 in Washington, thanks to some photos I recently digitized.

The Indians beat the Senators 5-2 to open the season, with Rocky Colavito and Max Alvis each notching three hits. Alvis and Vic Davalillo had two RBI and Sam McDowell gave up just two runs in eight innings, striking out nine to his four walks. Sonny Siebert got the save in what would be his first All-Star season and one that garnered him MVP votes.

Frank Howard, one of my favorite-looking players of all time, hit a two-run homer off McDowell in the sixth.

Always a beast at fielding

Hi

Just dropping in here to let you know that Tanner Bibee won The Fielding Bible Award for the 2nd time.

If you're not familiar with the Fielding Bible Awards, here's a quick primer. They're given for defensive excellence annually since 2006. Both times Bibee won it was a very close vote.

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/10/20/what-are-the-fielding-bible-awards/

Pitcher - Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Tanner Bibee won his second Fielding Bible Award. He also won in 2024. 

Bibee joined Dallas Keuchel, Mark Buerhle, Zack Greinke, and Max Fried as pitchers who have won the Award multiple times.

Bibee won the Award by one point in our voting over Shota Imanaga. Five pitchers received a first-place vote. Bibee was listed first or second on 10 ballots, the most of any pitcher. Bibee, Imanaga, and Michael McGreevy tied for second with 5 Defensive Runs Saved, behind the leader Brent Suter (7).

Here's the full list of winners:

With Bo on the 40 man roster for the Brewers if they were to win the WS would he get a ring?

Hey r/ClevelandGuardians!

With the season behind us, I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and say thank you to all of you.

My name is Dave Fetzer, and I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the weekend PA announcer at Progressive Field this season following the passing of Bob Tayek.

My story with Cleveland baseball actually goes back to 2008, when I was in 7th grade and had the opportunity to be the kid announcer at a game. That was the first time I ever picked up a microphone to announce a sporting event, and from that moment on, I knew it was something I wanted to do.

Growing up, Bob was one of my biggest role models when it came to announcing baseball. His delivery, cadences, and even his traditional "growl," as he called it (my mind immediately goes to Carlos Santana), have had a tremendous influence on my own announcing style. I spent years listening to him at the ballpark, never imagining I'd one day have the opportunity to sit in that same booth.

Fast forward 18 years, and somehow that kid from 2008 found himself back at Progressive Field as one of the PA announcers.

Of course, the circumstances were not how I ever would have wanted it to happen. I'd much rather walk into Progressive Field and hear Bob's voice over the speakers. There is no replacing him, but I'm incredibly proud that I was able to help the organization during such a difficult time.

One moment in particular will stick with me forever. On the day Bob passed away, I was scrolling through this subreddit reading everyone's memories of him. I came across comments from fans saying they had been at games I announced that weekend and genuinely thought Bob was behind the microphone.

I'm not ashamed to admit that those comments brought me to tears. Knowing that I had been able to give fans even a little bit of that familiar ballpark experience, especially through a voice so heavily influenced by his, was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever received.

For a little background, I live in Columbus and also announce games for Ohio State and the Columbus Aviators. I've been fortunate to work some incredible sporting events, but getting to announce Major League Baseball in the ballpark where I grew up going to games with my family but also discovered my passion for announcing is something I'll never take for granted.

I know just how passionate Cleveland fans are because I'm one of you! I wasn't sure what to expect stepping into a role filled by such a beloved voice for so long, but the support and kindness I received throughout the season meant more than you probably realize.

I'm always looking to improve, so if you heard me at a game this season, I'd genuinely love to hear your feedback. Good or bad, I'm always interested in ways I can make the experience better for the fans.

And before everyone asks, no, I don't know what the plan is for next season! Everyone was so focused on the playoffs that I think we're all just decompressing a bit now.

Whatever decision is made, I'm completely at peace with it. Even getting to do this for one season has been an incredible privilege and honor. That being said, if I'm asked to come back, I can promise you I'll say yes faster than I've ever said yes to anything in my life.

From the kid who got to live out a dream in 2008 to the guy who got to return to that same booth 18 years later, thank you for welcoming me and allowing me to be a small part of your game-day experience.

Go Guards!

Dave Fetzer

If anyone purchased tickets have you received a refund yet? Does anyone know who I would contact to resolve the situation?

Hello! I'm usually a Phillies fan but I was checking out your subreddit recently, (sorry about the ALCS!) and I noticed it was created all the way back in 2012. I was wondering, how? The Guardians changed their name in 2021, yet this subreddit isn't still called r/ClevelandIndians. As far as I know, you can't change subreddit names, and usually for stuff like this people will just make a new sub. Did y'all get special permission from reddit to change it?

I figured this would be a frequently asked question but I actually couldn't find any posts about this. I don't want to break rule 9, but I'm pretty sure it's okay to ask this since I'm just curious.

Been collecting Guardians baseball cards for the past 3 years now and thought I’d show them off. I try to buy signed Rookie Cards and Bowman 1st cards only.

The most expensive ones I bought are the Jose Ramirez Topps Heritage RC for $150 and the signed Chase DeLauter Bowman 1st for $150

The cheapest cards were the signed Bryan Rocchio Bowman 1st for $8 and the signed Jason Kipnis Bowman 1st for $9

Hoping to keep growing this and have players across multiple generations when I’m older!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the collection and who I should buy next! Go Guards!