The Guardians haven’t won a World Series since 1948. This October, one minority owner believes that drought is about to end. They have given their fans a reason to believe again, rallying from a 0-2 deficit to eliminate the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS. And despite stumbling in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Guardians’ confidence hasn’t taken a hit. Even Denzel Ward, the Cleveland Browns star and Guardians minority owner, is backing the team to overcome the hurdles and keep its championship dream alive.

Yet with the Rays proving they won’t make the road easy, it’s Cleveland’s turn to make a run that finally ends its 78-year World Series drought. For the Browns’ $62 million CB, the hiccups along the way haven’t changed the bigger picture. As a minority owner, Ward’s confidence reflects internal team belief rather than external expert analysis.

“We’re winning it all, I’m telling you. The Guardians, we’re in a good position, good spot. It’s just a little turbulence, but we’re gonna win it all. I still feel strongly about that,” Camryn Justice quoted Ward via X.

The Guardians’ Game 2 loss broke a four-game winning streak and caught many off guard. It happened primarily due to one disastrous defensive inning and an inability to drive in runners against a dominant Freddy Peralta. In the fourth inning, with a runner on, the Guardians appeared to turn an inning-ending double play. But a video review overturned the call at first base, keeping the inning alive.

Ramirez then missed his coverage at third, letting the runner advance. Ben Williamson then hit a routine ground ball to third. But it took a tricky bounce off the edge of the turf and rolled right through Ramirez’s legs. The error allowed the first run to score.

The Rays immediately capitalized on the extra outs, using a two-run single by Liam Hicks to balloon the lead to 3–0. Because of the error, all three runs charged to rookie starter Parker Messick were completely unearned.

Also, the Guardians’ bats had no answer for Peralta. Relying heavily on an electric fastball that reached a career-high 99.4 mph, Peralta kept Cleveland off-balance through six brilliant, scoreless innings. Yet the Guardians’ overall execution in the series still favors them.

“I say that with the utmost respect to them, the way they develop pitching, the way they think about the game. As far as developing and acquiring, there’s a lot of similarities,” Rays manager Kevin Cash commented about Cleveland.

Ramirez has been the Guardians’ offensive anchor throughout this postseason run. He single-handedly carried the offense with 7 RBIs across three consecutive elimination games in the previous round. If he and rising star Chase DeLauter stay hot, the offense can punish the Rays’ bullpen.

Moreover, Game 3’s start time has been moved up to 1:00 PM ET due to a rain forecast. This bodes exceptionally well for Cleveland’s Game 3 starter, Gavin Williams. He posted a dominant 7–2 record with a 2.42 ERA in daytime starts during the regular season.

So, if the Guardians can clean up the uncharacteristic defensive errors that cost them Game 2, their baseline execution gives them a real edge. Ward is confident that their Game 2 loss was a little turbulence. The same misplay will not be repeated.