Picture this: the Cleveland Guardians standing on the doorstep of history, just two outs away from breaking a 44-year curse. Enter Juan Soto, baseball’s ultimate dream crusher, stepping into the batter’s box with destiny hanging in the balance. Want to take a guess at what happened next? Yeah, Soto delivered his signature moment, turning Cleveland’s celebration into heartbreak with one thunderous swing that echoed through decades of waiting.

The incident unfolded at Citi Field on Wednesday when Gavin Williams came just two outs away from ending Cleveland’s 44-year no-hitter bid before Soto homered with one out in the ninth inning. Williams was on the verge of completing Major League Baseball’s first no-hitter of the 2025 season before Soto’s blast sent the baseball world into a frenzy. The last time the Guardians achieved a no-hitter was Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981—talk about pressure building up over four decades. But here’s the twist: while Williams was making history on the mound, his manager was creating his own drama in the dugout. That manager? Stephen Vogt.

But here’s where it gets interesting: Vogt turned into a statue in his own dugout. “I didn’t know if I could talk to Carl Willis, our pitching coach. I didn’t know if I could talk to our bench coach. Didn’t talk to anyone after the sixth inning because I didn’t know what the protocol was,” Vogt confessed. The first-time no-hitter manager was so paranoid about jinxing it that he created his own silent treatment: “Carl ignored me. Our bench coach ignored me and I ignored them, and so it was just one of those situations like I’ve never been in this situation, so I don’t know what to do.”

While Vogt’s dugout went radio silent, this wasn’t exactly uncharted territory for baseball superstitions. Players and managers have long subscribed to the unwritten rule of not mentioning a no-hitter in progress. Even Vogt himself experienced the silent treatment as a player when his Athletics teammates kept up the act for about 10 seconds before finally breaking the silence to celebrate. The difference here? Vogt was calling the shots, not catching them, and the weight of potentially breaking a four-decade drought had everyone walking on eggshells. Well, you know how baseball superstitions go—sometimes the silence speaks louder than words.

But while this near-miss might have stung, it’s just one chapter in what’s shaping up to be a pretty compelling Cleveland story this season. The real question is whether the Guardians can channel this momentum into something even bigger.

Guardians’ big picture this season

Speaking of silence breaking into celebration, the Guardians aren’t letting this near-miss define their season. At 59-55 through early August, Cleveland’s record might look ordinary on paper, but there’s serious momentum brewing in their clubhouse that goes way beyond statistical appearances.

Sure, they’re sitting six games behind those surprisingly hot Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, but here’s what the numbers don’t tell you. The Guardians have been scorching lately, posting a stellar 7-3 record over their last ten games while riding a sweet three-game winning streak into the weekend. Want to know what’s fueling this surge?

Jose Ramirez is straight-up carrying this team on his back right now. The veteran third baseman is putting together another monster season with 23 homers and 61 RBIs while slashing a solid .296 average. He’s been the steady pulse of Cleveland’s offense all year, delivering clutch hits when it matters most. Steven Kwan’s doing his part too, maintaining a respectable .284 average and giving the Guardians that reliable contact hitting they’ve built their identity around.

Here’s the thing about momentum in baseball—it’s contagious, and right now, Cleveland’s got it in spades. With key players stepping up and recent wins piling up, this team is positioning itself perfectly for a serious late-season charge. Six games back might sound daunting, but with the way this squad’s playing lately, don’t be surprised if September gets interesting in the AL Central.

The near no-hitter might have slipped away, but sometimes the best stories come from what happens after the heartbreak. This Guardians team looks ready to write its ending, and honestly, that might be even better than any single game could ever be.