The 2022 season for the Cleveland Guardians may be over but it was one for the ages

The Cleveland Guardians ended their season on Tuesday with a Game 5 loss to the New York Yankees.

The Cleveland Guardians will not have a November to remember this season. The upstart team of young future stars did their absolute best but the Bronx Bombers lived up to that nickname as the Guards ultimately fell three games to two in a very wild, very unpredictable series.

Game one saw the Yankees win to the final of 4-1, but the Guardians battled back for a 10-inning classic in Game 2, with the series’ standout game coming in Game 3. The Guardians came back and won 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth putting the Yankees on their heels.

Unfortunately, relying on your team to string together multiple hits without a real power threat is a large task and the Yankees were able to squeak by in Game 4 with a 4-2 win over Cleveland and then a 5-1 Game 5 was all she wrote for the Guardians season.

While the loss to the Yankees is anything but desirable, considering the fact Cleveland is one of the weakest markets for baseball and the fact that a lot of the Guardians are under the age of 25 and the youngest team in postseason history, what this team did was special, magical and one for the ages.

The future is bright for the Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians found two future All-Stars in Oscar Gonzalez and Steven Kwan, and both played huge parts for the Guardians all year long. They’re a big reason why the team won the AL Central and won the opening round of the playoffs.

While everyone would’ve liked to win the World Series, winning a division is nothing to thumb your nose at, especially when you share the division with the Chicago White Sox. The team that happens to be the living testament that spending gobs of money is no guarantee to win.

The team has to make some decisions about 2023, namely what to do with Amed Rosario, who’s going to be playing first next year, and if there’s someone in free agency that makes sense to drop some money on.

The biggest, however, will be whether or not Terry Francona comes back next year or not. With his age and health, there is no guarantee. There’s no reason to worry (right now) that Terry Francona won’t come back and if he does, this squad is the early favorite to win the AL Central yet again.

While the team came up short, it was a truly magical season of walk-offs, comebacks, and watching future stars blossom right in front of our eyes. The beauty of sports isn’t just in the wins and losses but in the stories told in between the lines.

The Guardians told a story of perseverance and saw future stars forged in the fires of elite competition. 2023 is going to be a season of expectations, and I for one can’t wait to see how this squad responds once again.

They’ve defied the odds all season long, and I believe that they can do it again. The future is bright for these Guardians, and fans should be excited about the future of this squad.