CLEVELAND — It was Aug. 24, when the Guardians wrapped up a nightmarish 1-5 road trip that knocked them under .500 for the first time in nearly a month. At 64-65 and losers of eight of nine games, it was fair to wonder whether the season was slipping away.
If the Guardians were going to go down, they were at least going to go down swinging.
“We know that we can’t afford to have this stretch last any longer than it has,” manager Stephen Vogt said that day, after a 5-0 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field. “I don’t think we’re ever going to feel like the season is getting away from us.
“We’re going to keep fighting every single day until we’re either popping champagne or we’re out of it. That’s who we are. We’re going to fight every single day.”
The champagne is ready. The Guardians punched their ticket to the postseason on Saturday, after C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, securing a walk-off, 3-2 win over the Rangers at Progressive Field — and they may not be done. With a win or a Tigers loss on Sunday, Cleveland would clinch its second consecutive American League Central title.
By virtue of their 8-5 record vs. Detroit this season, the Guardians own the tiebreaker against their division rivals, so if both clubs wrap Sunday with the same record, Cleveland would claim the Central crown. In that scenario, the Guardians would host a Wild Card Series next week against either the Tigers or Red Sox, depending on Sunday’s results.
It has been a stunning, if not improbable, run by a team whose season has been an emotional roller-coaster ride. At one point, the Guardians lost 10 straight games (June 26-July 6). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are just the fourth team in baseball history to make the postseason in a season in which they lost 10 straight games — joining the 2017 Dodgers, 1982 Braves and 1951 New York Giants.
The Guardians went 23-9 from July 7-Aug. 14 to claw their way back in the race. A 1-9 stretch from Aug. 15-25 threatened to derail everything. Most recently, they opened September 68-67 and were 11 games behind the Tigers in the American League Central, and four games back of the last Wild Card spot. Their playoff chances were just 4.8 percent, according to FanGraphs.
The Guardians won 17 of 19 from Sept. 5 through Wednesday, as part of their 18-7 month, to punch their ticket.
The Guardians have stuck together through the highs and lows this season — the latter of which have been plenty. Wins and losses aside, the clubhouse watched its ace, Shane Bieber, get traded before the July 31 Deadline. That same month, it watched Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz go on non-disciplinary paid leave amid ongoing MLB investigations.
The run is a testament to Vogt and his players for not letting up, to give the Cleveland faithful a run it will remember for years to come.