Editing Cleveland Guardians (section)

{{Short description|Major League Baseball franchise in Cleveland, Ohio}}
{{Redirect|Cleveland Indians}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox MLB
| name = Cleveland Guardians 
| established = 1896
| misc = Based in [[Cleveland]] since {{mlby|1900}}
| logo = Guardians_winged_"G".svg
| uniformlogo = Cleveland_Guardians_cap_logo.svg
| current league = American League
| y1 = 1901
| division = [[American League Central|Central Division]]
| y2 = 1994
| past division = [[American League East|East Division]]
| y5 = 1969
| y6 = 1993
| Uniform = MLB-ALC-CLE-Uniform.png
| retirednumbers = {{hlist| [[Earl Averill|3]] | [[Lou Boudreau|5]] | [[Larry Doby|14]] | [[Mel Harder|18]] | [[Bob Feller|19]] |[[Frank Robinson|20]] | [[Bob Lemon|21]] | [[Jim Thome|25]] | [[Jackie Robinson|42]] | [[fan (person)|455]]}}
| colors = Navy blue, red, white<!-- Please provide a reliable source from MLB.com before changing or re-ordering the color name designations or HTML color codes. Thank you. --><br />{{color box|#002B5C}} {{color box|#E31937}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}
| y3 = 2022
| nicknames = Guards,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/10/13/guardians-fans-react-after-grand-slam-sends-guards-new-york/|title=Guardians fans react after grand slam sends the Guards to New York|first=Michelle|last=Nicks|date=October 12, 2024|publisher=[[WOIO]]|access-date=October 18, 2024}}</ref> Tribe
| pastnames =
* Cleveland Indians ({{by|1915}}–{{by|2021}})
* Cleveland Naps ({{by|1903}}–{{by|1914}})
* Cleveland Broncos ({{by|1902}})
* Cleveland Bluebirds ({{by|1901}})
* Cleveland Lakeshores ({{by|1900}})
* Grand Rapids Prodigals ({{by|1899}})
* Columbus Buckeyes/Senators ({{by|1896}}–{{by|1899}})
| ballpark = [[Progressive Field]]
| y4 = 1994
| pastparks =
* [[Cleveland Stadium]] ({{MLBy|1932}}–{{MLBy|1933}}, {{MLBy|1937}}–{{MLBy|1993}}){{efn|Nights, weekends, and select games from {{MLBy|1937}} to {{MLBy|1946}}}}
* [[League Park]] ({{MLBy|1900}}–{{MLBy|1932}}, {{MLBy|1934}}–{{MLBy|1946}})
* [[Ramona Park]] ({{MLBy|1899}})
* [[List of baseball parks in Columbus, Ohio|Western League Park]] ({{MLBy|1896}}–{{MLBy|1899}})
| WS = (2)
| WORLD CHAMPIONS = {{hlist| {{wsy|1920}} | {{wsy|1948}}}}
| LEAGUE = AL
| P = (6)
| PENNANTS = {{hlist| [[1920 Cleveland Indians season|1920]] | [[1948 American League tie-breaker game|1948]] | [[1954 Cleveland Indians season|1954]] | {{alcsy|1995}} | {{alcsy|1997}} | {{alcsy|2016}}}}
| misc1 =
| OTHER PENNANTS =
| DIV = AL Central
| DV = (12)
| Division Champs = {{hlist| [[1995 Cleveland Indians season|1995]] | [[1996 Cleveland Indians season|1996]] | [[1997 Cleveland Indians season|1997]] | [[1998 Cleveland Indians season|1998]] | [[1999 Cleveland Indians season|1999]] | [[2001 Cleveland Indians season|2001]] | [[2007 Cleveland Indians season|2007]] | [[2016 Cleveland Indians season|2016]] | [[2017 Cleveland Indians season|2017]] | [[2018 Cleveland Indians season|2018]] | [[2022 Cleveland Guardians season|2022]] | [[2024 Cleveland Guardians season|2024]]}}
| misc5 =
| OTHER DIV CHAMPS =
| WC = (2)
| Wild Card = {{hlist|[[2013 Cleveland Indians season|2013]] | [[2020 Cleveland Indians season|2020]]}}
| misc6 =
| owner = Dolan family
| president = [[Paul Dolan (baseball)|Paul J. Dolan]] (Owner/Chairman / CEO)
| presbo = [[Chris Antonetti]]
| gm = [[Mike Chernoff (baseball)|Mike Chernoff]]
| manager = [[Stephen Vogt]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.mlb.com/guardians|mlb.com/guardians}}
}}

The '''Cleveland Guardians''' are an American professional [[baseball]] team based in [[Cleveland]]. The Guardians compete in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) as a member club of the [[American League]] (AL) [[American League Central|Central Division]]. Since {{by|1994}}, the team has played its home games at [[Progressive Field]] (originally known as Jacobs Field after the team's then-owner). Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 12 Central Division titles, six [[List of American League pennant winners|American League pennants]], and two [[World Series]] championships (in {{wsy|1920}} and {{wsy|1948}}). The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the [[List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts#Longest current World Series championship drought|longest active]] among all 30 current Major League teams.<ref>{{cite news|last=Axisa|first=Mike|title=Now that Cubs are champs, Indians have MLB's longest World series drought|url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/now-that-the-cubs-are-champs-the-indians-have-baseballs-longest-world-series-drought/|work=[[CBS Sports]]|date=November 3, 2016|access-date=November 3, 2016|quote=So, with the Cubs finally on top, the longest championship drought in baseball now belongs to the team they beat – the Indians. Cleveland has not won a World Series since way back in 1948.|archive-date=June 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614073358/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/now-that-the-cubs-are-champs-the-indians-have-baseballs-longest-world-series-drought/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The team's name references the ''Guardians of Traffic'', eight monolithic 1932 [[Art Deco]] sculptures by [[Henry Hering]] on the city's [[Hope Memorial Bridge]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iconic Cleveland: The History Behind Cleveland's Guardians of Traffic |url=https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/articles/the-guardians-of-traffic |access-date=December 31, 2023 |website=clevelandmagazine.com |language=en}}</ref> which is adjacent to Progressive Field.<ref name="ClevelandGuardians">{{cite news|last=Bell|first=Mandy|title=New for '22: Meet the Cleveland Guardians|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/cleveland-indians-change-name-to-guardians|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|website=[[MLB.com]]|date=July 23, 2021|access-date=July 24, 2021|url-status=live|language=en-US|archive-date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723143028/https://www.mlb.com/news/cleveland-indians-change-name-to-guardians}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/cleveland-mlb-team-officially-changes-name-guardians/ |title=Cleveland MLB team officially changes name to 'Guardians' |work=[[SportsNet]] |date=July 23, 2021 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723144925/https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/cleveland-mlb-team-officially-changes-name-guardians/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The team's mascot is named "Slider".<ref>{{cite web|title=Slider: Guardians Mascot|url=https://www.mlb.com/guardians/fans/slider|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|website=CLEGuardians.com|access-date=March 5, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119071303/https://www.mlb.com/guardians/fans/slider |archive-date=November 19, 2021 }}</ref> The team's [[spring training]] facility is at [[Goodyear Ballpark]] in [[Goodyear, Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Goodyear Ballpark|url=https://www.mlb.com/indians/spring-training/ballpark|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|website=CLEGuardians.com|access-date=July 4, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208201234/https://www.mlb.com/indians/spring-training/ballpark |archive-date=December 8, 2017 }}</ref>

The franchise originated in 1896 as the '''Columbus Buckeyes''' (also known as the '''Columbus Senators'''), a minor league team based in [[Columbus, Ohio]] that played in the [[Western League (1885–1899)|Western League]].<ref name="ALEvolution">{{cite web |last1=Pregler |first1=John T. |title=The Evolution of the American League |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-evolution-of-the-american-league/ |website=sabr.org |access-date=March 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241013141326/https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-evolution-of-the-american-league/ |archive-date=October 13, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="plaindealer1900">{{cite news |title=THE CLEVELAND UNIFORMS. Who Will Fill Them is Now the Question. |work=The Cleveland Plain Dealer |date=February 21, 1900 |page=6 |language=English |quote="It is quite a general opinion among baseball men and baseball writers that the Grand Rapids team – the old Columbus team – will be transferred to this city."}}</ref> The team relocated to [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] midseason in 1899, where they were known as the '''Grand Rapids Furniture Makers'''.<ref name="nomad">{{cite web |title=The Nomad of the Interstate League |url=https://baseballhistorydaily.com/2016/07/25/the-nomad-of-the-interstate-league/ |website=Baseball History Daily |date=July 25, 2016 |access-date=March 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203065655/https://baseballhistorydaily.com/2016/07/25/the-nomad-of-the-interstate-league/ |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1900, the franchise moved to Cleveland and was called the '''Cleveland Lakeshores'''.<ref>{{cite book |title=2023 Cleveland Guardians Media Guide |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ip0Kox_v8rDOrSHJY14YTLb4wafup-C3 |publisher=Cleveland Guardians |page=2 |access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref> The Western League itself was renamed the American League prior to the 1900 season while continuing its minor league status. When the American League declared itself a major league in 1901, Cleveland was one of its eight charter franchises. Originally called the '''Cleveland Bluebirds''' or '''Blues''', the team was also unofficially called the '''Cleveland Broncos''' in 1902. Beginning in 1903, the team was named the '''Cleveland Napoleons''' or '''Naps''', after team captain and manager [[Nap Lajoie]].

Lajoie left after the [[1914 Cleveland Naps season|1914 season]], and club owner [[Charles Somers]] requested that baseball writers choose a new name. They chose the name '''Cleveland Indians'''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bell|first=Mandy|title=History of Cleveland's baseball team name|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/cleveland-indians-team-name-history|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|website=[[MLB.com]]|date=December 21, 2020|access-date=August 22, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221191354/https://www.mlb.com/news/cleveland-indians-team-name-history |archive-date=December 21, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Timeline|url=https://www.mlb.com/indians/history/timeline|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=CLEGuardians.com|access-date=August 22, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807101558/https://www.mlb.com/indians/history/timeline |archive-date=August 7, 2020 }}</ref> That name stuck and remained in use for more than a century. Common [[List of baseball nicknames|nicknames]] for the Indians were "the Tribe" and "the Wahoos", the latter referencing their longtime logo, [[Chief Wahoo]]. After the Indians name [[Cleveland Indians name and logo controversy|came under criticism]] as part of the [[Native American mascot controversy]], the team adopted the current name (Guardians) following the [[2021 Cleveland Indians season|2021 season]].

From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the team won 22 consecutive games, the [[List of Major League Baseball longest winning streaks|longest winning streak]] in American League history and the second longest winning streak in Major League Baseball history.

As of the end of the 2024 season, the franchise's overall major league record is {{Win–loss record|w=9,852|l=9,369}} ({{winpct|9852|9369}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Cleveland Guardians Team History & Encyclopedia |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/ |website=Baseball Reference |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=September 30, 2024 |archive-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219082748/http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/ |url-status=live }}</ref>