Cleveland Guardians carry team message of never backing down
CLEVELAND — “Together, we never back down from a challenge.”
That message is written on a banner hanging in the tunnel that leads from the Guardians clubhouse down to the home dugout at Progressive Field.
Over time, it has been fully embraced by the youngest roster in baseball — for the second year in a row — that has shown a knack for pulling out wins from seemingly desperate situations.
It’s an easy motto to simply say as a team. It’s another to live it. And while it’s difficult to truly quantify something like that, the Guardians have submerged themselves in that message.
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Terry Francona often states, quite simply, that he feels as though no matter what situation they find themselves in, they’ll figure out a way to win that game. The Guardians have, for the most part, supported that statement, often proving to be one of the trickier teams to really put away.
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Steven Kwan at one point said his goal is to be as “annoying” of a hitter as possible. It means fouling off pitches, having a good eye for the strike zone and generally being a difficult out. It’s also a moniker the Guardians have adopted.
And where does that mindset come from?
“I think it starts with Tito,” Kwan said. “He keeps us accountable. He doesn’t let us just kind of cash in a game if we’re up by a lot or down by a lot. I think we know that he expects us to play hard for nine innings.”