CLEVELAND — Inside the team shop of Progressive Field, the shirts were the headlines on Monday celebrating the Central Division Champion Cleveland Guardians. Yes, the youngest team in baseball doing something no one would have predicted a year ago.
"No way," said Jay Tomasko of Old Brooklyn, "The way the bookies read and all of the people that were the experts, none of them had the Guardians winning but the true fans down here we knew better."
Yes after starting the season 0-2, FanGraphs put the chances of them winning the Central at just 6.4 percent. That makes this gear that much sweeter.
"All of these young rookies it's amazing," said Joann Rombough of Lake County. "It's fun it brings life back into the city again."
Tony Rosario was picking up a shirt for himself and a onesie. "The onesie to my son who is going to be born today." That's the sign of a diehard fan: his son's birth the day after the clinching of the division. "I have a very great feeling about this season and even with the youth that's in the lineup they have shown that they can handle the pressure and I believe that they are ready for this playoff," he said.
Between now and the playoffs though there are nine home games they still have to play starting Tuesday night when the Central Division Champion flag will be raised. Is that too much time though?
"I think they'll be ok; they probably need a rest they've been playing back to back to back," said Bonita Carter of Cleveland.
There are 18 games in 17 days before Monday's off day. But in the argument of rest vs. rust there is another axiom in play here, "In Tito we trust."
"Absolutely Tito's the man," said Jay Tomasko. "Manager of the year by the way."
In the past, a division title was a golden ticket to the Division Series, but not this year. Under the new playoff format only two teams, the top two division winners get a bye. So as of today that's the Astros and Yankees the third-best division winner, the Guardians, then becomes the number 3 seed and will host a best of 3 against the worst of the Wild Card winners. On the positive side, all three of those games Oct. 7, 8 and 9, if needed, will be played at Progressive Field.
"We are putting tickets on sale to the public on Thursday at 2 o'clock, at CLEGuardians.com," said Guardians V.P. of Communications Curtis Danburg. "Online only and it will for the Wild Card and Division Series round."
