In baseball, as in life, context matters. Falling in the AL Division Series to a division rival would have drawn the Cleveland Guardians heavy criticism, even though they made the postseason, which was their initial goal. However, being a top-four squad in baseball and reaching the AL Championship Series is a step that needs to be celebrated regardless of the outcome.
This doesn’t mean the Guardians will settle for an ALCS loss, or that they will just surrender to the Tampa Bay Rays. It means that the fact that they are among the last four teams standing should be appreciated and celebrated. Analyst Ken Carman certainly thinks so.
“If they lose to the Tampa Bay Rays, who cares? You’ll care that they went far again, and maybe they didn’t add enough. We’ll have those conversations. I’ll entertain it if they were to lose. It’s still not as bad of a conversation as losing to a team that’s in your division that lost three straight seasons of a 100-loss games. That would have been far worse. Tampa Bay’s really good. You’re really good. You’re one of the four teams left playing baseball. This is an accomplishment, and it should be given as such,” Carman said.
“You’re one of the four teams left playing baseball. This is an accomplishment, and it should be given as such.”
➡️ @KenCarman w/ @NickPedone12 on why the Guardians’ ALCS run should already be viewed as a success, regardless of what happens against Tampa Bay.#Guardians pic.twitter.com/D8h6oLUuqt
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) October 12, 2026
Making it to the American League Championship Series is incredibly difficult. It means a team is good enough to win in the regular season and also competitive enough to get victories in a postseason setting. Some say October baseball is a completely different animal than what happens between March and September.
Since 2000, the Guardians have only made it to the League Championship Series four times, and they have done it just 10 times in their long and rich history. It’s incredibly hard and rare.
Fans are probably already appreciative of what the Guardians have achieved this year. However, they also want more. It’s normal. They experienced strong emotions in 2016, the last time the organization made it to the World Series, and they want that again. They also want to celebrate a World Series title: not many people who were around in 1948 are alive at this point.
Cleveland certainly won’t be the favorite to advance to the Fall Classic. The 98-64 Rays finished 13 games ahead of the 85-77 Guardians. However, the latter are familiar with the underdog label. In a way, they embrace it.
Anything can happen over a best-of-series affair. Don’t be surprised if the Guardians pull off the miracle.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Why Jose Ramirez’s Postseason Narrative Needs To Change
