Cleveland Guardians Eye Playoff Spot with Seven Games to Go
With just seven games remaining in the MLB season, the Cleveland Guardians are currently tied for the final American League Wild Card spot.
The Guardians are on the brink of completing one of Cleveland’s most improbable comebacks. Back on August 25, their playoff hopes were all but dashed, with their chances falling below 5%. At 66-66, they were five games out of a Wild Card spot and 11.5 games behind Detroit, which was leading the division.
What had started as a promising season quickly turned inconsistent and, at times, downright painful. As fall approached and attention shifted to the Browns, many had written off the Guardians.
Making up five games in a Wild Card race in just one month is no easy feat, especially for a team that had hovered around .500 for most of the season. The idea of making up 11.5 games to win the division seemed impossible—such collapses simply don’t happen.
But, against all odds, here we are a month later, and the Guardians are tied for the final Wild Card spot and just one game behind Detroit for the AL Central lead.
Not to exaggerate, but this might be one of the best September runs in recent memory. The Guardians have won 10 straight games and are 20-5 since August 25, posting an .800 winning percentage for the month. It’s an impressive feat at any level of baseball, let alone during the high-pressure final stretch of the season.
The pitching has been stellar, the offense has found its rhythm, and the team has become must-watch TV every night. Since Stephen Vogt took over as manager, the team has truly adopted his no-frills, hard-working approach: no flashy stars outside of José Ramírez, but solid, fundamental “Guards Ball.”
The recipe is simple: show up every day, pitch well, run the bases, play defense, and find a way to win.
However, the job isn’t done yet. The real test comes when Detroit visits from Tuesday to Thursday. There will be a special atmosphere at Progressive Field, with the Tigers, who’ve led the division for most of the season, now feeling the heat.
Sunday’s game will be crucial for the Guardians’ playoff hopes. Thanks to holding the tiebreaker over the Houston Astros, if the season ended today, Cleveland would secure the final Wild Card spot.
The formula is straightforward: win games and root for the Seattle Mariners to beat the Astros. If Cleveland wins and Seattle helps out, the Guardians will gain a one-game lead over Houston and some breathing room in the Wild Card race.
If Cleveland can grab at least one win against Detroit, they’ll hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers and feel confident about their playoff chances. Easy, right?
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