The Cleveland Guardians were knocked down and on the verge of being counted out. They not only got up, but fought back with enough determination to tie the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox at two wins apiece.
Good fighters bounce back from adversity. Rocky Balboa said it best: “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”
That’s how winning is done.
Cleveland lost the first two games at home, at Progressive Field, only to bounce back and beat the White Sox two nights in a row at Rate Field. Everything is set for a decisive Game 5 on Saturday night.
Analyst Anthony Lima praised the team and players for an epic turnaround when everyone left them for dead.
“It’s just such a turnaround from how we felt about this team in the first two games to seeing what has transpired in the last two games, then having the opportunity that you have, especially at home, and how great was it? Storied Rate Field, where they kept showing on the one part of the stadium where it had 1906—that was the last time that they had closed out any kind of series, and it was, I think, against the Chicago Cubs. They kept hitting on that because it’s almost like they were trying to will it to happen—to make it a story—and the Guardians are going to make them wait another, who knows, a hundred years. Because it’s not happening this series. If the Guardians take care of business at home and vanquish the mighty White Sox, then it is going to be a long offseason because they thought it was a foregone conclusion,” Lima said.
“Such a turnaround from how we felt about this team in the first two games to seeing what has transpired in the last two games.”
➡️ @SportsBoyTony w/ @KenCarman on the Guardians flipping the series, putting the pressure back on Chicago and forcing a winner-take-all Game 5.… pic.twitter.com/SxxpSfXOgQ
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) October 9, 2026
It’s important to point out that whoever wins Game 5 will earn the right to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series. Chicago can still be that team if they beat Cleveland on Saturday. The Guardians, however, are on an upward trajectory. They have scored 18 runs in the last two games, and they seem to have the White Sox pitching staff’s number after failing miserably in the first two matchups.
We have seen, in the last two games, the White Sox’s pitching staff struggle to contain the Guardians’ bats. It’s not just the batted balls, which are starting to fall because they are mostly well-hit, but the plate discipline, too. On Thursday, Chicago’s arms walked Cleveland batters seven times, with just three strikeouts. They weren’t fooling them.
Ultimately, Stephen Vogt and his group of players will have to show it on the field, but at this point, the Guardians are favorites to advance.
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