Making it this far is a positive in itself.
The season has officially come to an end and it’s hard to believe there’s anything positive about that. However, there were lots of great moments from the ALCS that will hopefully be enough to get us through the long offseason.
Christmas Lands on a Fry-Day
Thursday’s third game against the New York Yankees was an extremely close and exciting game for the full nine innings. The Guardians earned their first lead of the series in the second inning after rookie Kyle Manzardo took a sinker from Clarke Schmidt to the right field seats. That home run set the tone for the rest of the game as the Guardians scored again in the sixth. That was until the eighth inning when Aaron Judge tied the game with a two-run home run and Giancarlo Stanton added on with a solo shot. In the top of the ninth, Gleyber Torres all but put the game away with a sacrifice fly.
That was until Jhonkensy Noel, Big Christmas, stepped up to the plate. Down to their last strike, the Guardians needed to get something done to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. It was Lane Thomas who got the party started with a double to avoid ending the game. Then, Noel took a ball way outside before finding the pitch he needed. He took a changeup from Luke Weaver 404 feet into the bleachers to tie the game. While the Guards couldn’t capitalize any further, Bo Naylor did what was needed and hit a single. The next two hitters resulted in outs, but the third was all we needed. David Fry hit a sinker off of Clay Holmes 399 feet to end the game and give the Guardians a much needed win.
Bibee Almost Back to Form
Ace Tanner Bibee’s first start against the Yankees was downright dreadful. Making it just 1.1 innings while giving up three runs on five hits, Bibee forced the team to use their already taxed bullpen for 8.2 innings. When his second start rolled around Saturday night, the team needed him more than ever. Thankfully, he (mostly) delivered.
Bibee went 5.2 innings Saturday, giving up two runs on six hits. However, what matters most in this situation is that he was just one pitch away from going six scoreless innings. He did what he needed to do and prevented a bullpen game, even though that would end up not mattering much. It was extremely promising to see the old Bibee back when we needed him most. If only he could take that one pitch back.
Furthest in Eight Years
The most positive part of this entire season is that the Guardians made it as far as they did. This was their first ALCS appearance since their World Series effort in 2016. With pre-season reports predicting them to end the year fourth in the division, the Guards did everything to prove people wrong. While it continues to be disappointing that the city of Cleveland will not break its 76 year championship drought, what matters most is how much fun we had along the way. This was by far my favorite team to watch, and I am extremely lucky that I got to see them play this late.