Cleveland Guardians Rotation On Wrong Side Of MLB Playoff History

A Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher has yet to record a win in the 2024 MLB postseason.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) throws against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Game 5 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians face elimination on Saturday night in Game 5 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees. There are many reasons why the Guardians are fighting to keep their season alive, but one of them is their lack of depth in their rotation.

ESPN's Buster Onley pointed out a staggering statistic highlighting how thin Cleveland's rotation has been. So far in the postseason, a Guardians pitcher is yet to record a win in nine games. This is the longest start-of-postseason streak in MLB history and broke the Florida (Miami) Marlins streak in 2003.

From @EliasSports: No Cleveland starting pitcher has earned a win in any of the Guardians’ nine postseason games in 2024. That’s the longest start-of-postseason streak in MLB history, breaking the record of eight set by the eventual World Series champion Marlins in 2003.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 19, 2024

The biggest difference is that the Marlins went on to win the World Series that season, which is a pipedream for the Guardians at this point.

The closest a Cleveland pitcher has come to recording a win this playoffs was Matthew Boyd in Game 3 of the ALCS. A pitcher needs to throw at least 5.0 innings to be considered for a win. Boyd pitched those 5.0 innings, but Cleveland didn't secure a lead until David Fry's walk-off home run in the tenth inning.

Oct 15, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt pulls pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) from the game during the second inning against the New York Yankees in game two of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Tanner Bibee also got close in Game 1 of the ALDS. While the Guardians did win in Bibee's start, he only went 4.2 innings before Stephen Vogt turned the game over to his bullpen.

No matter what happens in the rest of Cleveland's playoff run, the Guardians' front office has to address the starting rotation this offseason. Cleveland will still be in a position to contend for a World Series next season, but they'll need a strong and dependable starting rotation for those aspirations to become a reality.