Guardians Continue To Demonstrate Never Quit Attitude
The Cleveland Guardians are off to a historic start this season and there have been a lot of reasons for that. For example, Their power numbers are night and day compared to last season and the bullpen has been phenomenal.
But one of the most important parts of this Guardians team doesn't show up in the box score or can be calculated on Statcast. The only way to see it in action is by watching this team play.
The Guardians just never quit. No matter what the situation or score is, they’re always giving their entire effort on the field.
As cliche and corny as it sounds, the Guardians are proof that this never-quit attitude can lead to winning games.
Cleveland found themselves down five runs in the fourth inning in their series opener against the Kansas City Royals. That’s not an easy deceit to overcome especially with Seth Lugo, who’s been baseball’s best pitcher this season, on the mound. That didn’t matter to the Guardians and they believed they still had a chance to win by a score of 8-5.
This was made clear when Josh Naylor beat Bobby Witt Jr. to second base on a ground ball hit David Fry. Witt wasn’t able to make the play at second and then threw the ball away when trying to get out Fry at first. The Guardians ended up getting three runs out of the error.
All of that started because Naylor decided to give extra effort on the base paths.
Stephen Vogt said after the game, “These guys truly believe we’re one hit away from starting a rally to come back. We don’t quit. These guys just don’t quit. It’s just a testament to who they are. That’s who they’ve always been. It’s just that belief that we’re going to come back.”
Hustling and extra effort are something any team can preach, but the Guardians are actually showing it on the field.
TOMMY WILD