CLEVELAND, Ohio — After 13 regular-season meetings and a division race that went down to the wire, the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox are about to see a lot more of each other.
Only this time, the stakes are considerably higher.
Cleveland will welcome its American League Central rival to Progressive Field Saturday afternoon for Game 1 of a best-of-five American League Division Series, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Chicago arrives in Cleveland with plenty of momentum after going into Houston and sweeping the Astros in two games in the Wild Card Series. The White Sox won Game 1 by a 6-3 score before finishing the job with a 7-3 victory Wednesday night.
The sweep gave Chicago its first postseason series victory since 2005 — when the White Sox swept Houston in the World Series.
Now comes a familiar opponent.
It Doesn’t Get Much Closer
If the regular season is any indication, Guardians fans should prepare themselves for a stressful series.
Chicago won the season series 7-6, but the numbers illustrate just how little separated these teams. The White Sox outscored Cleveland only 58-57 across their 13 meetings.
Cleveland ultimately got the result that mattered most.
The Guardians finished 85-77, one game ahead of the 84-78 White Sox, capturing their third consecutive AL Central championship and earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
Cleveland took control of the division race by winning two of three against Chicago at Progressive Field in September and never surrendered the lead.
Now Chicago gets another opportunity — this time with Cleveland’s season on the line.
Surprisingly, despite sharing a division since 1994 and playing countless meaningful games against each other, the Guardians and White Sox have never met in the postseason.
Saturday will change that.
Kwan Could Be Cleveland’s X-Factor
Photo by Charles Murray
If there is one Guardians hitter Chicago probably doesn’t want to see at the plate right now, it’s Steven Kwan.
Kwan has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break, leading Major League Baseball with a .353 batting average during the second half.
That’s exactly the kind of hitter Cleveland needs in October.
Kwan’s ability to reach base, put the ball in play and set the table for the middle of Cleveland’s lineup could become one of the biggest factors in this series. October baseball frequently comes down to manufacturing one run, extending an inning or getting a runner into scoring position.
Kwan is built for those situations.
Deadline Moves Give Cleveland More Firepower
The Guardians’ offense also looks different than the one Chicago saw earlier in the season.
Cleveland’s additions of Nathaniel Lowe and Jo Adell helped provide much-needed power and depth to an offense that struggled to hit home runs for stretches of the year.
The Guardians finished the regular season with 162 home runs, compared with Chicago’s 211, so Cleveland probably doesn’t want this series to become a home-run derby.
But Lowe and Adell give manager Stephen Vogt additional weapons that can change a game with one swing.
That improved lineup helped Cleveland go 24-11 over its final 35 games, allowing the Guardians to erase what had been a 5½-game deficit to Chicago on Aug. 20 and ultimately capture the division.
How Healthy Is José Ramírez?
Photo by Charles Murray
Then there is the player who could ultimately determine Cleveland’s October ceiling: José Ramírez.
Ramírez underwent surgery earlier this season to repair a fractured left hamate bone, and his offensive production understandably suffered afterward. He posted just a .598 OPS with two home runs following the All-Star break.
Recovering from hamate surgery can take time, however, and Cleveland now hopes its superstar third baseman can continue getting healthier and rediscover his usual offensive form on baseball’s biggest stage.
A productive Ramírez completely changes the complexion of Cleveland’s lineup.
With Kwan reaching base ahead of him and hitters such as Adell, Lowe, Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana surrounding him, the Guardians don’t necessarily need Ramírez to carry the offense by himself.
But October José Ramírez being anything close to the player Cleveland fans have watched for years would be an enormous boost.
Division Rivals Settle It in October
Chicago should enter Progressive Field with confidence.
The White Sox just walked into Houston and eliminated the Astros without losing a game. They also know they can beat Cleveland after taking seven of 13 meetings during the regular season.
But Cleveland has advantages of its own.
The Guardians had time to rest their pitching staff while Chicago fought through the Wild Card Series. Cleveland also earned home-field advantage, with Games 1 and 2 at Progressive Field and a potential deciding Game 5 back in Cleveland.
After spending an entire summer fighting for the AL Central championship, perhaps it is fitting that the Guardians and White Sox will have to go through each other again to keep their World Series dreams alive.
Thirteen regular-season games separated them by just one victory and one run.
Cleveland won the division by one game.
Chicago won the season series by one game.
Now none of that matters.
The first postseason series in the long history between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox begins Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field.
And this time, three wins are all that matter.
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