CLEVELAND — The Guardians will be in the MLB playoffs for the second consecutive season after clinching at least an American League wild-card berth Sept. 27 with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field.
And the AL Central Division championship will be up for grabs on Sept. 28, the final day of the regular season.
The Guardians did not receive help from the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 27 in the race for the AL Central title. Before the Guardians played, the Tigers prevailed 2-1 at the Boston Red Sox. Detroit clinched a playoff spot as at least a wild-card team.
Cleveland’s magic number to win the division is one after its walk-off victory over Texas.
To win the AL Central, the Guardians need either a win Sept. 28 over the Rangers in the regular-season finale or a Tigers loss to the Red Sox on the same day. If the Guardians were to lose and the Tigers were to win on the last day of the regular season, Detroit would seize the division title.
On Sept. 28, the Guardians are scheduled to begin their game at 3:10 p.m., and the Tigers are slated to start at 3:05 p.m.
As MLB playoff picture develops, the Cleveland Guardians are scoreboard watching
Entering Sept. 27, the Guardians had a magic number of one to clinch at least a wild-card berth. The scenario was set up by the Houston Astros losing 4-3 at the Los Angeles Angels on Sept. 26, the same night the Guardians fell 7-3 to the Rangers.
With one regular-season game left Sept. 28 against the Rangers, the Guardians (87-74) are neck and neck in the division standings with the Tigers (87-74).
Cleveland holds the tiebreaker against Detroit. If the two teams were to finish the regular season with identical records, the Guardians would be crowned division champions for the second consecutive year.
“Of course, we’re scoreboard watching right now,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before his team’s Sept. 27 win over the Rangers. “We need to know what our situation is every day, and it’s that time of year.”
Again, the Guardians’ magic number to clinch the AL Central is one.
The AL Central cannot be decided until Sept. 28.
The AL Central Division standings entering Sept. 28:
- x-Guardians — 87-74
- x-Tigers — 87-74
- Guardians own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Tigers.
- x-Denotes team has clinched playoff spot.
- The New York Yankees (93-68) and Toronto Blue Jays (93-68) are tied for the lead in the AL East and have clinched playoff spots. The Blue Jays own the tiebreaker. The Seattle Mariners (90-70) have clinched the AL West and a playoff berth.
The AL wild-card standings entering Sept. 28 (top three teams make the playoffs):
- x-Yankees — 93-68 (6 games ahead)
- x-Red Sox — 88-73 (1 game ahead)
- x-Tigers — 87-74 (-)
- Astros — 86-75 (1 game behind)
- x-Denotes team has clinched playoff spot.
- The Astros missed the playoffs.
Guardians score today, other AL playoff contender scores Saturday
Results on Sept. 27:
- Guardians 3, Rangers 2
- Astros 6, Angels 1
- Tigers 2, Red Sox 1
- Yankees 6, Orioles 1
- Blue Jays 5, Rays 1
Guardians game today
The Guardians beat the Rangers 3-2 on Sept. 27, with C.J. Kayfus being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Guardians lost 7-3 to the Rangers in the series opener between the two teams on Sept. 26. The Guardians were coming off a 2-1 series win over the Tigers, with Cleveland prevailing 5-2 on Sept. 23 and 5-1 on Sept. 24 before falling 4-2 on Sept. 25. Next up for the Guardians is the regular-season finale against the Rangers at 3:10 p.m. Sept. 28.
Cleveland Guardians schedule for the rest of the 2025 MLB season
- Sunday, Sept. 28: vs. Rangers, 3:10 p.m.
When do MLB playoffs start?
The 2025 MLB postseason will begin on Sept. 30, with all four wild-card series getting underway. The best of-three series are scheduled to run through Oct. 2. The best-of-five division series start on Oct. 4, two days after the conclusion of the wild-card series.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
