Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio network. Guardians Weekly is brought to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans say hundreds on car Insurance. Hi everyone, Welcome to
Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosen House along with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland, where the Guardians are taking on the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend long homestand for the Guardians as we get closer to the final games of the season with Cleveland trying to nail down an American League's Central Division crown and also the postseason birth that would go with it. They have these two games coming
up with Tampa Bay Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Then the Twins are in town for a four game set starting on Monday night. Coming up a little bit later on. In our show this week, we'll visit with starting pitcher Joey Cantillo, who threw an absolute gem on Monday night in Chicago. Also new reliever Andrew Walters, he's just up from TRIPAA making his major league debut on Thursday night.
We'll also check in with third base coach Rugulus o'dore and former Cleveland star and All Star Grady Sizemore, who's now the manager for the Chicago White Sox. We'll hear from outfielder Lane Thomas as well, but first I'll look back at the week that was, including the three game series sweep in Chicago against the White Sox, and that began on Monday night. Guardian's got the scoring started in the first inning as Stephen Kuan let off the game
with a single. He stole second, and Josh Naylor drove in the game's first run. Naylor sends a bloop job into left field. This is going to get down and it'll be an RBI single. Klawon scores from second, and there's rb I number one oh one for Josh Naylor, a two out RBI bloop single to left and so the stolen base comes into play. And guess what Stephen Kwan truly is the igniter. The next man up was
red hot Lane Thomas. Thomas has started to swing the bat the way Cleveland envision when they made the trade with Washington. Thomas over the last fifteen games hitting three point thirty three. Now the pitch and he rips it to left base, it down the line, it'll get into the corner. Can Naylor score from first. He's on his way to third, stumbling and left has been in ten relay throat of the plate in scoring is Nailer into third and making a big turn in the holding is
Lane Thomas too nothing, Cleveland. The Guardians extended the lead in the third inning thanks to a big blast from David Fry. The bitch swung on, pounded deep center field Robert Beck track walk, go three nothing Cleveland. David Fry a dead center number fourteen and the Guardians have a three nothing third inning lead.
And boy, they haven't had.
This kind of an advantage early in a game very often over the last couple of months. And in the fourth it was bow Naylor going deep. The two to two swung on and that's blasted high and deep to center back on it is Robert This one's gone home run Bow Naylor.
To dead center. Naylor with his twelfth.
Home run on the season, and the Guardians take up four nothing lead. The Guardians added one more in the fifth on a basis loaded walk to make it five nothing. But the big story in this one was happening on the mound as the youngster Joey Cantillo was outstanding from the start, two down, eight up, eight down for Cantillo. The two pitch to Amaya and it's strike three cold. He is perfect through three innings with five strikeouts on a count of two and two on Sosa. Here's the
pitch swing and I missed strike three. Cantillo strikes out another another three up, three down inning, and Joey Cantillo is perfect through five. We head to the sixth, five nothing Cleveland over the White Sox. Now the scent. Now the delivery swung and ripped to third, caught by Ramirez. It almost went through the webbing of the glob hardest hit ball of the night by the White Sox. Bottom line, Joey Cantillo perfect through six. You look at Cantillo tonight.
He has thrown forty one fastballs, twenty six changeups, half dozen curveballs, and three sliders.
The pitch got.
Them swinging, came right back at him and Vargas's strikeout victim number nine. And the perfect game continues with two down and the sixth the two to two delivery and Corey jolks Swington's and missus high fastball. He chased it. That's ten strikeouts for Cantillo. Now the one Oer swung on a little bloop job shallow right. Noel coming On takes the running catch. Two down. Now the two zero pitch swing in a ground ball right side base it.
He snuck it between four Hurston second. Not hard hit, but Andrew ben and Tendi breaks up the perfect game after Joey Cantillo had retired twenty in a row, and there are fans standing and cheering Joey Cantillo. That's a pretty classy move by these White Sox fans. Can Tillo's payoff pitch to Corey Lee swings and pulls it on the ground to third, backhanded by Ramirez, throws across the diamond.
What a job by the kid. Joey Cantillo gave up a basit with two down in the seventh White Sox score, but lots of high fives in that first base dugout for Joey Cantillo. Brilliant tonight, Cleveland up five to one going to the eighth. What a performance for Cantillo, and again we'll hear from him coming up later on in our show today. He got through the seventh giving up just one run, and then Chicago stored two in the
eighth inning. To make it a five three game, and that meant it was up to Emmanuel Classe in the ninth to close things out. Emmanuel Clause as ready. Here it comes swaying an MS Bowl game and the Guardians win Game one in the Windy City, knocking off the Socks five to three. So a nice way to start the series for the Guardians. They kept it going Tuesday night as they jumped in front early second inning with
a runner in scoring position. Kyle Manzardo stepped in, don't score second inning, Manzardo with a line shot to the gamp and right center. It'll get down for a base hit and score lane. Thomas won nothing Cleveland and Kyle Mansardo, a different hitter this second time in Cleveland, has an RBI single and it's one nothing Cleveland. Manzarto ten RBIs and another guy that is just so much more comfortable.
Once you've gone through everything that you have to learn as a rookie and get comfortable knowing you can play at this level, man Zardo now is starting to thrive. Guardian started Ben Lively looked sharp early on, but he had to leave the game in the second inning after being hitting the leg by a comebacker, so it would be a long day for the bullpen. First man up out of the pen was Pedro aviy La as he had some nice work to get through the fourth, picking
up Ben Lively. Here's the old one to Lee. He swings and chops it to the shortstop corral by Rochio. It throws to first in time for the out, and avi La breezes through the fourth, setting the side out. In order we played for in Chicago, it's the Guardians one and the White Sox nothing. Still a one nothing game. In the sixth inning, the Guardians would put two more men on base and the hot heading Lane Thomas stepped in.
Now the set and the pitch to Thomas, who's won for two of the double ender run scored the game's only run.
Thomas wither draw into deep lutfield.
This ball dom a line drive, three run homer to the left by Lane Thomas and the Guardians now have that big blow and now lead it four to nothing.
Lane Thomas with a laser and that home run is his eleventh and his third with Cleveland. Eli Morgan followed Abby Lah out of the pen, and he pitched an inning in two thirds of scoreless baseball before turning it over to Kate Smith. The pitch swung on, grounded sharply to the sun a basement sliding to his left. The sure handed one, Andre Simenez fields throws out sheets and the beat goes on. This Cleveland bullpen absolutely spectacular. Tim Herron got the job done in the seventh, and then
Hunter Gaddis was on for the eighth. Now the wind, now the one two swung on line the s lane. Thomas coming in snags a shoulder high and another good inning four Hunter Gandis eight. In the book's Cleveland four Chicago nothing. Andre Semenez droven a run in the top half of the ninth inning to make it five to nothing Cleveland, and that was plenty to give Emmanuel class a day off to rest, so Eric Sabrowski got the call to finish things up in the bottom of the ninth.
Now the two to two, swinging.
A shot to third caught by Ramirez, drops and lays flat on his back ballgame. The Guardians get the shutout, their eleventh. The White Sox have been shut out a major league high seventeen times, and Cleveland with a five nothing win over Chicago, we'll keep a three and a half game lead on the Kansas City Royals, so a shutout win set the stage for a potential series sweep
for the Guardians. On Wednesday afternoon, and they out on the board in the first inning, trying to anyway with runners at second and third, but two men were out. With Lane Thomas stepping in the pitch, swung On a slow roller to third, charged by Vargas. Clubs throws to first, not in time, and two runs will score. Kwan scored, Ramirez never stopped, and Vaughan just held on to the ball at first after stretching to take the throw from Vargas at third. It'll go as an infield single and
two runs scored. The Guardians added on in the third inning as Austin Hedges let off the inning with a boom.
The pitch.
Swung On hit high, hit deep to left, away back, gone for Hedges his second home run, and it's three nothing Cleveland here in the third in Chicago. Later on in the third again they had runners at second and third, and once again it was Lane Thomas batting with two outs. The next offering, swung On bounced on the right side, diving into right Sosa Hanson seat of the Pants.
Throw the first down in time, two more run score.
Kwan scored, he met us, followed the lead from second and beat the throw home by first baseman Andrew Vaughn.
Five nothing, Cleveland.
What a wild day for Thomas and we'll talk to him about that coming up shortly. The White Sox bounced back in the bottom of the third. They scored four times off of Matthew Boyd to make it a one run game, five to four Cleveland, and it would be up again the baseball's best bullpen to hold that lead. And then in the ninth, Emanuel Classe was on looking for save number forty four. Socks down to their last strike. Classe as ready, here's the two pitch a swang in
a miss ball game. He got him on a wicked slider. Any manual Classe with his forty fourth say Cleveland pitching strikes out eighty White Socks today and they get the sweep, six to four. So the Guardians completed the three game series sweep of the White Sox their road trip. They went six and three on the nine game ten day trip, and it was on home to take on Tampa Bay. But it's been a tough start to the series against the Rays. Thursday a five to two Tampa Bay win.
Friday a three to one victory for Tampa Bay over the Guardians, setting up Saturday's Game three with a six to ten first pitch and Sunday a one forty start time. Stay with us when we come back. We'll hear from outfielder Lane Thomas. That's next on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Progressive Presents Renters MVP's Most Valuable Possessions Today's MVP Emily Neils seventy inch TV because after watching her second grade students yell at each other for hours, there's nothing Emily enjoys more than watching super rich housewives also yell at each other. Why because those women are not her responsibility, and that's why her TV is Today's MVP. Keep your most valuable possessions protected by bundling your printers and auto
insurance with Progressive Progressive Casually Insurance Company Field. It's another injurer is not available in all states.
Jim Rosenow's back with you. It's Guardians Weekly. We're in downtown Cleveland at Progressive Field where the Guardians are taking on the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend Earlier in the week, Lane Thomas continued a tremendous stretch of the plate for Cleveland, and he had quite the day on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, an unusual four RBI game. They came on a pair of two run infield singles and that was record breaking.
That's never been done before. In the same game, a pair of two run singles that never left the infield, And we talked to him about it the following day and asked him, have you ever saw anything quite like it before?
No, I mean, it's a it's a cool play. I didn't realize that was something we did that often as an organization. It's I mean, I think a lot more teams.
Should do that.
It's a tough play for the first baseman to kind of, you know, try and stick that out, make sure you get it, and then also worry about that second runner scoring.
So I thought, I thought it was pretty cool. You've been with a couple of teams, and what does it say about this one that that happens on a regular basis, almost where it's in play when there's an infield groundball that someone could score from second.
Yeah, one hundred percent.
I think you know, the first part is you just want to beat that ground ball out and try to get one run in. And you know, I think it shows a lot about the team that you know, you have guys that hustle and run hard and can make that play a you know, a reality.
I mean, if you're starting to get it rolling at the plate, a real nice stretch here, and obviously that's your game. I think more of what you're accustomed to, How did you get back to that?
You know, it's I've gone through stretches before that were you know, exactly like that or maybe worse. So it's just you know, being accustomed to to work. You know, I think you have to work your way out of those situations and kind of build that confidence back in the work and then it, you know, it ends up showing up.
In the game.
You mentioned to work, and I remember when we were in Kansas City, I think the first day and you went outside and took BP just you and the hitting guys. What does that do for you?
It just gives you a chance to see the ball fly outside. You know, you can take an extended amount of swings and you know, kind of get in detail and just just go out and hit it. Was a nice day and you know, kind of a chilly morning. I think we had a four o'clock or three o'clock game that day. It was nice just get outside, drink a coffee, and you know, watch the ball fly a little bit.
Is that kind of you know, we talked so much about well you got to be in a cage and do this, and then is it nice just to get outside sometimes and bring it back to maybe a different time when you were playing baseball younger?
Yeah.
I mean, if you can't enjoy a morning, a sunny morning, you know, hitting a big league ballpark by yourself, you know, on a morning, Like I said, it's you know, it's probably not the right game for you. So I love hitting outside and just just especially in all these cool parks we get to play in.
You've had an opportunity to work with this hitting group now for a little while and they they've helped you get to a good place. What did they do that that was helpful to get you back to a good place.
Just just kind of you know, give you information on stuff where you've been successful in the past. I think is a big thing is getting you in the right mindset to you know, you can you can get back to this. It's just you know, going through the work and you know, I don't think there's a resource here that they don't have, which is nice. So I could kind of take bits and pieces that I liked and you know, do it how I want to do it.
So it's been awesome. They have a really good.
Group teams playing well enough where some special days could be coming. Is it hard not to look ahead to to some fun things happening around the corner team wise? Or do you really have to focus on that day to day and just let it happen.
Yeah, I mean, I think it's just day to day. It's this is it's too long of a season to kind of look down through the road, you know.
You know, hopefully we have a long, long season left.
You know at this point, so you know, it's just you know, worry about where your feet are at. I think good things will happen.
Thanks a lot for a time. I appreciate it.
Yeah, absolutely, thank you.
That's Lane Thomas who has fought through a tough stretch when he was first acquired by Cleveland to become one of their hottest hitters. As they head down the stretch, stay with us We'll be back with more of Guardians Weekly after this short break on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians
Radio Network. Welcome back to Guardians Weekly. Cheerros in house along with you from Progressive fal downtown Cleveland where the Guardians are taking on the Rays this weekend, and then Minnesota comes in for a big four game series starting on Monday Night. So a lot of good baseball here in downtown Cleveland and a lot of good baseball Monday night in Chicago. Joey can Killow was terrific. As we
heard in last segment's highlights. He had a perfect game into the seventh inning against the White Sox on Monday Night, ended up getting the win in the series opener in Chicago. On We had a chance to visit with him the next day and he talked about how he was able to keep his emotions in check as he got deeper into what turned out to be a memorable game.
Yeah, I think there's a lot of lots of a lot of positive thoughts. I think, just like I said yesterday, getting getting a chance to to to do your job, you know as my job as a starting pitchers to go deep into the game and give, give, give the team length and give the team. When you're in the seventh or eighth inning, the team's in a position to win because of what you were, you know, able to contribute early on in the game. So for me, obviously that the first few starts I've had up here haven't
gone my way necessarily. I haven't necessarily, you know, done some of the things I want to do as consistently as I know that I can. So yesterday was a good day to kind of do some of those things and take another step forward, and like we said, learn from from some of the bad and learn from some of the good and continue to move forward with that.
Did you feel it right away that it could be a special night or did you have to kind of ease in a lit a little bit.
No, I didn't.
I think just from the beginning it was like, hey, let's just let's just execute every single pitch. Let's just stay pitched by pitch, let's execute, and you know, let's get through inning by inning. And you know, I got through that first inning, good, Okay, get through that second inning. And then as as the innings went on, it was really like, okay, each and every hitter and I tried to kind of tell myself, like, you know, just let
like just get this hitter. You're not worried about it, Like it doesn't really matter, you know, how many pitches you're out or any of that. Just get this batter, because you know, you know how like this game is so humbling and so tough, so it's like, you know, anything can happen at any moment, so you know, and then obviously at the end there fell behind a little bit to those last couple of guys, and you know, they made me pay, you know, with the hit and
then the other hit in the run. So just one of those things where you got to kind of narrow it in a little bit more towards the end. But you know, it was still good, good overall to have an outing like that where you can come away with, you know, some positive thoughts.
And anytime someone carries one deep perfect game or no hit or they're asked, when did you know you had a good one going? And Alex Cobb was saying the other day he said he thinks about it from pitch one. He's trying to throw a perfect game every time out. Yeah, but how about you last night?
That's interesting.
I mean, I think he probably holds himself to a really high standard. You know, I hope myself through a high standard too. I think I think, you know the nature of this game is like you're it's really hard to be perfect, right, You're never like, you know, you don't want to chase perfection all the time, even though we do, we all do. I think I think some of the elite athletes that you talk to and come
across like they're all chasing perfection to an extent. But I think for me, someone like me, it's kind of understanding that balance, like, hey, you're not going to be perfect, but you know you want to. You want to come as close to that perfection.
As you can.
You want to, you want to, you know, strive for excellence out of yourself and what you're doing, your craft and everything on.
A day to day basis.
And then as far as in the start goes, it's like, hey, do your job, which my job is to execute pitches, pitch by pitch, one pitch at a time. And you know when you do that, when you do pitch by pitch,
you know good things are gonna happen. And sometimes you're gonna make a good pitch and they're gonna hit it, and then there goes that per there goes that perfect game or that no hitter in the first inning, there goes whatever you were trying to go for, and then you got to move on to the next goal, which
is the pitch deep into the game. So everyone has goals I think going into every single start, and like I said, for me is to just do my job and execute one pitch at a time, because all I really have is one pitch.
And you're back up here.
You've been up and back a couple of different times, and it seems like each time you make a little more progress, you look a little more comfortable. And what are the differences from say that first time in Philadelphia to last night when you're coming back here again.
Yeah, I think a lot of things, like it was probably what only what has it been a month and a half, I guess, and it seems like so much has happened, and just I've been all over the place, and yeah, I think comfortability is big. I think you know already, kind of knowing a lot of these guys and playing with them a lot of my minor league career and over the last couple of years helped with all that stuff.
A bunch.
But I think just taking outside of just moving outside of the clubhouse and the team kind of stuff is just when you're in these stadiums and you're facing these teams, like every every every day is an opportunity. Every day it's special. I think I told somebody in Columbus I was to me, like, every day is really special, especially when you haven't had many days. But I don't, I don't, I can't speak. I'm I don't know how it feels
ten years into it or fifteen years into it. But to me, every day is special and it's something that I've worked for my whole life and and and it's it's a blessing to be able to be here. So yeah, every day it's it's it's a blessing, and every day it's it's special, and every day it's a it's an opportunity to learn. Like you said, and I mean Philly was an experience New York was at Baltimore facing those kind of lineups, it's like, Okay, you learn some things.
You learn things that you can do really well that are like okay, let's go. And then there's some things like okay, I need to be better at this, I need to work on this, and that's the nature of the game. I think Jos's probably working on Hoosi's working on things every day. I'm sure Class is working on things every single day. And it's about working on those things and then finding consistency.
And you get to do it with a team that's having a tremendous season with big aspirations coming up here. How fun is that part of it?
That's the coolest thing, right, Like, I mean, this is you know all this is all these are first for me. But just yeah, being around this team and and this this group of guys is special. And you know we we've said it before, like playing with with these kind of players and this kind of team culture and where everyone's kind of pulling for each other. But it makes
a difference. Like it's even even you know, even in the minor leagues, like you're seeing teams playing well, like the team and in Triple A is playing really well. Everyone has a good time and everyone's involved in the game, you know, talking, you know, getting into the game. And here it's it's the type of energy you see, isn't it is real. It's it's it's organic, It's it's organic it's it's guys caring about one another. It's guys buying into the the to the system and what needs to
be done. And it makes a real different and because I mean, for me, it's like playing in high school. Like when you're playing high school base I didn't go to college, but high school baseball. You know, you're having a blast, You're playing with your boys. So I mean, this really is the dream, it's the show. So it's pretty cool to be winning games and and everyone knows this. Winning is better. You get to you know, you get to have a good time, and winning is what you
play for. Ultimately, we all got our own individual careers and all that stuff going on. But like when you can settle down and and you know, hone in on, Hey, it's not about you. Is that you're you really are playing for something bigger than you. You know, it's easier to take the pressure off of yourself and take and and focus on the reality of what's going on, which is playing the game.
And the game is a team game.
So that's that's awesome.
That was fun last night. Thanks a lot for the visit, appreciate it. That's Joey Cantillo has really made some nice progress, as that was his fifth different time he's been called up to the major leagues and each time has performed better and better and was terrific on Monday night against Chicago. Another youngster being called up from Triple Columbus Andrew Walters.
He made his major league debut Thursday night for the Guardians against the Rays, and we had a chance to visit with him before that and asked him, now he got the news that he'd be joining the big club.
I was just hanging out with the guys, you a pregame, dressed out for the game as we do every day, and Andy Tracy called me into his office and he's like, let's go up a little chat.
And I was like, all right, fine. You know.
He set me down, asked me how I was feeling, you know, like a normal check up because I'm doing this for off of the first time, so it's you know, he was checking up on me and he asked me how I was feeling. I told him I was feeling gray. He's like, you're ready to throw tonight and I was like, yeah, absolutely, I'm fresh ready to go. And he's like, when you're not throwing the night you might have to be ready to throw and Cleveland tomorrow, and I was like, right
there it hit me. I was like, I'm actually gonna do it. So then after that we hugged it out and pucked all my stuff up and got out of there.
I think everybody at Triple A is prepared because it could happen at any time. But I feel like relief pictures based on how games go in the big leagues. You're always on Paull and do you feel that down there and prepare accordingly?
Absolutely? Absolutely Triple as.
I would say, you know, the closest you're going to get to the big league game, and uh, we prepare as if we were playing here, same same sort of deal, just in different spots.
So yeah, ready on call every game.
First year in pro ball and you've moved quickly. What's been the key for you? You think that it's allowed you to have success to get in this spot.
I just used what I already had, and I you know, submersed myself into the whole coaching stuff and learned throughout my six months of time I would say maybe seven, and just you know, soaked up all the information I could from them and learned how pro season works. And all that, and you know it took strides from there.
Andrew Walters is joining us. You're in college not that long ago, pitching at the University of Miami. What have you noticed the difference is pro ball to major college ball at a high level.
It's definitely a lot longer season, a lot more to pay attention to when it comes to, you know, longevity and stuff like that. In the college game was it was great, but instead of fifty six games, it's one hundred and fifty six games. So it's it's a little different there in that aspect. But I would say, you know, the guys we haveing this organization, it's much like the same as college ball out there to go win every ball game. So I could say that for sure that aspect.
Did you have an idea of when you'd like to reach the major leagues when you were drafted and has this exceeded that expectation for you?
Yeah?
I mean as a little kid you just grow up. Do you think you know you want to You just want a shot in general, And you know, I feel like I had a pretty good shot and I didn't know it was going to end up this way for sure, you know, I was just gonna learn my learn my way around it, you know, figure it out with with the great staff we have. And you know, it came came quick. You know, I was moving for ass. I just kind of cut my head down and learned from
everybody else and stuff like that. And now it's here, and it's kind of it's kind of crazy, to be honest with you, I didn't think of it happen like that.
It's interesting you started at Double A and dominated and then move up to Triple A and I know they talk about the baseball and obviously there's other things as well. What were some of the big challenges moving from Double A to Triple A as that next step.
Yeah, it was a whole new ball. I never picked that ball up before, so it felt a little different. I had to, you know, work my way around it as a pitcher, and uh, yeah, the Triple A game is a little bit, a little bit different. The guys have been there for a while better, and guys a lot of big league players too and there, and you know, I would say the zone trunk a lot.
You know.
I had to learn to pitch more in zone, be guys in zone. And I would say that was probably the biggest.
Thing for me in terms of what you know about this ball club. I'm sure you guys follow it closely. How involved are you in that day to day and knowing what you're walking into.
Now, Yeah, we watched We watched Guardian teams every day. We can, you know, in our in our clubhouse in in Columbus. Yeah, we're very familiar with with all the guys here what's going on. So you know, it's good to be here and meet them. I heard this great group of guys and you know, can't wach shakes men's and have some laughs for sure.
Andrew, congratulations, good.
Luck, Thank you appreciate it.
It's Andrew Walter's big time prospect out of the bullpen before the Guardians got you're in a hurry. This the first season that he has pitched competitively in pro ball after being drafted a season ago last June's Draft, but did not pitch professionally after being drafted and really shot through the system and has performed well at every level he's been at. And the Guardian's looking forward to that big arm out of the bullpen to add to what
already is the best bullpen in baseball. Stay with us. We'll have more to come after this.
Progressive Presents Renters MVP's Most Valuable Possessions Today's MVP Joe Fallon's bedroom minifridge. Sure, this pine size chiller's max capacity is three soda cans, but what it lacks in stature, it makes up in cooling strings. Each beverage of perfect thirty seven degrees every time, and the two feet Joe walks to get a drink priceless. That's why his mini
fridge is today's MVP. Keep your most valuable possessions protected by bundling your renters and auto insurance with Progressives Progressive Casually Insurance Company Afieliate's another Injuri is not available in all states.
Welcome back to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhaw's back with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Guardians will take on the Rays on Saturday night a six to ten first pitch, close out that series on Sunday afternoon at one, and then the Twins come in for four games to close out the homestand as the season is winding down and the Guardians are closing in on a postseason Bird, one of the coaches on this year's staff is rugless Odor.
He's the third base coach for the Guardians. New to the big league staff, but this is his thirty sixth season in the Guardians organization. It's been remarkable. He began his tenure as a minor league player back in nineteen eighty eight and since then between playing coaching coordinating at the minor league level. He finally got his chance in the major leagues this year and he's been doing some
great work. And we talked to him recently about what this experience at the major league level has been like for him after so many years on the player development side of things.
It's been great. It's been great. I'm having a great time here, especially with the group of players we have had the opportunity to have some of them or most of them in the minor league. So he's always a pleasure to hear and see if Amilia faces.
And what impresses you most about, say a young player that you've had in the minor leagues who is able to get it done at this level.
The ability to make a judgments is extremely hard to have success at the big league level. Everybody gets to know you, and but you also get to know everybody, so it is the mindset, is the ability to make adjustments on a daily basis, and it's impressive to see these young kids making adjustments.
All those years in the minor leagues and you're up here with a team that again has been in first place for so much of this season. How exciting and enjoyable has that been for you to live this side of it now?
It's very exciting, and like I said, it makes it a real fun when you have this group of players. They're so young, and I saw most of them in the minor leagues and now they're having success here are the big league level, So it's fun.
And big games coming up. From your perspective, anything you can share with them that can help them get through the pressure games down the stretch.
Here now, I think we just need to go out and play our game. We don't need to change anything. We need to continue to play the game the way we've always done it throughout the whole season, and we'll be fine.
Rugles is great to see you, Thanks for coming by. Thank you, great story. Rugless Sodor again his thirty sixth season in the organization, first the major league level. Well, someone who did some great work in the major Leagues for Cleveland as a player the multi time All Star, Gold Glove winner and also Silver Slugger Award winner Grady Sizemore.
He is now the manager for the Chicago White Sox, and the Guardians were in Chicago earlier this week and we had a chance to catch up with Grady and we asked him how surprising it is for him that he's managing a major league team this early in his coaching career.
Yeah, don't get used to it. Yeah, it's definitely surprising. Again, I just kind of approach it the same way I've been approaching it all year. We're just trying to get these guys to play their best ball, to be the best version of themselves, and doing anything we can to put him in position to win.
Grady, obviously, your best playing days were with Cleveland. When you think back to that period of time, what stood out to you the most about maybe individually or the teams that you were on. Some pretty good ones there in Cleveland.
Yeah.
Yeah, again, I loved my time there was uh, like you said, I had, and that's where I kind of, you know, broke into the major leagues and and spent most of my career. I met a lot of great teammates and and have a lot of you know, long lasting friendships, you know, from my time there. I think, uh, it was it was an important part of my life. It was a journey that I always look back on
with positive memories. And and like I said, I think I'm just grateful for the time I had there in that organization, Grateful for what I learned, and and and all that time spent with all those people, and and and to be able to build those those friendships and and to to learn and grow as a person. Again, just nothing but uh but positive memories from that time.
You were out of the game for a little bit. What brought you back in and obviously eventually leading to this, but initially what got you back in?
I just think that you never you know, for me, uh, you know, I did take some time away and it was nice to be with the family and and just kind of get away from things and just be settled in one place. But uh, you never really lose the the the the.
Urge to compete.
I guess as how I would describe it, uh, so
that that competitive nature doesn't doesn't really go away. And I just got to a point where you know, I was still talking to a few players here and there, and still talking to guys I knew in the game, and and the more I had those conversations and the more I you know, kind of just was you know, kind of you know, getting the itch to kind of find a way to get my foot in the door and see if I if I wanted to to get back into it on some level, whether it was you know,
part time or full time. I didn't really know what I wanted, but I knew I was looking for something, and I just, you know, I was fortunate to get some opportunities, and you know, since then, I just kind of try to take advantage of all those opportunities when they when they're presented to me. So again, this wasn't like a planned part of my my my journey or anything like that. I didn't think i'd be coaching here
this year. I didn't think i'd be managing. But you know, I said, I just I wanted to get back in the game somehow, and in somewhere or another, it just I just kept you know, being presented with certain things and just kept taking advantage of what was in front of me. So, you know, it's been a fun ride, and I wouldn't you know, I wouldn't change it. You know,
I think it's I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I'm happy being a part of this this team and competing every night, and I just you know, I look forward to every game.
The game is better with you in it. And it's great to see you again, Grady. Thank you, thank you, appreciate it. I had his former Cleveland All Star Grady size More now really doing a nice job managing the Chicago White Sox and a very difficult situation. Well that's going to do it for this week's edition of Guardians Weekly. Thanks so much for stopping by and joining us, and as always, thanks to Brian Matsee for putting together our
show each and every week. Next week we join you from Saint Louis, where the Guardians, in their final road trip of the season, will be playing the Cardinals. So until then, this is Jim rosen House reminding you that you've been listening to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly has been brought to you by Progressive, helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance.
Sh