Noel channels Guards’ leader in wild Game 2 play

The only thing that Jhonkensy Noel was thinking when he was running after the ball in right field in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tigers was, “Do the Kwan turn.”

The game was scoreless in the fifth. Any baserunner was a tremendous threat. So when Justyn-Henry Malloy sent what looked like a double down the right-field line, Noel took off and knew he had to replicate what he’s seen his teammate Steven Kwan do hundreds of times: Cut the ball off before it reaches the wall, spin and fire to second base as quickly as possible.

“For a guy who’s going to win his third Gold Glove, you know, you try to replicate as much as you can,” Noel said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “So when he does that type of thing, you try to learn.”

Kwan has said in the past how much pride he takes in his defense. It’s not always the flashy plays like he made in the eighth inning of Monday’s Game 2 that mean the most. It’s the pride he has in holding runners to a single instead of letting them get a double because of his ability to field, turn and fire into second base in one swift motion. From the other side of the field, Kwan saw Noel execute it perfectly.

“I’ve had it happen more often than not where you get ready for this play, you got your arm primed, and you just miss the ball,” Kwan said. “So being able to kind of sync all that up, get the footwork right and then obviously make the throw, that’s a crazy play.”

The Guardians have tried a handful of players in the outfield this year. Tyler Freeman got his first experience in center field to start the season. Johnathan Rodriguez made his debut and played a few games in right field. Noel made his debut and has played a good bit of right field. Will Brennan has been alongside Kwan in the Majors since 2022.

All of these guys have benefitted from seeing Kwan own his position in left field from the minute he made his debut on Opening Day 2022.

“Our team is full of leadership, and that looks different to everybody,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “And the way Steven Kwan attacks the outfield work, the pregame, the throwing to bases in practice, we work on that every day. … For Jhonkensy to credit he wanted to make a Kwan play, it’s perfect, because Kwanie takes pride in his accurate throws. And I think that’s the only replay I’ve watched from [Game 2], and, wow, what a throw Jhonkensy made.”

Just after this play, Vogt walked out to the mound to replace his starter, Matthew Boyd, with Cade Smith. During the pitching change, Noel, Kwan and Lane Thomas gathered in the outfield to chat. Noel immediately hustled over to tell them both that the only thing he was trying to do on that play was be like Kwan.

Kwan, in his usual humble ways, rolls his eyes discussing this, making sure Noel knew it was his play, not a Kwan play.

“I told him I’ve never blindly threw it and got it all the way to second base,” Kwan said. “Usually mine get there in like five or six [bounces].”

Even if he doesn’t want the spotlight, the Guardians have their leader in Kwan in the outfield. He’s set the precedent by winning a Gold Glove in each of his first two seasons in the big leagues and is a heavy favorite to take home the hardware again in his third. And for baseball’s third-youngest roster, they need as many veterans as they can get.

“It’s definitely cool hearing that from him,” Kwan said. “I mean, he’s so unbelievably talented. I didn’t even see it until the replay again that he was also throwing into the sun, which is crazy. Usually when I spin, I kind of can orient myself. But he was truly throwing blind. So, I mean, that was unbelievable from him.”