'He's our spark plug': Unheralded Kwan the key to Guardians' offense

NEW YORK -- Heading into the American League Championship Series against the Yankees, Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan might not carry the star power of pinstriped sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton or even teammate José Ramírez, who still somehow continues to fly under the radar. When it comes to Cleveland’s keys to victory in this matchup, however, Kwan’s importance is undeniable.

There is no question that the strength of this Guardians offense comes in numbers. That was evident in its ability to grind through a five-game AL Division Series win over the Tigers despite Ramírez hitting just .188. It took a collective effort by Cleveland, which has proven that any player in this lineup can come through on any given night. But what held true during the regular season has continued into the postseason: As Kwan goes, so go the Guardians.

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In Kwan’s 127 games this season, including the postseason, the Guardians are 70-57. Whenever Cleveland wins, Kwan’s electric presence atop the lineup has been a common factor:

? In the 70 wins, Kwan is slashing .357/.437/.555 (.991 OPS) with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, 36 RBIs, 39 walks and 72 runs in 324 plate appearances.

? In the 57 losses, Kwan is slashing .229/.294/.271 (.565) with one homer, eight RBIs, 16 walks and 17 runs scored in 239 plate appearances.

In other words, Kwan is the engine that makes this offense go.

“He's our spark plug,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He gets us going. He definitely did that in the DS.”

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It was a downright historic showing in the ALDS for Kwan. He went 11-for-21 (.524) in five games against the Tigers, finishing one hit shy of matching the record for an ALDS and becoming just the sixth player in Major League history to post a batting average of at least .520 (minimum 20 plate appearances) in a Division Series. The other five:

? Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle: .600 vs. Cleveland in 2001 ALDS
? Edgar Martinez, Seattle: .571 vs. N.Y. Yankees in 1995 ALDS
? Andruw Jones, Atlanta: .526 vs. Houston in 2004 NLDS
? Justin Turner, Los Angeles: .526 vs. N.Y. Mets in 2015 NLDS
? Marquis Grissom, Atlanta: .524 vs. Colorado in 1995 NLDS

It was a performance that left Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch -- who has seen his share of elite postseason hitting displays after 11 seasons as a manager, including four trips to the playoffs in his five seasons with the Astros -- marveling at Kwan’s dominance at the plate.

“He's a problem,” Hinch said Saturday after the Guardians' 7-3 win in Game 5. “When he gets in this mode where he's pulling the ball and he's shooting balls up the middle and he's able to stay on balls down the left-field line, he's really hard to deal with. … I love a lot of their players and a lot of what they did, but he is an engine that creates a lot of pressure that you've got to deal with behind him. … They made contact, and that type of style of player and type of mindset is ignited by Steven Kwan. He had an incredible series.”

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The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Kwan carried the load while the rest of Cleveland’s hitters combined to hit .192 (28-for-146) in the ALDS. Of course, others got the job done in clutch moments, none bigger than Lane Thomas bashing a grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5. But even that fifth-inning rally was set up in part by Kwan’s one-out single to left-center earlier in the frame.

“The way Steven swung the bat this last series was fun to watch,” Vogt said. “He's one of the best complete hitters in our game. He's got power. He finds the barrel. He finds grass on the outfield. He's a good hitter, and he'll take what the pitcher gives you. And if you make a mistake, he's got the power to hit it out of the yard.”

Even though Kwan was a first-time All-Star this year, there was some concern over what version of him the Guardians might get in the postseason. He hit .195 (8-for-41) in a September that was also impacted by mid-back inflammation that landed him on the injured list on Sept. 17.

Perhaps it was the five-day rest period from the end of the regular season to the ALDS that got him right. Or maybe Kwan is just built for these moments; his 10-game postseason hitting streak, tied with Kenny Lofton for longest in club history, would suggest that.

Either way, if the underdog Guardians are going to take down the Bronx Bombers and reach their first World Series since 2016, the hot-hitting Kwan will likely have his fingerprints all over it.