The term “drought” is often used in sports for teams that haven’t made the playoffs or haven’t won a championship in a while. The word can mean different things to different fan bases in different contexts, and the 2024 American League Championship Series is all about the context of the word “drought.”
The New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Series championships, are in something of a title drought. The franchise hasn’t won the World Series in 15 years, the third-longest stretch without a win since their first title in 1921. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and the rest of the modern Bronx Bombers want to change that. 2024, as the top-seeded Yankees are in the ALCS for the sixth time since they last made it to and won the Fall Classic in 2009.
A title drought has a very different meaning for the Cleveland Guardians, who last won the World Series in 1948 and have won the AL pennant just four times since. This year’s version finished second in the AL in wins – behind only the Yankees – and eliminated their AL Central rival Detroit Tigers in the ALDS to get here.
