Browsing: Guardians

CLEVELAND — On July 4, after the Guardians lost for the eighth time during their 10-game skid, players lingered in the dugout at Progressive Field and stared out at the scene of the Tigers†celebratory handshake line.

The Guardians†season had hit a new low point, but Slade Cecconi declared that they could channel the tough times into something great.

“I’m really looking forward to the end of the season when we look back at this eight-game skid and go, ‘Man, remember, remember how tough that was?â€â€ Cecconi said that night. “‘Remember how we got through it? Remember how we trusted each other? Remember how we showed up the same every day and just kept working?â€

“It’s going to pay off. We’re going to see ourselves in a great spot at the end of the season. I fully believe that.â€

All they did was make baseball history. With the Tigers†4-3 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday, the Guardians clinched the American League Central for a second straight season and 13th in franchise history, bookending perhaps the greatest in-season comeback in baseball history. Then they started the party when Brayan Rocchio hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning for a 9-8 win over the Rangers.

The Guardians will host a familiar foe in the Tigers at Progressive Field in the best-of-three Wild Card Series that kicks off on Tuesday.

Cleveland was as many as 15 1/2 games behind Detroit for first place in the AL Central, as recently as the morning of July 9. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the largest deficit a team has overcome to finish first in its division (since 1969) or league (pre-1969). The 1914 Braves (15 games back) previously held the record.

The Guardians were as many as 11 games behind Detroit this month, on the morning of Sept. 5. That is the largest September deficit overcome to win a division (since 1969) or league (pre-1969), surpassing the 8 1/2-game deficit erased by the â€64 Cardinals. Cleveland won 17 of 19 from Sept. 5-24.

“To win the division after everything we’ve been through … and we did it with a win, it just solidifies that these guys earned every bit of it,†manager Stephen Vogt said. “It wasn’t given. Nothing that these guys have accomplished all year has been given.

“They’ve gone out and earned every single bit of it, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.â€

The Guardians became just the fourth team to reach the postseason in a season in which they had a 10-game skid. They overcame adversity such as watching closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz going on non-disciplinary paid leave in July due to MLB investigations. The same month, ace Shane Bieber was dealt at the Trade Deadline.

But those inside the home clubhouse at Progressive Field never gave in and maintained their belief they could do the impossible.

“I don’t think anybody ever lost the vision of where we were trying to go this year, even at our darkest point in the season,†Cecconi said Sunday morning. “It’s really cool to see it come full circle.â€

The Guardians clinched a postseason berth on Saturday and celebrated afterward, but to them, the job was not finished. They wanted to play the Wild Card Series at their park, in front of their fans. They wanted to clinch the division and not do so exclusively due to a Tigers loss.

Of course, players and coaches celebrated in the eighth inning on Sunday, when they learned they were AL Central champs as a lively crowd of 31,054 suddenly began to cheer loudly, reacting to Detroitâ€s loss.

“We wanted to do it for the fans,†catcher Austin Hedges said. “All these fans have been showing up all year. … For them to come out, they deserve to see us truly win the division.â€

Rowdy Tellez’s three-run homer in the top of the 10th threatened that goal, but Rocchio stepped up in the bottom of the inning and crushed a 95.6 mph four-seamer from Jose Corniell off the right-field foul pole.

“It was incredible,†Rocchio said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “Not only because of the homer and the walk-off, but knowing that we wanted to win the division the right way. We knew we had it at that point, but winning the game was really important for us.â€

Rocchio being the one to deliver the big swing was a fitting way to put a bow on the regular-season slate. The 24-year-old was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop last year, had a big postseason and earned Clevelandâ€s Opening Day shortstop job this year. After a rough start offensively to 2025, the Guardians optioned him to Triple-A Columbus on May 12.

They recalled Rocchio on July 1 and moved him to second base, where he has played strong defense alongside shortstop Gabriel Arias. As his numbers before the All-Star break (.530 OPS) and afterward (.689) show, Rocchio has continued to work to get better.

“For him to hit that walk-off, it’s super emblematic of our season in that we never quit,†Vogt said. “Every step, every setback is an opportunity to get better, and Rocchio embodies that better than anybody.â€

Progressive Field popped when that ball left Rocchio’s bat. The ballpark has had a playoff atmosphere all week, as the Guardians have pushed for the postseason. Now that itâ€s here, they canâ€t wait to get in front of their fans and keep this run going.

“The cool thing is it’s felt like playoff baseball,†Hedges said, “but it still doesn’t come close to what this fan base can do actually in the playoffs. The noise they’re about to make, I keep telling some of these rookies, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet.â€â€

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BOSTON — The manually operated out-of-town scoreboard got a workout on Sunday at Fenway Park, with crew members scrambling to update 14 games going on simultaneously. The Tigers could peek to their left from the third-base dugout and check how results elsewhere affected their potential postseason scenarios.

After entering the regular-season finale with four potential scenarios, the Tigers are heading back to Cleveland for their American League Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday. Of course theyâ€re heading back to Cleveland.

Riley Greene didnâ€t need to look at the scoreboard. As he told reporters after Sundayâ€s 4-3 loss to the Red Sox, it was as if the “writers in the sky†penned the script.

“We’ve played Cleveland 50 times in the past four days,†Greene said. “We know them. They know us. Itâ€s going to be fun.â€

Greene is only slightly exaggerating. If the series goes the distance, the Tigers and Guardians will have played nine games against each other in a 17-day span, a rarity even back when schedules were more unbalanced towards division rivalries.

Those matchups helped flip the AL Central race. Sunday finished it. The Tigers†loss, coupled with the Guardians†walk-off victory over the Rangers, secured the title outright for Cleveland.

Detroit became the first team in Major League history to hold a double-digit division lead and not hold on for the title. The Tigers will begin the postseason with a chance to knock out the team that surpassed them.

“Obviously, we know what kind of team they have,†catcher Dillon Dingler said. “We’ve played them six times in the past two weeks. We’re going to have a good game plan going in. The biggest thing is it’s a clean slate now, so we’re not going to worry about anything that’s happened. We’re going to move forward and we’re going to have a lot of fun.â€

Itâ€s not only a rematch of the past two weeks, itâ€s a rematch of last yearâ€s AL Division Series, a dramatic five-game battle that turned on Lane Thomas†grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5. The Tigers will send Skubal to the mound on Tuesday in Game 1. Itâ€ll be his third consecutive start against the Guardians; he struck out 17 batters over 12 innings with two earned runs allowed in his previous two starts combined, but the Tigers lost both contests.

Thereâ€s very little these teams can do to surprise each other at this point, so it likely comes down to which executes its game plan best.

“We’ll make sure our guys don’t take for granted that we know them well,†manager A.J. Hinch said. “The biggest concern when you play a division opponent is familiarity can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it, from being a little bit too comfortable. So we’re going to have to turn over every rock to make sure we’re prepared.â€

Said Dingler: “I think we’re just going to go and do what we’ve been doing the entire season. I don’t think we’re going to look into it all that much. We obviously always lean on our pitchers’ strengths more than anything, but we’ll have a good game plan.â€

In many ways, Hinch seemed prepared for the matchup. A day after the Tigers clinched a postseason berth by beating the Red Sox, he gave a rare day off to Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres and Dingler. With Skubal pushed back to the postseason opener, Hinch turned to Chris Paddack for his first start since Aug. 29, followed by Paul Sewald and Tanner Rainey.

The skipper whoâ€s known for playing in-game matchups to get favorable at-bats stuck with his lineup. Jahmai Jones, Saturdayâ€s hero, was the only pinch-hitter available off the bench, Hinch said, and he left Jones on the bench when the Red Sox brought in lefty reliever Steven Matz to face Zach McKinstry with the potential tying run on third base in the seventh.

“Going back and forth on that, really from last night to today,†Hinch said. “There’s so many downstream effects that come with that, with the guys that have been going at it. We’ve got guys going through things. We’ve got guys that really did deserve a day off. What you saw was what we had.â€

The Guardians†win made it moot.

“Obviously, we wanted to win today to get the division,†Dingler said, “but at the end of the day, we are playing in the postseason. We just have to look forward now.â€

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CLEVELAND — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in the midst of Clevelandâ€s 10-game losing streak in early July that there was light at the end of the tunnel and things would turn around.

Vogt ended up selling his team a little short, as the Guardians made one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history.

Cleveland clinched a postseason spot in fittingly improbable fashion. C.J. Kayfus was hit in the arm by a fastball from Texas Rangers reliever Robert Garcia with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night, scoring Petey Halpin with the winning run to give the Guardians a 3-2 victory that put them in the playoffs.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since at least 1920 that a team won on a walk-off hit by pitch to clinch a postseason spot.

“When they walked (Gabriel) Arias (to load the bases), I knew I had a job to do. I knew I was going to get that job done one way or another, but I definitely didnâ€t think it was going to be like that,†said Kayfus, called up from the minors in early August.

The Guardians (86-74) became the fourth major league team and first in the American League to reach the postseason after having a 10-game losing streak, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1951 New York Giants.

“Itâ€s exactly us. Of course weâ€re going to get in on a walk-off hit by pitch†a champagne-soaked Vogt said in the clubhouse as his team was celebrating. “Just to stop and think about where we came from to get here, thereâ€s no words. I couldnâ€t be more proud of these guys. Theyâ€ve earned every bit of this.â€

According to FanGraphs, the Guardians had a 2.9% chance to make the postseason and a 0.2% chance to win the AL Central on Sept. 1.

Cleveland remains tied with Detroit for the division lead after the Tigers also wrapped up a postseason spot Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

If Cleveland and Detroit end up tied after Sundayâ€s games, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series. They would host a Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.

Even though Steven Kwan and José Ramírez have been the Guardians†offensive stalwarts all year, others have picked up the slack in September.

Johnathan Rodríguez, called up Wednesday after David Fry was hit in the face by a pitch Tuesday night, batted cleanup and hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Guardians up 2-1. It was the first at-bat for Rodríguez, who had a .167 batting average in 29 big league games, since he was called up for his third stint this season.

“They showed me the lineup last night and I showed it to my wife. She said just to play like you did at Triple-A,†Rodríguez said.

On Wednesday, the Guardians became the first major league team to overcome a deficit of 15 1/2 games and take the lead in either division or league play with a 5-1 win over the Tigers. Cleveland was 40-48 and also 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot on July 6 after a 7-2 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers extended the losing streak to 10.

Since July 7, the Guardians are an AL-best 47-26.

The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games back in the National League on July 4 and rallied to win by 10 1/2 games, according to Elias. Since baseball went to division play in 1969, the biggest deficit overcome was 14 games by the 1978 New York Yankees to win the AL East.

On Sept. 4, the Guardians were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep in Detroit. It is the largest September lead overcome to tie or take the lead in the division or league, according to Elias. The previous mark was 8 1/2 games by the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and 1964 Cincinnati Reds.

Cleveland found its way back to the postseason despite reliever Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz being placed on non-disciplinary leave in July as part of investigations into their possible involvement in gambling during games. Ortiz was placed on leave July 3 and Clase on July 28.

“I give our players and coaches and staff and (Vogt) a ton of credit because it was a really hard mountain to climb to make this a reality,†Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “There were obviously times during the season where this looked really far away, and our group was never daunted by that. They showed up each day with the same energy, the same focus, the same intensity, to try to figure out a way to win a game that night, and that mindsetâ€s really carried us forward to today.â€

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Sep 27, 2025, 10:14 PM ET

CLEVELAND — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in the midst of Cleveland’s 10-game losing streak in early July that things would turn around.

Vogt ended up selling his team a little short, as the Guardians made one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history.

Cleveland clinched a postseason spot in fittingly improbable fashion. CJ Kayfus was hit in the arm by a fastball from Texas Rangers reliever Robert Garcia with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night, scoring Petey Halpin with the winning run to give the Guardians a 3-2 victory that put them in the playoffs.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since at least 1920 that a team won on a walk-off hit by pitch to clinch a postseason spot.

“When they walked [Gabriel] Arias [to load the bases], I knew I had a job to do. I knew I was going to get that job done one way or another, but I definitely didn’t think it was going to be like that,” said Kayfus, who was called up from the minors in early August.

The Guardians (86-74) became the fourth major league team and first in the American League to reach the postseason after having a 10-game losing streak, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1951 New York Giants.

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“It’s exactly us. Of course, we’re going to get in on a walk-off hit by pitch,” a champagne-soaked Vogt said in the clubhouse as his team was celebrating. “Just to stop and think about where we came from to get here. There’s no words. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. They’ve earned every bit of this.”

According to FanGraphs, the Guardians had a 2.9% chance to make the postseason and a 0.2% chance to win the AL Central on Sept. 1.

Cleveland remains tied with Detroit for the division lead after the Tigers also wrapped up a postseason spot Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

If Cleveland and Detroit are tied after Sunday’s games, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series. They would host a wild-card series starting Tuesday.

Even though Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez have been the Guardians’ offensive stalwarts all year, others have picked up the slack in September.

Johnathan Rodriguez, called up Wednesday after David Fry was hit in the face by a pitch Tuesday night, hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Guardians up 2-1. It was the first at-bat for Rodríguez, who had a .167 average in 29 big league games, since he was called up for his third stint this season.

“They showed me the lineup last night and I showed it to my wife. She said just to play like you did at Triple-A,” Rodriguez said.

On Wednesday, the Guardians became the first major league team to overcome a deficit of 15½ games and take the lead in either division or league play with a 5-1 win over the Tigers. Cleveland was 40-48 and also 6½ games out of a wild-card spot on July 6 after a 7-2 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers extended the losing streak to 10.

Since July 7, the Guardians are an AL-best 47-26.

The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games back in the National League on July 4 and rallied to win by 10½ games, according to Elias. Since baseball went to division play in 1969, the biggest deficit overcome was 14 games by the 1978 New York Yankees to win the AL East.

On Sept. 4, the Guardians were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep in Detroit. It is the largest September lead overcome to tie or take the lead in the division or league, according to Elias. The previous mark was 8½ games by the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and 1964 Cincinnati Reds.

Cleveland found its way back to the postseason despite reliever Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz being placed on non-disciplinary leave in July as part of investigations into their possible involvement in gambling during games. Ortiz was placed on leave July 3 and Clase on July 28.

“I give our players and coaches and staff and [Vogt] a ton of credit because it was a really hard mountain to climb to make this a reality,” Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “There were obviously times during the season where this looked really far away, and our group was never daunted by that. They showed up each day with the same energy, the same focus, the same intensity, to try to figure out a way to win a game that night, and that mindset’s really carried us forward to today.”

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  Jesse RogersSep 26, 2025, 10:00 AM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

CLEVELAND — The inningspoke volumes for both teams.

It came in the bottom of the sixth in the opening game of a crucial series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The two rivals had been going in opposite directions for the better part of a month — the Guardians surging from a seemingly insurmountable deficit while the Tigers were falling faster than a ball dropped from the upper deck of Comerica Park.

All-world pitcher Tarik Skubal was nursing a 2-0 lead, meaning the end of the Tigers’ woes were just a few innings away, right? Not so fast. Not with “Guard ball” ready to be deployed.

What is Guard ball?

“It was just a bunch of team-focused at-bats, trying to scratch a few runs across,” first baseman Kyle Manzardo said.

How about three consecutive bunt attempts, forcing the defense — and Skubal in particular — into uncomfortable positions while the Guardians took advantage. Left fielder Steven Kwan started the inning with a bunt single toward third base and the wheels quickly came off for the Tigers against Cleveland’s form of havoc.

“It’s always in the back of my mind against Skubal,” Kwan said after the 5-2 series-opening victory.

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Kwan has tried bunting toward first base against Skubal previously, knowing the lefty would have a tough time making the play. This time he went the other direction.

“Was more of a desperation play,” he explained. “Just trying to get something in play and create some chaos.”

“Chaos” is a word you’ll hear yelled often from the Guardians’ dugout. Or perhaps it’ll be “turmoil.” Anything that screams action. The Guardians want things in motion.

Kwan’s bunt was followed by one from Angel Martinez. He accomplished what Kwan had wanted to do previously: push the ball toward first base.

“We didn’t even talk about it, which is the fun part,” Kwan said. “Everyone was like ‘great idea, back-to-back bunts.’ I didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t tell anyone.”

When Skubal fielded Martinez’s bunt up the line, he didn’t have time to turn and fire to first, so instead he flicked the ball between his legs with his back toward the bag. It sailed over first baseman Spencer Torkelson’s head and landed down the right-field line, putting runners on second and third with no outs.

Cleveland had the Tigers right where they wanted them while Detroit was entering the what-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong phase of their game.

“That’s Guard ball right there,” catcher Austin Hedges said with a smile.

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Perhaps the only surprise is that it would be Skubal who would continue to make mistakes — some of which came after a scary moment when Guardians DH David Fry was hit in the face by a 99 mph fastball during his own bunt attempt.

Fry would eventually be carted off the field and taken to a local hospital with facial fractures and lacerations. When the game resumed, the Guardians had a cause to play for.

“What happened next was because of the Fry hit by the ball,” second baseman Brayan Rocchio said. “We took a bad moment and turned it. That game was for him.”

‘What happened next’ was Skubal threw a wild pitch to Fry’s replacement, George Valera. That plated a run. Then moments later, he balked Jose Martinez to third who then scored on a Gabriel Arias ground out. Skubal was shaken and the Guardians had the lead.

“I was just trying to get into a rhythm, just to steal third and when the infielders saw I was moving more than normal they said something to [Skubal] to step off and he got a little sped up,” Ramirez said of the balk through the team interpreter.

Cleveland would not surrender the lead they just took, taking Game 1 before doing much of the same in Game 2 — pouncing after Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler dropped a foul popup then putting the game away when Ramirez delivered a bases-loaded, two-run double. They won that game 5-1 and in the process won the series and secured the tiebreaker with Detroit.

But any clinching celebrations would have to wait at least a day as Detroit took Game 3, breaking an eight-game losing skid, and the Houston Astros won, leaving Cleveland’s magic number for a postseason berth at one.

Nonetheless, the Guardians’ playoff odds have risen to 94%, according to ESPN Analytics, and they enter the final weekend of the season in the AL Central driver’s seat. It’s an unfathomable position for Cleveland to be in considering they entered September 10½ games out in the AL Central and seven games behind the Astros in the wild-card race.

“We find ways to win,” Hedges said. “We don’t rely on home runs and outslugging teams. It’s just not our identity. It’s other teams’ identity and that’s great. But for our group, it’s this way.”

Manzardo added of the two games this week that turned Cleveland’s dreams of playing in October to the verge of becoming reality: “That’s the most extreme version of Guardians ball and making stuff happen that you’ll see.”

“That’s been the story of the second half for us”

Tanner Bibee and the rest of the Guardians rotation have heated up down the stretch, powering Cleveland’s surge. Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Guardians’ journey can’t be told without the events of July 3 and July 28. That’s when starter Luis Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were placed on administrative leave, respectively, in an MLB gambling investigation that is still ongoing.

The news sent shockwaves through the team and the league, leading most observers to believe Cleveland’s postseason hopes were cooked. When they traded rehabbing starter and former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31, it further cemented that idea. The Guardians were already nine games out in the AL Central and, from the outside, appeared to be playing for next year.

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But those remaining in the Cleveland clubhouse had other ideas. After shaking off a 10-game losing skid — and the subtractions from their roster — the Guardians put their head down and went to work.

“This is life,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes good things happen. Now is a good time.”

Ramirez, a perennial AL MVP contender, led an offense that found its stride by manufacturing runs in any way possible while the team’s starting pitching turned whatever scoring the offense could muster into wins with a historic stretch of run prevention.

Though none of them are household names nationally, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo have been dominant in the second half. Their stretch of 19 consecutive games giving up two runs or fewer came to an end on Thursday, but not before their performance carried them to the top of the AL Central.

“We were built on our bullpen last year,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We didn’t have the length from our rotation we’re getting this year. We had a historically good bullpen so we went to them as often as possible.”

That formula has been flipped this season, according to Vogt, especially after losing Clase. Now, the strength of the team lies in the rotation.

“When we lost the ninth inning, the starters picked up the sixth,” Vogt said of replacing his star closer. “That’s been the story of the second half for us.”

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While Vogt’s sentiment rings true, the numbers don’t exactly fit the narrative. Before Clase was put on leave, Cleveland’s rotation was averaging 5â…“ innings pitched. Since he’s been gone, they’ve bumped it up to 5â…” innings. A small but impactful improvement and being able to pick each other up wherever needed has only added to the vibe in the clubhouse.

“It’s been so fun,” Gavin Williams said. “We’ve had a good stretch.”

Reliever Koby Allard added: “The amount of fun we’re having is really memorable.”

But entering the final days of the regular season, the Guardians know that nothing has been clinched yet and those memories won’t be as special if they don’t finish the deal. And they know better than anyone how quickly the story of a season can be turned upside down.

“Two months ago, it didn’t feel like we were playing for a lot,” Kwan said. “Just the sheer fact that we’re playing for a playoff spot is such a blessing.”

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Sep 25, 2025, 09:58 PM ET

CLEVELAND — Jahmai Jones led off the game with a home run, and the Detroit Tigers snapped an eight-game losing streak, beating Cleveland Guardians 4-2 on Thursday night to move back into a tie with the Guardians atop the American League Central.

Detroit and Cleveland are 86-73 with three games left to play. The Guardians hold the tiebreaker after going 8-5 in the season series.

The Tigers head to Boston, where the Boston Red Sox have a one-game lead for the AL’s second wild card. The Guardians will host Texas Rangers, which has lost nine of 10. Meanwhile, both Detroit and Cleveland are one game ahead of the Houston Astros for the final AL wild-card spot.

Detroit snapped an eight-game losing streak, beating Cleveland to move back into a tie with the Guardians atop the American League Central with three games left to play in the regular season. David Richard-Imagn Images

Jones drove a sinker from Cleveland starter Parker Messick (3-1) on a full count 400 feet over the wall in left for his third career leadoff home run.

Wenceel Perez and Riley Greene also homered off Messick.

Brant Hurter (4-3) got the win, and Will Vest picked up his 22nd save in 29 opportunities.

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Troy Melton allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings in what was a bullpen game for the Tigers.

C.J. Kayfus and Jose Ramirez had RBI doubles for the Guardians, who are 18-6 in September.

Ramírez’s double was his 726th extra-base hit, passing Earl Averill (725) for the most in franchise history. Ramírez has 398 doubles, 43 triples and 285 home runs in his 13-year career.

Messick allowed four runs in five innings, snapping a 19-game streak where Cleveland’s starting rotation had allowed two or fewer runs in 19 consecutive games, which matched the 2019 Tampa Bay Rays and 1916 New York Giants for the second-longest streak since the mound was moved.

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The marathon is nearing its finish for the MLB regular season with four games left for the majority of the majors. And other than the tight grips the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have on the National League, there’s plenty up for grabs.

Here are the top storylines entering Thursday in a chaotic finish for the MLB playoffs:

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There’s a chance the Yankees get the No. 1 seed

We are indeed in strange times when the New York Yankees can give a hearty “thank you” to their nemesis Boston Red Sox.

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Aaron Judge hit home runs No. 50 and 51 as the Yankees took care of business in the Bronx on Wednesday night in blowing out the Chicago White Sox, 8-1. The Yankees’ 90th victory of the season pulled them into a tie for the AL East lead with the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost their second straight game to the Red Sox at home.

Toronto holds the tiebreaker with New York and its next four games — one vs. Boston and three against Tampa Bay — are at home. So the Yankees will need some more Jays missteps to get out of the wild-card spot, but it’s certainly possible.

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Manager Aaron Boone could get a moment to exhale, even if it’ll last for only a couple of days before the ALDS starts.

Why not 62 for Cal?

Let’s hit pause for a moment on the Seattle Mariners’ incredible playoff push, which reached new heights Wednesday night when they clinched the AL West. Let’s gaze at Cal Raleigh’s historic season. He hit home run No. 60 on Wednesday night, which puts him two back from tying Aaron Judge’s single-season record in the American League.

So we should expect Raleigh to keep hacking away, especially with one more game left against the Colorado Rockies and a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their erratic bullpen.

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Guardians’ rocket rise could push Tigers completely out of playoff picture

On July 8, Detroit had the best record in baseball.

Entering play Thursday, the Tigers are looking at the grim prospect of playing their final game of the entire season this weekend. That’s how remarkable the Cleveland Guardians’ surge has been in taking control of the AL Central and how stunning Detroit’s collapse has been.

The Guardians went up a full game on the Tigers after winning 5-1 on Wednesday. They’ll go for a sweep Thursday. And even if the Tigers avoid the broom for their third straight series, the Guardians own the season tiebreaker.

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Cleveland has won 12 of its past 13 games while Detroit is 2-11 in its past 13 games and currently on an eight-game losing streak. On Sept. 4, the Tigers led the division by 11 games.

After Thursday’s series finale, Cleveland will host Texas for its final three games of the regular season. That means Detroit will need help regaining control of the division. If the Guardians take care of business, the Tigers better hope the Houston Astros keep tripping up. Detroit owns the tiebreaker if it comes down to that final wild-card spot with Houston.

Adding to Detroit’s woes: their final series of the regular season is at Fenway Park against the playoff-bound Red Sox, who are looking to make a move of their own in the wild-card standings.

Do the Mets, Reds and Diamondbacks want to make the playoffs?

With four games to go, three teams are vying for the final wild-card spot in the National League. The New York Mets currently hold that spot, but both the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks sit a game behind New York.

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With a possible trip to the playoffs on the line … every team faltered Wednesday. The Mets were blown out by the Chicago Cubs and both the Reds and D-Backs lost heartbreakers in extras.

All three teams are in action again Thursday. Of that group, the pressure is highest on the Mets, who need to finish with a better record than both the Reds and Diamondbacks to make the playoffs. Cincinnati and Arizona hold tiebreakers over New York for that final spot. The Mets can’t afford to end the season tied with either club.

The Reds sit on the other side of the pendulum. Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker over both New York and Arizona. The Reds only need to end the year tied with those teams to secure a playoff spot.

The only other team still in the playoff hunt in the NL are the Miami Marlins, but their path is nearly impossible at this point. The Marlins sit four games out but finish the season with a three-game series against the Mets. There’s a scenario where Miami could still earn the right tiebreakers to get in, but one misstep would get the team eliminated.

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Despite being fewer games out, both the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals have already been eliminated from the playoffs. They can’t win the appropriate tiebreakers to secure a spot, no matter how well both teams finish out the season.

What to watch Thursday

Pirates vs. Reds: 12:40 p.m. ET
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: 3:40 p.m. ET
Marlins vs. Phillies: 6:05 p.m. ET
Tigers vs. Guardians: 6:40 p.m. ET
White Sox vs. Yankees: 7:05 p.m. ET
Red Sox vs. Blue Jays: 7:07 p.m. ET
Mets vs. Cubs: 7:40 p.m. ET
Rockies vs. Mariners: 9:40 p.m. ET

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It appears Cleveland Guardians designated hitter David Fry is going to be OK, though he’s going to need 6-8 weeks to recover after taking a foul-tipped 99 mph fastball to the face.

The pitcher who threw that fastball, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, was visibly horrified after seeing where his pitch ended up during Tuesday’s game. Fry immediately fell to the ground and was bleeding before being carted off the field and taken to a hospital.

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As he revealed to reporters Wednesday, Skubal was concerned enough that he hitched a ride from Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to visit Fry in the hospital Tuesday night. A group of Guardians players also reportedly made the trip.

The Guardians released a statement Wednesday revealing that Fry sustained “multiple, minimally displaced, left-sided facial and nasal fractures” from the pitch. He has already been discharged from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery with no surgery needed.

Skubal’s visit is a nice reminder that a tense and potentially historic division race doesn’t mean players can’t be human beings toward one another.

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Wednesday’s game was the opener of a three-game Tigers-Guardians series that could very well decide the AL Central. The Tigers were once as many as 15.5 games ahead of the Guardians in the division race and still led by 9.5 games as recently Sept. 10, but Cleveland has reeled off a stretch of 15 wins in 16 games while Detroit has lost 10 of its past 11 games.

The Guardians led the division by one game after Wednesday, with the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they finish the job and win the AL Central, it will be the largest comeback in the standings in MLB history.

Skubal has been far from a problem for Detroit during its free fall, as he is heavily favored to take home a second straight AL Cy Young Award. He currently leads the AL in ERA (2.21), FIP (2.46), WHIP (0.891) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30) with 195 1/3 innings pitched across 31 starts.

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Gavin Williams posted a career-high-tying 12 strikeouts and Daniel Schneemann drove in two runs Tuesday as the host Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers to forge a tie atop the American League Central.

The AL Central race could be seen as an epic comeback by the Guardians or a huge meltdown from the Tigers, depending on your allegiances. The Tigers had led the division since 23 April and had a 10-game lead over Cleveland as recently as 6 September. But the Guardians have the best record in MLB this month (17-5) while the Tigers have lost seven straight games and 10 of their last 11.

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Related: Cubs†Matt Shaw defends missing teamâ€s defeat to attend Charlie Kirkâ€s memorial

Williams allowed two runs on four hits and walked only two to outduel Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits while fanning eight and walking three.

It was a shaky outing for Skubal, who has been excellent for most of the season. After he hit Clevelandâ€s David Fry in the face with a pitch, he looked shaken and threw a wild pitch to George Valera, who replaced Fry, allowing Cleveland to score. Skubal also had an error – he inexplicably tried to make a blind throw to first between his legs – and was also called for a balk in the sixth inning as the Guardians rallied for three runs to take a 3-2 lead without hitting a ball out of the infield.

“We did a lot of uncharacteristic things, and itâ€s hurting us,†Tigers manager AJ Hinch said after the game.

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Fry was taken to a local hospital for observation after being hit by the 99 mph pitch and Skubal admitted the incident had affected him.

“Really tough,†said the left-hander. “Iâ€ve already reached out to him. Iâ€m sure his phone is blowing up. I just want to make sure heâ€s all right. Obviously, he seemed like he was OK coming off the field and hopefully it stays that way.â€

With the victory, the Guardians now have a better head-to-head record against the Tigers this season and own the tiebreaker over Detroit should the teams finish joint-first in the division.

“I feel like weâ€ve been this way for a couple of series now,†Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler said. “Itâ€s not quite pressing but we definitely feel some of the pressure and weâ€ve got to mitigate it. Weâ€ve got to eliminate it. Weâ€ve still got to find ways to stay loose, focus in and hone in on what we need to do and go out there and do it.â€

The teams play each other again on Wednesday and Thursday before the Tigers complete their season with a series against the Red Sox and the Guardians face the Rangers.

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CLEVELAND — It has taken an extraordinary and unlikely sequence of events over multiple months for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians to be tied for the AL Central lead with five games left to play. Itâ€s only fitting, then, that the game that secured the deadlock atop the division — Clevelandâ€s dramatic, 5-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday at Progressive Field — featured one of the more preposterous half-innings imaginable, the ultimate display of baseball randomness and absurdity.

Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Tarik Skubal, as usual, was in control. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was tasked with reversing the misfortunes of a Tigers team that had seen its once-sturdy lead atop the AL Central completely evaporate over the past month. And for five innings against the rival Guardians — whose spectacularly hot stretch in September combined with Detroitâ€s skid to culminate in an unexpected division race — Skubal exhibited his trademark ace behavior.

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The four-seam fastball was humming, climbing as high as 101 mph. The sinker was exploding into the strike zone at unhittable angles. The slider and knuckle-curve were breaking sharply. And, of course, the changeup was giving hitters fits. When Skubal struck out David Fry with a 99.6 mph heater to end the fourth, he confidently skipped off the mound back toward the dugout, certain another masterpiece was in progress. Cleveland mustered two baserunners in the fifth, but Skubal squashed the threat, finishing the frame with his pitch count at just 74.

[Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed]

The Tigers had afforded Skubal a two-run lead thanks to a Wenceel Perez RBI double in the third and a Riley Greene solo home run in the sixth. Given how Skubal was throwing, those two runs appeared to be a rather comfortable cushion on which Detroit could rely en route to a victory that would snap its six-game losing streak.

But the Guardians had other plans.

With Skubal dialed in, fighting fire with fire was a foolâ€s errand, especially given Clevelandâ€s dearth of offensive thump; the Guardians rank 28th in MLB in slugging percentage, 30th in barrel rate, 30th in hard-hit rate and 30th in average exit velocity. Instead, Steven Kwan led off the sixth with a picturesque bunt on the first pitch from Skubal, racing to first with hopes of sparking a rally.

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Before the packed Progressive Field crowd of nearly 30,000 could quiet down after Kwanâ€s successful gambit, No. 2 hitter Angel Martínez followed with another bunt on the first pitch of his showdown with Skubal. The ball trickled down the first-base line with delicate precision, forcing Skubal to charge and either attempt to make a difficult play or pocket the ball and yield another baserunner with no outs and José Ramírez coming up.

Skubal opted for the former, but in unthinkable fashion: Facing home plate, he reached down, grabbed the ball and flipped it through his legs toward first, as if he were hiking a football. The ball sailed over first baseman Spencer Torkelsonâ€s head and into foul territory, allowing Kwan to reach third base and Martínez to coast into second.

“He was in a tough position as a left-handed pitcher to make that play in general and didn’t want to wheel and throw it down the line,†Tigers manager AJ Hinch explained postgame. “So instead, he chose to do the emergency flip, which is not something that is easy to do, and it obviously didn’t produce a good play.â€

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Skubal echoed that sentiment, referring to the Martínez ball as an “impossible play†while reiterating his intention to prevent a second consecutive bunt hit at all costs. He also revealed that the between-the-legs toss was something heâ€d tried before: “Yeah, in Miami, actually,†he said. “Same result.â€

Indeed, Skubal attempted a near carbon-copy of the play two years ago against the Marlins, when Jon Berti chopped a ball down the first-base line. The result was nearly identical, but the circumstances couldnâ€t have been more different. That was in the second inning of a July contest on a Sunday afternoon in Miami. Skubal wasnâ€t Skubal yet, and the Tigers were 47-59. Trying something like that then? Fine.

But on Tuesday, in the biggest game of the season thus far, with Guardians players and their fans desperate for any ounce of momentum? That was a poor choice.

“That is an example of an uncharacteristic mistake piling up on us at the worst time,†Hinch said.

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Of course, this was an exceptionally challenging play for Skubal; expecting him to have recorded an out without trouble feels unfair. That said, his decision to uncork a low-probability toss rather than hold on to the ball and keep Kwan and Martínez at first and second proved extremely costly.

And so, with the bunts having spiked the volume in the venue, up came Ramírez to try to cash in. As Clevelandâ€s top slugging threat, Ramírez was the one Guardian Skubal didnâ€t need to worry about attempting a bunt. But baseball has a funny way of surprising you. When Ramírez swung hard at a 99.9-mph fastball with two strikes, the result was roughly the same as the two bunts that preceded it: a weak roller up the third-base line, poorly struck with a harmless exit velocity of 65.5 mph, and too slow for third baseman Zach McKinstry to corral and make a play. Kwan scampered home for Clevelandâ€s first run. Martínez advanced to third.

The unexpected rally was far from over. But the game took a scary turn before things continued. With still no outs and runners on the corners, Fry came up to the plate. Sticking with the theme of the inning, he squared around to attempt to bunt in hopes of garnering another defensive gaffe. But Skubalâ€s 99.1-mph fastball ran up and in, hitting Fry squarely in the nose and sending him to the ground.

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Although it was ruled a foul ball, replay fairly clearly showed that the pitch didnâ€t graze Fryâ€s bat at all, instead making flush contact with his face — a terrifying sequence considering the velocity. The crowd went silent, and players on both teams, including Skubal, were visibly shaken. Thankfully, Fry was able to rise to his feet and get on the cart to be transported to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to remain overnight as he undergoes testing.

“I’ve already reached out to him,†Skubal said afterward. “I look forward to, hopefully at some point tonight or tomorrow morning, getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good. The health of him is more important than a baseball game.”

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame that Fry stayed conscious the whole time and the team would provide an update as soon as possible on Wednesday.

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Such a harrowing injury scare is difficult to move past, but the high-stakes timing forced the two teams to reengage immediately — and it took just one pitch for the chaos to resume. Rookie George Valera replaced Fry in the batterâ€s box with a 2-2 count, and Skubalâ€s first pitch to the new batter was a wayward changeup that got past catcher Dillon Dingler and allowed Martínez to score the tying run, with Ramírez advancing to second.

Valera eventually struck out, but then, while facing Gabriel Arias, Skubal balked for just the second time in his career, enabling Ramírez to move to third, still with one out. He then scored easily when Arias tapped one softly to first base, marking Clevelandâ€s third run of the inning and a lead it wouldnâ€t relinquish.

Before Tuesdayâ€s sixth inning, Skubal had allowed just one run in 27 innings against the Guardians this season, with 37 strikeouts and just five walks. Then, over the span of five plate appearances — with an average exit velocity of 52.8 mph and without a single ball leaving the infield, except for the one Skubal sailed himself — the Guardians conjured three runs. Because of course they did.

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“They showed that the team that made the most contact got rewarded for it, even if it wasn’t great contact,†Hinch said. “They did a good job with that.”

To his point, Detroitâ€s disastrous inning wouldnâ€t have loomed quite as large had the Tigers been more productive offensively. But Cleveland starter Gavin Williams had a heck of a night himself, matching a career high with 12 strikeouts over six solid innings of work. Detroit struck out 19 times total Tuesday, the franchiseâ€s most in a nine-inning game since the 2019 club — a team that would go on to lose 114 games — matched the ignominious feat on two occasions.

This Tigers team will not lose 114 games. In fact, this Tigers team might still win the AL Central, despite an unfathomably bad run of play that has them at risk of making history for all the wrong reasons. With the victory Tuesday, Cleveland clinched the season series over Detroit, giving the Guards a critical tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record after 162. But thereâ€s still ample opportunity for the Tigers to avoid that fate and fight their way back into enviable playoff position.

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“We got to flush today’s game and then get ready to play again tomorrow. The team across the way doesn’t feel bad for us, so there’s no reason we should feel bad for ourselves,†Skubal said. “That opportunity to come out there and win tomorrow and win a series — I think that’s what really matters.â€

“We have to get to tomorrow and get to a better result,†Hinch said. “Everybody knows. There’s no hiding behind anything other than showing up ready to play.â€

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