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In 2013, the Cleveland Guardians, then known as the Cleveland Indians, were a pleasant surprise to many, just as they were in 2022.
While the American League Central was dominated by the Detroit Tigers at the time, the Indians had made some improvements and bridged the gap.
2013 was also the first year for Terry Francona as manager of the team.
Late in the season, the Indians went on a surge, winning 10 games in a row to capture the top AL Wild Card spot.
One of the highlights of that streak was a walk-off home run by MLB legend Jason Giambi on September 24.
On Twitter, the Guardians posted a video of the moment as a way to honor him on his 52nd birthday.
Today is Jason Giambi's birthday, and who could forget this? pic.twitter.com/H8UhOAntuQ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) January 8, 2023
Giambi came to the big leagues in 1995 with the Oakland Athletics and played there until 2001.
The slugger then spent seven years with the New York Yankees before another brief stop in Oakland and a few seasons with the Colorado Rockies.
He spent his last two seasons in Cleveland.
In this game, the Indians were down to their final out, trailing the Chicago White Sox by a run.
But Giambi connected on a 1-1 pitch from White Sox reliever Addison Reed and sent it well over the right field wall to give the Tribe a 5-4 win.
Over 20 seasons in Major League Baseball, Giambi hit a total of 440 home runs and had a career WAR of 50.5.
The slugger retired after the 2014 season, but his career was full of legendary moments and some big home runs.
More must-reads:
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- The 'MLB Rookies of the Year' quiz
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