Guardians Opening Day takeaways: Upset stomachs, mustaches and extra-base hits

New York Times

28-03-2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Cleveland Guardians catalyst Steven Kwan reached second base with a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning Thursday, he engaged in some AL Central banter with Kansas City's Michael Massey.
No, not the Midwest chatter that includes the word 'Ope' and references to the ever-changing weather. Massey told Kwan: 'This is going to be a fun series for the whole year.' Kwan agreed.
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The two clubs spent part of last summer jockeying for division supremacy. The Guardians ultimately emerged on top. On Thursday, they needed an extra frame to decide their first bout of the year. This could be another closely contested division race. Grab some Tums.
Speaking of which, here are a few takeaways on Tanner Bibee, Kyle Manzardo and the Guardians following their 7-4 Opening Day victory at Kauffman Stadium.
Early in his career, Ben Lively's emotions consumed him. On the mound, he struggled to mentally accept when a pitch was walloped, which would doom the quality of the next one he was about to throw. Off the mound, he tended to, um, test the sturdiness of walls with his fists. He stresses that he has scaled back his approach. He remains an intense competitor but doesn't psyche himself out before or during an outing.
In fact, that's what made him the perfect candidate to start on Opening Day in place of Bibee, who was ailing with acute gastroenteritis. Pitching coach Carl Willis called Lively on Wednesday morning and told him to catch a flight to Kansas City. Lively, who was in Arizona preparing to throw to minor leaguers, would be starting on Opening Day, a noteworthy assignment even if out of necessity. Lively's reaction was more 'ho hum' than 'holy [curse word],' a product of his experience and new, healthier mindset. The 33-year-old journeyman enjoyed a breakout season with the Guardians in 2024, finally finding a home after stints with the Reds, Phillies, Royals and the Samsung Lions of the Korean League.
Lively met the team in Kansas City early Wednesday evening and went to sleep without knowing for sure if he would start. He received official word on Thursday morning. All along, he treated it as though he would be starting and as though it was an ordinary regular-season game against a familiar opponent. He made only one mistake in his five innings, as Vinnie Pasquantino tagged him for a three-run homer with two outs in the third. In the end, that blast was a mere footnote.
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Would the Ben Lively from, say, a decade ago have been able to handle the task dropped into his lap this week?
'Probably not,' Lively said, laughing. '… I know for a fact, if I was younger, I would have been really fired up.'
Perhaps the most pivotal development for the Guardians this season will be whether a crop of young hitters can take significant steps forward. Bo Naylor, Brayan Rocchio, Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel all fall into that category. So, too, does Manzardo, supplier of the Guardians' first home run, first triple and first extra-inning, lead-boosting, two-run double of 2025.
Perhaps the most worthwhile aspect of his standout day: All three of those key extra-base hits came against left-handed pitchers. Only 12.8% of Manzardo's plate appearances came against lefties last season, but manager Stephen Vogt trotted him out against Royals ace Cole Ragans, and Manzardo delivered.
'He could be the anchor of our lineup,' Kwan said.
He did the Mash. He did the Manzo Mash.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/0M26fi2I5O
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 27, 2025
This is what the Guardians envisioned when they traded Aaron Civale to the Rays in 2023, a move that hindered a middling team's chances at contending but landed the club a tantalizing bat with, as Kwan described it, 'effortless' pop. By the end of last season, Manzardo was batting second against righties and appearing more than capable of battling the top arms in October.
There's a reason former Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika suggested last spring that Manzardo resembled Wade Boggs in the batter's box. Maybe it's because of his stance and swift, left-handed swing. Maybe it's because of his thick mustache.
Kwan said the look only adds to the professional aura at the plate.
'(He's) a '60s kind of hitter, old school, no swag,' Kwan said. 'The leg pump. He's awesome. He's what we need.'
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Manzardo tied a franchise record with four RBI on Opening Day, joining Leon Wagner (1964) and Tris Speaker (1925). He's also the third player in MLB history with a double, triple and home run on Opening Day, along with Baltimore's Don Baylor (1973) and Detroit's Gee Walker (1937). About that triple, the first of his career: Manzardo, who ranked in the 16th percentile in the league in sprint speed last year, joked he's 'been leaving extra bases on the table for too long.'
First Cleveland home run of the season: Kyle Manzardo
First Cleveland triple of the season: Kyle Manzardo
First Cleveland mustache of the season: Kyle Manzardo
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 27, 2025
It almost feels inevitable that there will be some regression this season in Cleveland's bullpen. After all, the group produced a 2.57 ERA, more than a half-run better than any other bullpen in the league and the fourth-best ERA since the turn of the century.
Much of what we saw on Thursday, however, looked familiar. From the picking-up-where-they-left-off department, Cade Smith and Tim Herrin were untouchable out of the pen on Thursday. Each went three up, three down and recorded a pair of strikeouts.
Smith retired Bobby Witt Jr., Pasquantino and Salvador Pérez in order. His fastball averaged 97.2 mph, up from 96.0 mph last season. As masterful as Smith was in 2024, he had to earn his way into Vogt's circle of trust as a rookie. This year, he was tasked with conquering the opponent's best hitters in Game 1, and that doesn't figure to change. It'll be entertaining to see if he can remain as dominant for an entire season in such a relentlessly challenging role.
Hunter Gaddis cast a spell on Kansas City's base runners to escape an eighth-inning jam. The Royals ran into a rally-killing double play, though Gaddis did strike out Witt to officially dodge harm. Emmanuel Clase, who blew only three of his 50 save chances last season — ahem, during the regular season, that is — relinquished the lead in the ninth. His stuff seemed fine; his cutter averaged 99.3 mph, he threw 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes and he induced five whiffs. New bullpen addition Paul Sewald picked him up with a 1-2-3 10th inning to secure the victory.