The most enduring image from the last time a Chicago baseball team played a postseason game in Cleveland is seared in the sport’s history. The Chicago Cubs celebrated their first World Series title since 1908 after beating the then-Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 Fall Classic; their long championship drought had finally ended.
I have another image from that rainy evening, and it was not joyful. Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti walked through the clubhouse and, with tears in his eyes, embraced each player. His team had come oh-so-close to ending its own long and painful championship drought. It held a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series but allowed the Cubs to come back and win the last three games.
Ten years later, the drought continues. The Guardians haven’t won the World Series since 1948. That’s 76 years for those who are counting, and rest assured, Guardians fans are indeed counting.
Cleveland's near miss in 2016 began a run of eight postseason appearances in 11 seasons. They are back in October this year, and begin play Saturday when they host the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a best-of-five ALDS at Progressive Field.
It would be understandable for fans in Northeast Ohio to have a bit of fatigue to set in; always the plucky bridesmaid, never the bride. But these Guardians insist this time will be different, and after spending time around the clubhouse during their pre-ALDS workout, it's hard not to be convinced.
Guardians recent postseason history full of heartbreak
The Guardians haven’t been back to the Fall Classic since 2016. They have made it as far as the American League Championship Series only once since then, losing to the New York Yankees in 2024 in five games.
It took yet another one of Cleveland's usual late-season surges to reach the postseason this year. They won 22 of their last 32 games to overtake the White Sox and win the AL Central by one game.
Is this the year the Guardians ride that September momentum all the way through October and win it all? They certainly hope so.
“I definitely think it's different this year,” Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan said. “I think our depth in the lineup is a lot different. Options from the left and right side—a mix of the young and the old —which is really exciting. And the pitching has always been how it has been. So yeah, definitely think it's different, hard to say, better or worse, but yeah, a lot of reason to feel confident. I think we have a good mix of players.”
The Guardians have championship-caliber pitching again this year, with their 3.77 ERA ranking eighth in the Majors during the regular season. Cade Smith is an All-Star closer, and Cleveland will start two of the game’s top young pitchers to open the ALDS, with rookie left-hander Parker Messick getting the ball in Game 1 and right-hander Gavin Williams tabbed for Game 2 on Monday.
Messick, 25, has been outstanding, posting a 12-9 record and a 2.56 ERA in 32 starts. Williams, 27, led the AL with 248 strikeouts in 184.1 innings while going 14-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 32 starts.
Can several new faces give Cleveland a higher offensive ceiling?
The Guardians’ problem throughout most of the last decade has been a lack of game-breaking power. They wear teams out during the regular season with Guardsball, an offense that requires plate discipline and aggressive base-running and offers little margin for error when the lights are brightest.
“You’ve got to hit the ball out of the ballpark to beat really good pitching,” a Guardians person told FanSided. “That’s been our downfall in October's past.”
The Guardians were 24th in baseball in scoring and 27th in home runs during the regular season. However, they added four new players to the lineup during the season, promoting All-Star second baseman Travis Bazzana from the Minor Leagues and trading for catcher Patrick Bailey while acquiring first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and designated hitter Jo Adell. Add in other top prospects like Chase DeLauter and Angel Genao, and there's more new blood — and upside — in this lineup than Cleveland has seen in some time.
Bazzana grew up in Australia before matriculating to Oregon State and being the first overall selection by the Guardians in the 2024 amateur draft. Though 14 years old, halfway around the world and in school, Bazzana kept close tabs on the 2016 World Series.
“The first thing that came to my mind of like a postseason moment that I recall as a kid was probably the last time this city was super, super heartbroken,” Bazzana said. “I remember watching that whole World Series in '16, like in class throughout. Yeah. Shouldn't have been probably watching it, but sneaking ways to watch the baseball, and I remember the last inning, the last out, those things kind of stick in my mind.”
Bazzana and his teammates can mend some broken hearts — and not even risk getting sent to the principal’s office.
“We all understand the opportunity we have to bring something to the city of Cleveland that they've waited a long time for,” Bazzana said. “And they're behind us fully, and we're just going to walk in and give it everything we got.”
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