Steven Vogt has strong message for Guardians fans ahead of six game home stretch

Guardians' manager Steven Vogt has embraced Cleveland fans since the moment he took over as the manager of Cleveland's ball club, and was not shy of letting the media know that he wants all the support they can get for this big six-game home stretch as they make a push for the playoffs.

Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates his solo home run with manager Stephen Vogt (12) in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have been on a very impressive run during the entirety of the month of September as they look to make a huge push for not only the wildcard, but potentially a division title. The Guardians have won an American League Central division title five times in the last ten years, with their most recent win just this past season in 2024, making it as far as the American League Championship Series.

Early on, this season hasn’t been as exciting as years past, able to hover just over .500 in terms of winning percentage with a much better record when playing at home versus when they played on the road. That hasn’t stopped the fans from showing up and showing out at Progressive Field for home games, as well as traveling well to opposing teams stadiums when playing against the Guardians. The unwavering support of Cleveland fans is hard to go unnoticed, especially for the players and coaches. 

Manager Steven Vogt took the time during his postgame interview to let Cleveland fans know exactly how he felt heading into their home series against the Detroit Tigers.

"We couldn't be more excited to get back home," Vogt said of this upcoming home stand. "I know it's school nights, I know people work, but we need our fans."

Whether it’s a school night or a work night, Vogt acknowledged that the energy provided by a packed house at Progressive Field is like no other. Vogt mentions that the players are ready to play and know exactly what’s at stake over the course of these next six home games, with the first three being against the team they are looking to overtake in their pursuit for a second consecutive division title. 

With Vogt delivering this type of message, it goes to show just how much he has embraced the city of Cleveland to rally behind their team. At times, this team has been known to feed into the energy brought by Guardians fans, prevailing in some of the toughest games in some of the most surprising fashions; that is what Cleveland calls, “Guards Ball."

In Vogt’s second season with the Guardians, he has instilled a grit in the clubhouse that the players have bought into, with it truly taking every player on the team to earn victories any way that they can. When scoring at least four runs, the Guardians are 30-7 against teams in games that required extensive offense to out duel other high scoring teams, which is one of the best records in the league in that category. The Guardians have been on a 15-1 run over the course of the last two weeks, playing their best brand of baseball.

With early season adversity and struggles throughout, the Guardians have increased their league rank tremendously as of late, remaining persistent and determined to contend this season.

They will continue their push for the playoffs tuesday night at Progressive Field.