CLEVELAND — Stephen Vogt is getting the full experience of life as a manager in his first year at the Guardians helm.

He's led the Guardians to an expectations-beating season. He has them in the thick of the American League Central race. He's guided the team through the highs of an unexpected offensive explosion in the first half of the season and the lows of a lineup-wide batting slump through most of July and August.

And he's loving every second of the day-by-day stress of a playoff race from the manager's office, along with being in the trenches with the entire organization.

"This is awesome. This is what you dream of," Vogt said before Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "You want to be playing meaningful baseball this time of year, and we're right in it. I couldn't be more proud of our group … And I think you couldn't ask for a better situation."

Guardians in playoff contention under first-year manager Stephen Vogt

The first-year manager has led the Guardians to a season that has exceeded every reasonable expectation imaginable. In reality, the Guardians could lose the rest of their games, and they'd still fare better by a final win-loss record than most would have predicted when spring training camp broke in March.

The Guardians were expected by most in the game to be fringe contenders for a playoff spot at best. What followed was a young team that raced to the best record in baseball several months into the season, grabbing control of the division and resetting those expectations anew.

That tide has turned a bit, as the Guardians' nine-game lead in late June dissolved to nothing by late August. But it was back up to a 1.5-game advantage entering Friday.

That poor stretch in August has set up a three-way race for the division in what could be razor-thin margins by the end of September. The Guardians, Royals and Twins seem primed for a battle leading into the final month of the season.

And Vogt is learning to navigate a playoff race right alongside them.

"Just learning. I'm learning new things every day, and navigating 162 games is really difficult," Vogt said when asked what has been the most difficult part of the job so far. "You've got people going through different things throughout the season on the field, off the field, and being able to navigate that and help guys be able to go out and play every night [is crucial]. And that's what our staff does really well."

Much of a manager's job responsibility involves things outside of simple in-game decisions. Throughout a six-month season that also involves nearly two months of spring training and additional preparation, managing the clubhouse with 26 players and numerous staff becomes central to the job description.

"For me, it's just the learning lessons of the emotions," Vogt said. "I've said this from Day 1, this is about the players, and one of the hardest things to do is when you're watching players go out and they're all working hard and giving all their effort and make not getting the results [they want]. So it's being able to help them stay in the right frame of mind, and that's difficult over the course of a six-month season because everybody's going to go through the ebbs and flows."

Alex Cobb expected to start Sunday's game as he returns from injury

Alex Cobb is expected to start Sunday's game — if all goes well.

Cobb has been on the injured list with a broken finger nail. Vogt said Friday that unless something pops up as a setback before then, he'll start Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Jose Ramirez has 30/30 season: Third baseman makes Guardians history

Cobb has started two games with the Guardians since being acquired before the trade deadline, allowing five earned runs in 10⅓ innings for a 4.35 ERA.

Emmanuel Clase sets Cleveland Guardians saves record

Emmanuel Clase, 26, set Cleveland's all-time saves record in Friday's win over the Pirates, earning No. 150. It was also Clase's 27th consecutive converted save chance and his third consecutive season with at least 40 saves, which are also club records.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Manager Stephen Vogt leading Cleveland Guardians in 2024 playoff race