The Guardians' playoff exit is the product of one thing and one thing only

In the days since the Cleveland Guardians were eliminated in the ALCS by the New York Yankees, many have tried to explain the reason for their failure in every way possible. While some have resorted to the lights being too bright and blaming ownership, the reality is there is only one reason why Cleveland's season came to an end and New York is continuing their quest for their 28th World Series title. That reason? Execution.

When it comes down to it, the Guardians failed to execute and the Yankees did, there is no reason to try and contextualize how the series played out beyond this simple fact. Any time New York needed someone to come through in a big spot, they did. Meanwhile, Cleveland rarely enjoyed that same luxury in the ALCS.

Sure, some of the differences between the two teams executing can be attributed to the Guardians being outnumbered in the star-caliber player department, and there is some truth to that, but the fact remains that the ability to execute is the difference here. Even the few stars that are currently on Cleveland's roster were unable to match the clutch output of the Yankees' counterparts. Far too often, Cleveland found themselves in a big spot that could have altered the trajectory of a game or the series, but they would come up short, and time and time again, the Yankees would find a way, resulting in their 4-1 win over Cleveland.

Is this an oversimplification of how the series between New York and Cleveland played out? Maybe. But on the other hand, why overanalyze something that does not necessarily need it? Sometimes, the best way to look at something is the simplest and easiest way rather than trying to put together a laundry list of reasons that end up being nonsensical and unnecessary.