Guardians’ postseason-clinching win over Red Sox showcased all the ways Cleveland can win

Last night, the Guardians clinched a spot in the 2026 postseason with perhaps the most Guardians way possible. 

Their one run came on an Angel Martínez home run that would have been a home run only at Fenway Park, and their pitching staff dealt thanks to Joey Cantillo’s strong bulk outing behind Daniel Espino working as an opener. 

It felt like a postseason game, both because of the talent on the field and because of the cold chill in the air (Wednesday’s game also ended with a score of 1-0). 

This year hasn’t been an easy journey for the Guardians, but it’s another season that’s going to end with the Guardians playing winner-take-all baseball. 

The Guardians clinched a spot in the postseason in the most Guardians way possible

Although the Guardians offense hasn’t hit the same lows it did last season when they made the postseason despite hitting .226 (the worst team batting average in franchise history). 

They’ve been a bit better this season (.237 batting average), but they could still make some history thanks to the… varied production from across the offense. 

The Guardians have no qualified batter hitting over .300, no hitter with 20+ home runs, 75+ RBI and 40+ stolen bases. If that holds, the Guardians would become the first team to make the postseason without having a hitter reach any of those individual plateaus. 

But there’s a bit more context that needs to go into that. 

Chase DeLauter leads the Guardians with a .287 batting average, but Steven Kwan is right behind him at .280 and likely would have a batting average over .300 if not for his horrific start to the season. 

Same thing with the home runs. Martínez’s homer last night was his team-leading 18th longball, and he would have easily cleared the 20 home run plateau if he didn’t miss a month earlier in the summer. 

Brayan Rocchio is the closest to reaching 75 RBI (he has 70), but so much of his production depends on what happens ahead of him since he’s the No. 9 hitter. 

If anything, the stolen base mark is one that could be broken the easiest since 

José Ramírez is just three steals away from recording 40 for the third straight season. 

Ramírez’s struggles have played a huge part in the Guardians’ inability to reach those plateaus since he would easily have 20+ home runs and 75+ RBI if he didn’t suffer his hamate fracture in June. 

This iteration of the Guardians is never going to be mistaken for the slugging iterations of the team from the late 2010s, but they have a bit more pop than in years prior. But they can still win a messy 1-0 game, as Thursday showed. 

It may not have as clear of a definition as the ‘Guards Ball’ Guardians of 2025, but it’s going to be on full display in October once again. 

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