The Guardians clinched the division title, crushing the White Sox’ playoff hopes. Plus, Albert Pujols’s home run milestone gives life to the Cardinals despite falling to the Dodgers.
Another week, another team removed from our eliminator power rankings. This time, it’s the White Sox who join the ranks of the dearly departed. When the week began, Chicago had won eight of its past 11 games and trailed the first-place Guardians by just four games in the American League Central. Then, Cleveland came to town for a make-or-break three-game set, and everything fell apart. The Guardians swept the White Sox, then the Tigers did too, putting to bed any hopes of a late-season turnaround.