This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- I was wrong.

Those three words are easy for me to write because I rarely, if ever, make a mistake.

(Pause for those who know me to stop laughing. Or those who don’t know me. Or those who will know me.)

But in my Newsletter from Sept. 6, I wrote the following:

“By the time the White Sox return home from this seven-game West Coast trip on Sept. 12, they should at least have a share of the division lead, if not sitting atop alone.”

Well, they came back from a solid 5-2 run in Seattle and Oakland at 2 1/2 games back in the American League Central, and despite my season-long mantra of the White Sox being a playoff team, they were eliminated from division title contention on Sunday. If you believe in true baseball miracles, the White Sox enter their final 2022 road trip with an elimination number of three in the AL Wild Card and trail Seattle by 7 1/2 games with nine to play.

The White Sox were only in first place from April 10-20 during this entire disappointing campaign and my days of predictions might be on hiatus. Side note: Cleveland is going to win its AL Wild Card series, regardless of opponent.

Ok, that was just one more prediction to get out of my system.

So, what went wrong with the White Sox? I’ll save that analysis for the end of the season, but this story is focused more on why I was wrong. And the answer to that question involves two words: Cleveland Guardians.

When I made the aforementioned prediction, Cleveland was coming off a stretch where they had lost 8 of 10 games and scored one run in a four-game stretch against Baltimore and Seattle. Not one run per game -- one run in total.

Cleveland had been a great story all season, predicted by many to finish near the bottom of the AL Central and by few if any to win the division. But I’m not sure if the Cleveland front office really believed this outstanding overall performance would take them to the postseason.

Then, with the season on the line and with the White Sox and Twins closing in, the Guardians showed they were more than a good story. They were a really good team.

Try 18-3 in the last 21 games. Their victory Tuesday in 11 innings against the White Sox really took the heart from an underachieving crew knowing it basically needed a sweep of Cleveland to win the division.

I knew if any one of these three teams went on a roll of this nature, it would take control of the AL Central. I just didn’t think it would be the Guardians.

In my mind, the White Sox still have the most talent in the division, even with their plethora of injuries, but the Guardians clearly are the best team. They played hard every play of every inning. They took the extra base. They had a solid front three at the top of the rotation in Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill and had one of the game’s best closers in Emmanuel Clase.

Again, I was wrong. I overestimated the White Sox ability to reach an extra gear when needed, especially when they had been between five under .500 and five over .500 all season. My true error, though, was overlooking Terry Francona’s crew.