Who Is The Guardians' Biggest Rival Heading Into The 2023 MLB Season?
One of the best parts about sports is the rivalries that are created. Rivals can add so much energy and passion to a game and fans get to see that play out on the field. The Cleveland Guardians have a list of rivals but only one can be the biggest heading in the next season.
New York Yankees
Recency bias has me leaning towards the New York Yankees as the team with the biggest target on their backs for the Guardians. It's hard to forget the "garbage throwing incident" with Myles Straw from last April and they were the team that ultimately ended Cleveland's season in October.
But one thing that makes a true rival is the continuous battles that the two teams have over a season. The Guardians and Yankees will play each other twice during the first month of the season and will be done by May 4. The next time they'll have the opportunity to see each other will be in the playoffs.
This makes the rivalry a little more difficult to keep up with throughout the season.
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are another team towards the top of the Guardians' rivalry list. If you've ever been on Twitter, you can tell their fans are not the biggest fan of Josh Naylor.
From Naylor's eight RBI night back in May, feuds between Tim Anderson and Cleveland fans, James Karinchak having little control while pitching to Jose Abreu (now with the Astors), and former manager Tony La Russa rushing Cleveland catchers, there is definitely a rivalry hear.
Chicago would be my pick for Cleveland's biggest rival, but they haven't lived up to the hype over the past few years which has hurt them in the Central championship race with the Guardians. Bragging rights such as winning the division is a huge part of a rivalry.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are my pick for Cleveland's biggest rival heading into 2023. Both the Twins and the Guardians have combined for five of the last six AL Central titles in the last six years and that trend is likely to continue this season. This adds a little extra motivation whenever these two teams play.
The Guardians had the edge against the Twins in 2022. Cleveland hit 22 home runs and scored 89 runs against Minnesota last season. A number of these games ended with walk-offs which came from Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, and Amed Rosario.
Both teams are evenly matched with offensive star power and fantastic pitching. Fans have seen classic baseball games between these two teams over the last couple of years and that's likely to continue for some time.
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