Down to 1, 4 and 5. After tonight and Saturday, it'll be down to 1, 4 OR 5....as long as they beat the Padres. I gotta believe MLB would love Ohtani vs Judge. As a Yankee fan I'd rather face Cleveland in the ALCS. That Detroit pitching, momentum and story line worry me. After a fire sale in late July they went 34-19 in August and September. Gonna be fun to watch for me, especially now that the Yankees have advanced.
I'm sure MLB would love to see #1. Bring back the old rivalries for nostalgia sake. Two storied franchises. But any story involving Cleveland with a chance to win a championship would be interesting. I believe they currently have the longest championship drought.
1948. 76 years. Their last WS win was over the Boston Braves (5 years prior to their move to Milwaukee) and they've lost 4 times since.
To Mays and the Giants in 54 (the great catch at the Polo Grounds year)
To the Atlanta Braves in 95. The only WS win for the 90's "team of the decade". Yankee fans scoff at that moniker. Sure 8 Division titles, 5 Pennants, but just 1 WS win with 2 of those loses coming at the hands of the NYY.
To the 'Florida' Marlins in 97. Cleveland even had Orel in the rotation 16-6; 4-1 in the ps. The Marlins would go on to lose 108 games the following year after dismantling that Championship team. That Marlins team also had two future (currently) ML managers on the roster.
To the Cubs in 2016, breaking their drought, the longest at that time. The Cubs were in a 109 year drought, Cleveland in a 68 year drought. Two fanbases starving for a Championship. Something had to give!! And it didn't go Cleveland's way.
One note on that 1954 team. They won 111 games (111-43; .721) and the 103 win NY Yankees finished 8 games out!! Dodger fans can relate to that after winning 106 in 2021 and finishing 2nd in the West. Of course they still made the postseason, unlike those 54 Yankees, but lost the NLCS to the 88 win Braves.
