Cleveland Baseball Insider

Scenes Inside Guardians Locker Room Celebration After Clinching Playoff Berth

Stephen Vogt, Jose Ramirez, and Austin Hedges take part in the Cleveland Guardians celebration after securing a spot in the MLB Postseason.

Tommy Wild

Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, right, celebrates with his players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins and clinched a playoff berth at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, right, celebrates with his players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins and clinched a playoff berth at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Guardians are officially back in the playoffs. The team clinched a spot in the postseason on Thursday afternoon with a walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins, 3-2.

The party inside Cleveland's clubhouse was just as fun, chaotic, and energetic as anyone could have expected.

Here are some of the best scenes from inside the Guardian's locker room after they secured a spot in the postseason.

The initial champagne popping started with a quick speech from rookie manager Stephen Vogt. The team has rallied around their leader all season long and it was only fitting that the Guardians let him kick off the celebration.

Stephen Vogt celebrates the Guardians' postseason berth
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt celebrates with his players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins and clinched a playoff berth at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Shortly after the celebration began, Austin Hedges, the team's heart and soul, took the "team belt" that is given out to a player after each win. This time, it was presented to Vogt for everything he's done to lead the group back to the playoffs.

Hedges also gave Vogt the ultimate in a side interview during the locker room part. The veteran catcher even said, "This is probably the best year of managing I've ever seen in my life."

Cleveland looked to Tanner Bibee as the team's ace after Shane Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his season. Bibee has certainly lived up to that hype throughout the year, but he also flipped the script and credited Hedges for his impact on and off the field.

Bibee said, "We wouldn't be winning like this" if Hedges hadn't returned in the offseason. This comradery shows why the Guardians are such a special team.

Austin Hedges celebrates with Stephen Vog
Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) and manager Stephen Vogt (12) celebrate after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth with the win. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

One of the best stories of the year was Ben Lively's breakout season as a member of Cleveland's rotation. The Guardians signed him as a depth piece after the 32-year-old spent time playing overseas, but Lively quickly found himself in a critical role given all of the team's rotation injuries.

Lively was left speechless thinking back on the season to where they're at now.

Maybe the best interview from the celebration was with Jose Ramirez. He was certainly excited about the Guaridans' recent accomplishment, but he still emphasized that this is just one more step to the ultimate goal, which is winning a World Series.

This balance of professionalism and humor that Ramirez has is what makes him the perfect leader for the clubhouse.

Cleveland's next goal is to win the division, and after this win, their magic number to do just that is now down to three.

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Tommy Wild

TOMMY WILD

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