'It feels like a home to me': Michael Brantley, Corey Kluber return for home opener

CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland outfielder Michael Brantley was never one to be too chatty with catchers when he stepped into the batter's box. That was his office, and he was all business when he was at work.

So he didn't have much of an interaction with new guardians manager Stephen Vogt, a former catcher as recently as 2022 who now has Cleveland off to an 8-3 start this season. But he had heard about Vogt's energy, and his ability to connect with people, from afar.

These same qualities were some of the leading reasons why Vogt was offered the job.

"You heard it from the other side," Brantley said. "He's high energy. We've always seen it through the other side. He's doing a phenomenal job so far. Heard nothing but positive things and I'm looking forward to following his career."

Former Cleveland ace and two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber spoke to Vogt's understanding of the game, something many catchers develop throughout a lengthy career in the majors.

"You can tell when a guy understands the game, almost kind of seeing things happen before they actually happen, that sort of stuff," Kluber said. "That's obviously why so many good catchers become good managers. They can see the game in that way. Thinking back on playing against him, that was definitely the case."

Vogt certainly remembers facing Kluber and trying to game plan, as a catcher working with pitchers, to attack Brantley.

"Frustrating is the best way to describe it," Vogt said, speaking of Brantley. "Michael Brantley is one of the best hitters in our game over the course of our game. … There were no holes, there was no way to get him off balance. He and Howie Kendrick are probably the two toughest hitters that I ever had to navigate as a catcher."

When it came to Kluber, well, Vogt actually got the best of him on one day. That was July 12, 2015, when Vogt was with the Oakland A's. Facing Kluber, he was first robbed of a home run by David Murphy. A few innings later, Vogt hit one far enough that nobody could rob him a second time.

"Obviously, that was a cool day," Vogt said. "What I remember about that is we were headed right to the All-Star Game [in Cincinnati] after that. That was the last day of the first half and we rode on a party bus with Jason Kipnis. It was just a really fun day."

Corey Kluber, Michael Brantley return to Cleveland, call it 'home'

Kluber and Brantley represent two of the cornerstones of the Cleveland teams in the mid-2010s that won three consecutive division titles and came oh so close to winning the World Series in 2016.

Both are now retired from playing. And both were in town to throw out the ceremonial first pitches for Monday's home opener against the Chicago White Sox. Out of all the crowd ovations during the pregame festivities, Brantley and Kluber received some of the loudest.

They've certainly given Vogt a stamp of approval. In a way, Kluber and Brantley being in town was fitting. They threw ceremonial first pitches and they, sort of, ceremonially passed the torch in a more official manner from one Guardians era to the next, this one now led by Vogt.

And for both, it felt like coming home.

"Coming back brings back a lot of good memories," Kluber said. "The relationships that you build over that time — we both stay in contact with a lot of people that were here, so that's what stands out to me."

Brantley added, "Anytime I get to come back here, it feels like a home to me. In this generation, guys don't stay together that long. We had a core group that stayed for a while and kind of watched us grow as a unit and had some really fun times."

Michael Brantley, Corey Kluber retirement brings them an opportunity to spend time with family

So what's next for Kluber and Brantley now that both are retired from their playing days? In their cases, it's a chance to increase some quality time with family.

"I tried to look at [retirement] the most I could as not moving away from something, but having the opportunity to do things i've never done before with family, go on spring break, summer vacation, those kinds of things that we miss out on for so long, that they miss out on with us for so long," Kluber said. "So just really trying to enjoy those moments."

As Brantley sees it, his family put in the time and sacrifices to support him through his playing days, and a grinding Major League Baseball schedule. Now it's their time to cash in on those sacrifices.

"Right now I would like to enjoy some time with my family — I think they earned it," Brantley said. "They deserve it for all the support they gave me. I'm going to enjoy a nice summer, but baseball in always in my blood. I'd love to get back to this game and be a part of it somehow, some way. And when the time comes, we'll figure it out."

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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: Corey Kluber and Michael Brantley return Guardians 2024 home opener