The Cleveland Guardians lost their series against the New York Yankees, but they still learned some valuable lessons.
Looking only at who won and lost the Cleveland Guardians’ recent three-game set with the New York Yankees, the Guardians were on the wrong end of all three.
But there’s much more to the story than just that. The first two games of this series were tightly contested, back and forth, and came down to the last out. In fact, Monday’s game took extra innings to determine a winner.
The same can be said for Cleveland’s series victory in New York last week. After all six games in the season series have been played, four of them were decided by two or fewer runs.
Just about every game the Guardians played and the Yankees this season had a playoff-like feel to them, and that’s something that could have a lasting impact for Cleveland.
“You look at the five games we've played, they've been five very fun baseball games and anytime you're playing a team like this, it's going to have that feel,” said Vogt ahead of Tuesday’s matchup.
“We're not that far removed from playing them in the playoffs and, it's been a playoff atmosphere. Every game is a big game. We we try to treat every game like a playoff game, but these have definitely had that feel.”
Jun 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) celebrates after hitting a single during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesAt this point, there are a number of players with playoff experience, including Jose Ramirez, Cade Smith, Brayan Rocchio, Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, and the list goes on.
They know what a playoff atmosphere feels like and what it takes to succeed in that environment, but there are still some of Cleveland’s rookies who are new to that environment, specifically, Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana, and getting a little taste of postseason games could only help them.
“I think it's really good, particularly for Travis and Chase, just to get that playoff atmosphere experience, Vogt continued. “I think these games are gonna pay dividends for us in the end.”
Angel Martinez could also be put into this group, considering the season he’s having and the likelihood he plays a key role for the Guardians the rest of the season.
Of course, teams always want to learn lessons in wins, but even though the Guardians lost these games, the experience is something the young core can still take with them.
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