Cleveland Guardians Manager Reacts To Season-Ending Loss

Stephen Vogt emphasizes how proud he is of the Cleveland Guardians after their playoff loss to the New York Yankees.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt listens during a press conference before playing against the New York Yankees in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After an incredible and unprecedented year, the Cleveland Guardians' 2024 season ended as the New York Yankees beat them in Game 5 of the ALCS.

So many fans, analysts, and people around baseball never thought a team led by a rookie manager would be one of the final four teams standing in the MLB Playoffs like the Guardians were. However, all of that magic had to run out at some point, and that's what happened on Saturday night.

Stephen Vogt offered his initial reaction to Cleveland's Game 5 loss and his first season and Cleveland's manager just moments after Juan Soto recorded the final out.

"It's hard to say [what I'm most proud of]. I'm so proud," said Vogt. "Obviously we're hurting. What a game to finish it on. This group of guys worked extremely hard from day one. We believed, and we still believe we can be better. We can be more. But I couldn't be more proud of what this group accomplished."

"There's only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it's not going to be us. But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I can't thank the guys enough for their hard work and the coaching staff and the support staff for all of the work they put in. I couldn't be more proud of this group. We just didn't get quite as far as we wanted to."

Oct 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) watches a home run hit by New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (not pictured) during the tenth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

There's no question about this team's fight. Even in the games they lost, Cleveland constantly fought back against the Yankees and made it an exciting game until the final out.

Getting back to the postseason, let alone the ALCS, won't be easy, but Vogt knows this team will put in all of the work necessary over the offseason to fight back in 2025.