4 beloved former Guardians who earned a chance at a World Series ring last night

The World Series is here, and the Guardians are… kind of there? While the Guardians season ended at the hands of the Tigers in the Wild Card Series, the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a berth to the World Series yesterday with a win over the Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS. 

And there are plenty of former Guardians who will have a chance to reach the top of the mountaintop thanks to the Blue Jays affinity for grabbing former Guardians. 

Here are four former Guardians who have a chance to win a World Series with the Blue Jays. 

Note: An honorable mention goes out to former Guardian Alex Call, who already clinched a spot in the World Series thanks to the Dodgers sweeping the Brewers in the NLCS. 

At least one former Guardian will win the World Series this year 

Shane Bieber 

While Bieber’s trade at this year’s deadline made sense given his impending free agency, seeing him start in the World Series for a team other than the Guardians is still going to hurt. 

He’s posted a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays this postseason and allowed two runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings in Game 7 of the ALCS. 

The Blue Jays will have three days to set their starting rotation ahead of Game 1 of the World Series, so Bieber will likely get the ball in Game 2 or 3. 

Even if Bieber has looked pretty average this postseason, the fact that he’s healthy and has shown flashes of dominance means that he’ll make a ton of money in free agency this offseason. 

Ernie Clement 

Not only does Clement have a chance to make Gold Glove history, but he also has a chance to win his first career World Series with the underdog Blue Jays. 

He’s in the midst of a stellar postseason where he’s hit .429 with one home run, seven RBI, three doubles and a triple. 

Clement’s turning into a cult hero in Toronto and looking more and more like the one who got away for the Guardians. 

Andrés Giménez

After hitting just seven home runs in 101 games in the regular season, Giménez slugged two homers in back-to-back games in the ALCS to help fuel the Blue Jays comeback. 

The biggest reason the Guardians got rid of Giménez was his bloated (self-inflicted) contract, but Toronto’s win over the Mariners showed the kind of value that Giménez brings to the table. 

There were plenty of moments this year where Giménez made Blue Jays fans want to rip their hair out in a way that likely felt similar to a lot of Guardians fans, but it won’t be a surprise if he becomes an X-factor for Toronto this postseason. 

Myles Straw 

At one point, the Guardians liked Straw so much they signed him to a five-year contract extension. While that contract ended up becoming an anchor on their payroll, the Blue Jays have finally figured out how to use Straw in a way the Guardians never did. 

He only had 267 at-bats for the Blue Jays during the regular season (more than 200 less than he had in any full season in Cleveland) but still made an impact thanks to his speed and contact-based approach at the plate. 

He’s primarily been used as a defensive replacement this postseason, though he has gone 2-for-9 at the plate with an RBI and three runs scored. He may not be in the Blue Jays’ starting lineup in the World Series, but he could impact the end of some games.