Chicago White Sox: Cleveland Guardians clinch the AL Central

The Chicago White Sox were swept by the Cleveland Guardians last week. That pretty much put them out of the division title race but crazier things have happened. Well, no crazy things are going to be happening with the AL Central this year as it is all locked up.

Because the White Sox decided to allow Cleveland to sweep them and then lose the first two games of their Detroit Tigers series, Sunday had a chance to be that magical day for the Guardians. It ended up being the case.

The magic number was just one for them so all they needed to do was win. They didn’t even need to wait to win, however, as they clinched when the White Sox lost the series finale to the Detroit Tigers and were swept at home.

Of course, Cleveland won their own game as well with a big victory over the Texas Rangers on the back of a grand slam by Steven Kwan. That team has gotten it done this season and deserves to be the division champions. This is their first AL Central crown since 2018.

We knew it was coming but it still hurts just the same as a fan of the team. All season long, they barely trailed in the division and kept it close just to completely blow it in the final few weeks of the season.

The Chicago White Sox are mathematically out of the division title race.

As bad as both the White Sox and Twins should feel this year, Cleveland went 18-3 in its final 21 games. This also speaks volumes as to how good they were down the stretch. It is a team that went out and grabbed what they wanted and didn’t worry about what anyone else was doing.

There will be folks that underestimate them going into the playoffs because of the yearlong storyline surrounding the AL Central. However, this Cleveland team is talented, young, and aggressive. They hit, pitch, run, and play defense as well as anyone.

As of now, the White Sox are not eliminated from postseason contention but that day is coming too. They trail the Seattle Mariners for the final Wild Card spot by 7.5 games and the tragic number is three. Full-blown elimination will come early this week.

It is a shame that this season is ending like this but the White Sox are getting everything that they deserve for how they run their organization. We can only hope that they address it during the offseason and come into 2023 ready to go.