Cleveland Guardians

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The franchise originated in 1896 as the Columbus Buckeyes (also known as the Columbus Senators), a minor league club based in Columbus, Ohio that played in the Western League. The team relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, midway through the 1899 season, where they were known as the Grand Rapids Prodigals. In 1900, the franchise moved to Cleveland and was called the Cleveland Lake Shores. 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 known as 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 season, and club owner Charles Somers requested that baseball writers choose a new name. They chose Cleveland Indians, which remained in use for more than a century. Common nicknames for the Indians were "the Tribe" and "the Wahoos", the latter referencing their longtime logo, Chief Wahoo. After the Indians name came under criticism as part of the Native American mascot controversy, the team adopted the current name, Guardians, beginning with the 2022 season. From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the team won 22 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in American League history, and the second-longest winning streak in MLB history. As of the end of the 2025 season, the franchise's overall major league record is 9,940–9,443–91 (.513).

In Their Own Story

Between August 24 and September 14, 2017, the team achieved a historic milestone by winning 22 consecutive games. This run stands as the longest winning streak in American League history and the second-longest in MLB history. The franchise's overall major league record through the end of the 2025 season is 9,940–9,443–91, reflecting a .513 winning percentage. Spring training has long been held at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team's mascot is named Slider. Early years saw financial struggles that nearly forced a move to Pittsburgh or Cincinnati before the acquisition of star player Nap Lajoie stabilized the club.

Reader's Guide

Early Cleveland baseball teams: According to one historian of baseball, "in 1857, baseball games were a daily spectacle in Cleveland's Public Squares. City authorities tried to find an ordinance forbidding it; to the joy of the crowd, they were unsuccessful." 1865–1872: Forest Citys of Cleveland. From 1865 to 1868 Forest Citys was an amateur ball club. During the 1869 season, Cleveland was among several cities that established professional baseball teams following the success of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team. In the newspapers before and after 1870, the team was often called the Forest Citys, in the same generic way that the team from Chicago was sometimes called The Chicagos. A professional baseball team has played in Cleveland for all but a few years since then. In 1871 the Forest Citys joined the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), the first professional league. Ultimately, two of the league's western clubs went out of business during the first season and the Chicago Fire left that city's White Stockings impoverished, unable to field a team again until 1874. Cleveland was thus the NA's westernmost outpost in 1872, the year the club folded. Cleveland played its full schedule to July 19 followed by two games versus Boston in mid-August and disbanded at the end of the season. 1879–1884: Cleveland Forest Citys and Blues. In 1876, the National League (NL) supplanted the NA as the major professional league. Cleveland was not among its charter members, but by 1879 the league was looking for new entries and the city gained an NL team. A new Cleveland Forest Citys were recreated, but by 1882 were known as the Cleveland Blues, because the National League required distinct colors for that season. The Blues had mediocre records for six seasons and were ruined by a trade war with the Union Association (UA) in 1884, when its three best players (Fred Dunlap, Jack Glasscock, and Jim McCormick) jumped to the UA after being offered higher salaries. The Cleveland Blues merged with the St. Louis Maroons UA team in 1885. 1887–1899: Cleveland Spiders (nicknamed "Blues"). Cleveland went without major league baseball for two seasons until gaining a team in the American Association (AA) in 1887. After the AA's Pittsburgh Alleghenys jumped to the NL, Cleveland followed suit in 1889, as the AA began to crumble. The

Did You Know?

• The team's World Series championship drought, dating to 1948, is the longest active among the 30 current Major League teams.
• From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the team won 22 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in American League history.
• The team's name is derived from the Guardians of Traffic, eight 1932 Art Deco sculptures on Cleveland's Hope Memorial Bridge.
• The franchise originated in 1896 as the Columbus Buckeyes, a minor league club in the Western League.

Early Career and Minor League Development

Despite fluctuating win-loss records, he consistently logged significant innings, reaching 106 innings in 2019 with a 3.99 ERA. This extensive minor league tenure served as a crucial foundation, allowing him to refine his pitching mechanics before eventually being selected by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 draft at the end of 2019.

Major League Debut and Tenure with Seattle

Ramírez made his Major League Baseball debut on July 24, 2020, pitching for the Seattle Mariners against their former organization, the Houston Astros. In this historic first appearance, he recorded a scoreless inning and secured his initial strikeout against catcher Martín Maldonado. His rookie campaign was statistically notable, as he finished with a solid 2.61 ERA alongside 26 strikeouts in just over 20 innings, though he also issued 20 walks. The following year, he expanded his role to 25 appearances, posting a 3.90 ERA and striking out 35 batters across nearly 28 innings. However, his performance dipped significantly in 2022; after only seven appearances with a struggling 7.56 ERA, the Mariners designated him for assignment in May, marking the end of his time with the franchise that had given him his first taste of major league baseball.

Brief Stint and Trade to Cleveland

Following his departure from Seattle, Ramírez was traded to the Cleveland Guardians on May 16, 2022, in a deal involving cash considerations or a player to be named later. During this period, he allowed five earned runs over ten innings of work. He did make one major league appearance for Cleveland on June 24, pitching two innings while allowing a single run on three hits. Despite this limited exposure at the highest level, his tenure with the Guardians was short-lived; just days after his debut, he was designated for assignment on July 3, spending less than a month with the team before moving on to another franchise.

Peripatetic Journey Through Multiple Franchises

After leaving Cleveland, Ramírez embarked on a whirlwind journey through numerous MLB clubs, becoming a quintessential journeyman pitcher. His career saw rapid transitions as he was designated for assignment multiple times across the Orioles, Dodgers, Red Sox, and a second stint with the Mets and Pirates. Notable moments included a difficult outing against the San Francisco Giants in July 2024 while with the Dodgers, where he surrendered five runs without retiring a batter. By October 2024, he had cleared waivers to Worcester before electing free agency, only to re-sign with Pittsburgh later that month, highlighting his persistent resilience and ability to remain active across the league despite constant roster turnover.