The Guardians faced elimination twice in the ALDS and never wavered. Now, they're headed to the ALCS for the first time since 2016.
Lane Thomas started the series with a bang in Game 1, and he delivered the big blow in the all-important Game 5 with a grand slam off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Timely hitting helped push the Guardians to an AL Central title, and it now has Cleveland within four wins of the World Series.
It's been 76 years since Cleveland won the World Series, despite coming as close as possible in 1997 and 2016. With eight wins remaining to reach the pinnacle, the Guardians' next stop is in the northeast.
Who will the Guardians face next? Here's a look at Cleveland's ALCS opponent after eliminating Cleveland.
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Who do Guardians play next?
The Guardians will face the Yankees in the ALCS, meeting New York in the postseason for the fourth time in the last eight years.
The Yankees eliminated the Royals in four games in their ALDS matchup, preventing an all-AL Central ALCS. The Guardians will enter the series as underdogs, but that's unlikely to bother the team much after it entered the season with plenty of doubters.
Cleveland's recent history against the Yankees in October is less than stellar. The Guardians were eliminated by New York in the 2022 ALDS, and the franchise lost both the 2020 wild-card round and the 2017 ALDS to the Yankees as well. Their last postseason series win over the Yankees came in the 2007 ALDS.
The Guardians will start the ALCS on the road in the Bronx.
When does the ALCS start?
Game 1 of the ALCS is scheduled for 7:38 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 14.
The Guardians only have one off day between the end of the ALDS and the start of the ALCS, but they won't have to travel far to get to New York. No starting pitcher has been announced for either team as of Saturday afternoon, though Gerrit Cole won't be ready to pitch for the Yankees after he closed out the Royals in Game 4 of the ALDS.
The ALCS will start a day after the NLCS, which begins on the West Coast on Sunday.
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MLB playoff schedule, results 2024
Wild Card Series scores
Tuesday, Oct. 1
| Scores |
| Game 1: Tigers 3, Astros 1 |
| Game 1: Royals 1, Orioles 0 |
| Game 1: Mets 8, Brewers 4 |
| Game 1: Padres 4, Braves 0 |
Wednesday, Oct. 2
| Scores |
| Game 2: Tigers 5, Astros 2 (Tigers advance) |
| Game 2: Royals 2, Orioles 1 (Royals advance) |
| Game 2: Brewers 5, Mets 3 |
| Game 2: Padres 5, Braves 4 (Padres advance) |
Thursday, Oct. 3
| Scores |
| Game 3: Mets 4, Brewers 2 (Mets advance) |
MORE: Sporting News predicts the 2024 MLB postseason
Division Series schedule, scores
Saturday, Oct. 5
| Scores |
| Game 1: Guardians 7, Tigers 0 |
| Game 1: Mets 6, Phillies 2 |
| Game 1: Yankees 6, Royals 5 |
| Game 1: Dodgers 7, Padres 5 |
Sunday, Oct. 6
| Scores |
| Game 2: Phillies 7, Mets 6 |
| Game 2: Padres 10, Dodgers 2 |
Monday, Oct. 7
| Scores |
| Game 2: Tigers 3, Guardians 0 |
| Game 2: Royals 4, Yankees 2 |
Tuesday, Oct. 8
| Scores |
| Game 3: Mets 7, Phillies 2 |
| Game 3: Padres 6, Dodgers 5 |
Wednesday, Oct. 9
| Game |
| Game 3: Tigers 3, Guardians 0 |
| Game 4: Mets 4, Phillies 1 |
| Game 3: Yankees 3, Royals 2 |
| Game 4: Dodgers 8, Padres 0 |
Thursday, Oct. 10
| Game |
| Game 4: Guardians 5, Tigers 4 |
| Game 4: Yankees 3, Royals 1 |
Friday, Oct. 11
| Game |
| Game 5: Dodgers 2, Padres 0 |
Saturday, Oct. 12
| Game |
| Game 5: Guardians 7, Tigers 3 |
League Championship Series schedule
Sunday, Oct. 13
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 1: Mets vs. Dodgers | 8:15 p.m. | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
Monday, Oct. 14
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 2: Mets vs. Dodgers | 4:08 p.m. | TBS, truTV, Sling |
| Game 1: Guardians vs. Yankees | 7:38 p.m. | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
Tuesday, Oct. 15
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 2: Guardians vs. Yankees | 7:38 p.m. | TBS, truTV, Sling |
Wednesday, Oct. 16
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 3: Dodgers vs. Mets | 8:08 p.m. | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
Thursday, Oct. 17
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 3: Yankees vs. Guardians | TBD | TBS, truTV, Sling |
| Game 4: Dodgers vs. Mets | TBD | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
Friday, Oct. 18
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 4: Yankees vs. Guardians | TBD | TBS, truTV, Sling |
| Game 5*: Dodgers vs. Mets | TBD | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
* - if necessary
Saturday, Oct. 19
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 5*: Yankees vs. Guardians | TBD | TBS, truTV, Sling |
* - if necessary
Sunday, Oct. 20
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 6*: Mets vs. Dodgers | TBD | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
* - if necessary
Monday, Oct. 21
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 6*: Guardians vs. Yankees | TBD | TBS, truTV, Sling |
| Game 7*: Mets vs. Dodgers | TBD | Fox/FS1, Fubo |
* - if necessary
Tuesday, Oct. 22
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 7*: Guardians vs. Yankees | TBD | TBS, truTV, Sling |
* - if necessary
World Series schedule
The World Series could move up to an earlier start if both LCS finish by Oct. 19. If that happens, the World Series will begin Oct. 22 with a potential Game 7 set for Oct. 30.
Friday, Oct. 25
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 1: AL vs. NL (at better record) | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
Saturday, Oct. 26
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 2: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
Monday, Oct. 28
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 3: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
Tuesday, Oct. 29
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 4: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
Wednesday, Oct. 30
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 5*: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
* - if necessary
Friday, Nov. 1
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 6*: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
* - if necessary
Saturday, Nov. 2
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| Game 7*: AL vs. NL | TBD | Fox, Fubo |
* - if necessary