The Cleveland Guardians have heard all season long that they were not good enough. They heard it in August when their playoff odds dropped, they heard it in September when they fell behind the White Sox in the division race, and they heard it again last week when they lost the first two games of the American League Division Series at home. Every time, they responded. Now Cleveland is heading to the American League Championship Series after becoming the first team in franchise history to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a postseason series. The team’s official account took a victory lap on Sunday, sharing a video of the scene at Progressive Field during the ALDS along with a clear message.
“The haters said it couldn’t be done. Bad read by the haters.”
The haters said it couldn't be done. Bad read by the haters.#GuardsBall | #StandGuard pic.twitter.com/ocYRYgEnJW
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 11, 2026
The video shows exactly why the Guardians feel that way. It is fair to say plenty of people doubted this team.
The biggest doubts came in the division series. The Guardians managed just three runs in losses in Games 1 and 2 at Progressive Field, and history said their season was all but over. Teams that win the first two games of a best of five series had gone on to advance 83 out of 93 times. Some former players and analysts said the series already felt close to finished.
Cleveland had other ideas. The Guardians won 9-3 in Game 3 in Chicago behind José Ramírez and a bases clearing triple from Jo Adell, then scored six runs in the sixth inning of Game 4 to win 9-5 and force a decisive Game 5. Back home on Saturday night, Gavin Williams carried a no hitter into the sixth inning and struck out twelve, Ramírez hit a two run homer, and the Guardians won 2-0. They became just the eleventh team ever to win a best of five series after losing the first two games, and only the fourth to do it after dropping both of those games at home.
They also did it without a massive payroll. The Rays, Guardians and Brewers have a combined payroll that is still smaller than the Dodgers’ payroll on its own. Cleveland built this roster on player development, smart trades and veterans who fit, and it has worked better than almost anyone predicted.
The doubters are not going away just yet, though. Las Vegas oddsmakers opened the Guardians as +150 underdogs in the ALCS against the Rays, who swept the Yankees in their division series and will host Game 1 on Monday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field.
That suits this team just fine. The Guardians have made a habit of proving people wrong all year. If the haters are counting them out once again, Cleveland is more than happy to deliver another bad read.
NEXT: Oddsmakers Reveal Their Early ALCS Verdict On The Guardians
