The long baseball season came to an end for Cleveland at Progressive Field as the Guardians fell to the Detroit Tigers in the deciding Game 3 of their American League Wild Card showdown, 6-3.
Cleveland fans, as they have all season, were out in force to back the home team, but the Guards came up short, ending their season.
Sean Coleman is a longtime Guardians fan from Cleveland, who came representing the stadium’s old Jacobs Field moniker. He had hoped for the Guards to play with aggression.
"I just hope they're carrying, like, a chip on their shoulder," Coleman said. "Just in this game alone, and also in the rest of the playoffs, but mainly this game alone. So just go out there and get it done."
Coleman made sure to draw attention to his hat honoring Jacobs Field, the former name of Progressive Field. When the stadium was built in 1994, it heralded a new era of Cleveland baseball success that for many was their first taste of winning.
One of those responsible for that golden era was on hand to root for his former team, relief pitcher Julián Tavárez. The 52-year-old was a key member of the 1995 Indians team that went to the World Series.
"You know, the fans, they never doubted us," Tavarez said. "They've always been there and I think one of the reasons why we're here is just because of the fans. They've been so positive and confident and trust our team. And, you now, I'm just really happy with where we are."
He moved to Broadview Heights in 1995 and never left.
"My heart is with Ohio," Tavarez said. "I'm going to be in Broadview Heights for a while."
The crowd, as it has been for the first two games of the series, was full of energy and did their best to drown out Detroit fans, mostly congregated behind the Tigers first base dugout. For the first two games of the series, their pronounced cheers rang out for every Detroit positive.
Cleveland fans were happy for most of the day, until a homerun in the sixth inning put Detroit ahead, and brought the Tigers mob behind first base to their feet. The Tigers followed with four runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.
Lisa Karam from Dover was sad to see the Guardians lose but full of pride for a team that made the city proud all year.
"I'm super proud of them, they're a phenomenal team and they worked really hard to get here," Karam said. "I believe in them."
Brad Cartmill from Lorain wasn't feeling great in the immediate aftermath of the loss.
"Not so great right now man, not so great," Cartmill said. "Amazing season, it was the greatest (comeback) in history...with less than a month to play," Cartmill said about the Guardians season, including their historic comeback from 15.5 games behind in the month of September.
The Guardians also endured suspensions to starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase during the season, adding to the unlikelihood of their run to the playoffs.
Cartmill was crestfallen about the loss, but had nothing but warm feelings about the team, noting their fight.
"Resilience; they have that drive to come back," Cartmill said. "They're good with two outs."
The Guardians season may be over, but the high hopes for this team and gratitude for a season full of hard play and historic surprises remain etched in the hearts and faces of the Cleveland faithful streaming out of the stadium.
Superfan Jim Sabo summed it up, talking about the team, and its fans.
"They had a good season," Sabo said. "They'll be okay... next year. In Cleveland, always there's next year. That's what we know."
