Bhagat breaks down in tears discussing huge comeback win: 'I love these guys'

CLEVELAND — Manager Stephen Vogt was excited to talk about how proud he is of Kyle Manzardo. He wondered what the rookie must have been feeling after he ran around the bases after hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth at a crucial point in the season against a division rival.

Suddenly tears rolled down his eyes.

Vogt replayed Josh Naylor standing at second base with his arms in the air in his mind. He revisited his dugout, bursting with excitement, as Jose Ramirez leapt from his usual spot at the far end of the Guardians' dugout, running onto the field in almost pure joy. All in a quick second, he relived the moment as Naylor waited at home plate to embrace Manzardo in celebration.

“I love these guys,” Vogt said through tears. “They're a lot of fun to watch. They love each other. They work hard. It was an emotional night. And to see two teammates come together like that, it's powerful.”

This is what unity shows. This team has grown Vogt and has seen the last 151 games. It doesn't matter if it's a rookie in the spotlight. It doesn't matter if the two players hugging once battled for the same position on a major league roster. This team just wants to win. And that passion was on full display when Manzardo's big swing led the Guardians to a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Monday night at Progressive Field.

Despite the Tigers defeating the Royals on Monday, the Guardians could still clinch a postseason berth as early as Wednesday. Also, Kansas City's loss moved Cleveland back to within five games of their division race.

The Guardians are hoping to completely knock the Twins out of the AL Central race in this four-game set. But they fell into a three-run hole in the series opener, as starter Matthew Boyd was chased from the game in the third inning.

Cleveland pulled away with one down entering the eighth inning. Naylor led off the frame on a double by Twins reliever Griffin Jax. Lane Thomas stuck. It's time for Manzardo to step up to the plate.

“Going out there, watching the film, knowing that Jax likes to use the fastball, I went in there and just keyed that spot,” Manzardo said.

Manzardo launched a fastball that was expected, up and inside, and sent it a Statcast-projected 407 feet into the right field seats.

“Everybody who grew up wanting to play baseball has pretended that moment happened from the time they could walk,” Vogue says.

“I floated a little,” Manzardo said of his trip around the base. “I don't remember everything.”

It was a moment Manzardo had been waiting for. It was one he would have loved to have enjoyed during his first stint in the majors, but in those six weeks, the slugger couldn't hit a ball out of the park.

At the time, Manzardo wasn't used to working solely as a DH and moving his body when his team was on defense. He went back to Triple-A and worked on a routine to prepare for this role, so he could be ready when he came back to the majors.

“Since he's been back, he just wants to help win and he's trying different things in his routine,” Vogue said. “Watching the game will tell you the story and Manzo is learning that.”

This bat was for Guardians at last year's trade deadline. This is the player they knew he could be. This organization envisioned its future in Cleveland. And now that it's here, the team is enjoying it.

As Manzardo stepped to the plate, he hugged Naylor and walked alongside him back to the dugout, where the rest of the team was ready to shower him with love.

It's safe to say that at this point, as Vogt sat back and observed his team, he had the first “proud dad” moment of his young managerial career.

“My favorite part was Naylor at second base standing there, watching it, cheering, waiting for him at home plate with a smile on his face,” Vogt said with more tears in his eyes. “That's the kind of thing this team does.”