The Guardians defeat the Tigers 7-3 to advance to the American League Championship Series. Emmanuel Clase does not start the eighth inning, but after the first batter reaches, he comes on for the six out save. Lane Thomas starred on the offensive side, driving in five runs with a single and a grand slam.

When this century started, five of the sixteen teams that defined the modern era of baseball had not won a World Series in my lifetime. The Indians had the fourth longest drought. The Red Sox and Giants won multiple titles since then, and both Chicago teams won one championship. The Indians were there when the Cubs won. Now, as the Guardians, they have a chance to break that streak that started after the Indians won in 1948. A number of expansion teams also won for the first time in this century, so we’ll see if this team can be part of the drought ending century.