The Cleveland Guardians stared down a massive deficit, dropping the first two games of their American League Division Series right there at home. Talk about a gut punch. But then something incredible happened: they packed their bags, hit the road to Chicago, and absolutely exploded, scoring nine runs in two consecutive wins against the White Sox. With victories of 9-3 on Wednesday and 9-5 on Thursday, the second fueled by a six-run sixth inning, the series is now tied up and heading to a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday night at Progressive Field. If Cleveland completes this epic turnaround, they won’t just move on to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, they will join one of the most exclusive and talked-about lists in playoff baseball history.
The Rarest Air: Climbing Out of the Playoff Cellar
Let’s be real, going down 0-2 in a best-of-five series feels like a death sentence. And for good reason, because it almost always is. Since the Division Series became a permanent fixture in the postseason back in 1995, only seven teams have managed to lose the first two games and then storm back to win the next three. That’s it! Seven teams in nearly three decades. Even the 1981 Dodgers pulled off a similar feat against Houston in a special division round that year, but the club is just that small. What’s even wilder is that Cleveland knows this story all too well, but from the wrong side of the scoreboard. Their franchise has blown a 2-0 lead twice before, first against the Boston Red Sox in 1999 and then again in 2017 to the New York Yankees. The Athletics are the only other team to have melted down from a 2-0 advantage twice. When it comes to Saturday’s Game 5, history says it’s practically a coin flip: of the 18 teams that fell behind 0-2 and then won Games 3 and 4, ten of them went on to win Game 5. Home teams? They are 19-22 in winner-take-all Division Series games. So, if Cleveland pulls this off, they are absolutely cementing their place in legend.
When The Leads Vanish: Stories of Playoff Heartbreak and Glory
Looking back at some of these infamous series, you see just how wild playoff baseball can get. Take the 2017 Yankees vs. Cleveland series. Cleveland had a monster season with 102 wins and started the series with a 4-0 shutout and a 13-inning, 9-8 win at Progressive Field. They were cruising! But the Yankees fought back, taking 1-0 and 7-3 wins in the Bronx to force a Game 5 back in Cleveland. That’s when Didi Gregorius stepped up, crushing two homers off eventual AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Brett Gardner battled through a 12-pitch at-bat for an RBI single in the ninth, and Aroldis Chapman closed out the final six outs for a 5-2 Yankees win.
Or how about the 2015 ALDS between the Blue Jays and Rangers? Texas took both games in Toronto, including a marathon 14-inning Game 2. Everyone thought it was over. But the Blue Jays clawed back, winning twice in Arlington to bring it home. Game 5 was absolutely bonkers. The seventh inning alone lasted 53 minutes! Texas briefly took the lead when Russell Martin’s throw back to the mound deflected off Shin-Soo Choo’s bat and Rougned Odor raced home, sparking a fan-debris-throwing delay. Then, the Rangers made three straight errors in the bottom half. Jose Bautista smashed a three-run homer off Sam Dyson, delivering that iconic bat flip. Toronto won, 6-3.
And who could forget the 2012 NLDS? The Reds absolutely walloped San Francisco in the first two games at AT&T Park, outscoring them 14-2. With a one-year 2-3 format, Cincinnati had the last three games at home, and it seemed like a sure thing. It didn’t matter. The Giants took Game 3 in ten innings after Scott Rolen bobbled a grounder. Then they won Game 4, 8-3. In Game 5, Buster Posey blasted a grand slam off Mat Latos in the fifth for a 6-0 lead. Cincinnati brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but Sergio Romo struck out Scott Rolen, which was the Hall of Famer’s final at-bat. The Giants became the first team to win a best-of-five series by taking three straight on the road, and they went on to win the World Series.
This Saturday night, Cleveland isn’t just playing for an ALCS spot; they are playing to avoid joining the infamous list of teams that blew a 2-0 lead, and instead, to etch their name into the even more exclusive list of teams that defied all odds to climb out of that seemingly insurmountable 0-2 hole. You can bet every pitch of that Game 5 is going to be absolutely insane.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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