ST. LOUIS — Forget about the final score. For the Cleveland Guardians, it was time to celebrate again.
Cleveland clinched its second American League Central championship in three years Saturday when the second-place Kansas City Royals lost at home — yet another impressive accomplishment for rookie manager Stephen Vogt.
So despite a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals hours later, the Guardians broke out the bubbly and booze for another clubhouse party.
“I keep saying, this is about the players,” said Vogt, who puffed on a victory cigar. “Of course, being the manager, you’re the one bringing everybody together and keeping the focus going in the right direction — but the players drive it. This is who they are.
“We took a lot of time getting to know who they are, getting to watch our team, seeing how we come together and watching intently. It’s just using their skills and what they do really well to put them in positions to succeed. I do take a lot of pride because I love those guys.”
Cleveland wrapped up the division title when Kansas City lost 9-0 to San Francisco. Jose Ramirez and the Guardians had already secured a postseason berth and they celebrated Thursday at home after locking up at least an AL wild-card spot with a 3-2 win over Minnesota.
“Our goal is always to try to find ways to get to days like today because we want to win a World Series,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “The only way you win the World Series is to pop champagne to get there. We’ve made some difficult decisions along the way, but all of those decisions are aligned with us trying to find a way to get to the postseason and win.”
It’s the fifth division crown for the franchise since 2016. Cleveland is going back to the playoffs for the first time since losing a 2022 AL Division Series to the New York Yankees in five games.
“I remember ’22 like it was yesterday,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said. “I thought I was going to be…
