Cleveland Indians: Revisiting the decade’s most overshadowed moment

There are dozens of moments that stand out through this last decade of Indians baseball. Let us pay our respects to one that is understandably overlooked.

Everybody remembers what happened when Aroldis Chapman threw one too many fastballs to Rajai Davis in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Whether you were a casual observer or your emotional and physical well-being were impacted, it was one of the most improbable and unforgettable moments in recent baseball history.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you: I can’t even think about it without getting choked up.

But what about the at-bat before Davis sent a screaming line drive onto the Home Run Porch to cap off a heroic comeback and tie the game? How many people remember that one off the top of their head?

Again, I’ll be honest with you: I do. Very well.

Before Davis engraved his name in Cleveland Indians lore forever, Brandon Guyer was the hero of the moment. Jon Lester had gotten the first two outs of the eighth inning, but Jose Ramirez kept it alive with a single. Joe Maddon wasn’t about to let the Indians gather any momentum with a runner on base, so he called in his closer.

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Guyer had already been brought in as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game for lefty Lonnie Chisenhall. His first at-bat was against Lester, which is a far cry from loosening up in the on-deck circle as Chapman hurls 100-MPH warm-up pitches across the plate.

The optimist in me swayed helplessly back and forth on the living room floor as I attempted to coach Guyer through the plate appearance via my TV screen.

Guyer fell behind in the count,1-2, which is often a death sentence against Chapman no matter how sound a hitter’s plate approach. But he was able to work it full, an effort which included a foul ball on the 2-2 pitch.

On the 3-2 offering, Chapman gave him a belt-high fastball and Guyer promptly placed it in the right-center gap. Ramirez was moving on the delivery and scored easily. It was at that moment, as the ball rolled out of Dexter Fowler‘s reach toward the wall, that you started to feel like maybe, just maybe…

Guyer scooted into second, Ramirez sprinted furiously across home, and Progressive Field rejoiced in appropriately thunderous fashion. What Davis did next after a hard-fought at-bat of his own would immediately overshadow the RBI double that preceded it, but it should never be forgotten that it was Guyer’s mettle in the batter’s box that made it possible in the first place.

As the decade comes to a close and we reflect on the moments that defined this generation of Indians baseball, it would be a sin to tell the story without mentioning the role Guyer played. The end result was the most devastating loss I’ve ever suffered through in all my time on this earth, but I wouldn’t trade the way I felt watching that comeback unfold for any of the victories I’ve been lucky enough to witness.

Someday we won’t have to look back so fondly on the close calls. Someday that ball that trickles onto the warning track will be the one that wins the whole thing.