With their win against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, the Cleveland Guardians put themselves one step closer to one of their last objectives of the regular season: earning the American League’s top seed.
The New York Yankees, currently owners of the best record in the junior circuit, lost at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles again
So, if you thought the Guardians didn’t have anything to play for in the upcoming weekend series, think again.
“The @CleGuardians are just 0.5 GB of the Yankees for the best record in the American League!” MLB Network posted.
The @CleGuardians are just 0.5 GB of the Yankees for the best record in the American League! 👀📊#MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/TWsDX4XmaX
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 26, 2024
Why is homefield advantage important for Cleveland? Well, as always, let’s go to the numbers to understand the situation.
The Guardians have, as of Thursday afternoon, a 50-28 record at Progressive Field.
Pretty impressive, right?
Well, their record playing away is a much more ‘average’ 42-39.
Imagine a hypothetical American League Championship Series in which Cleveland takes part.
It would be much more advantageous for them to play four games at home than four on the road, should the matchup come down to seven games.
The Guardians, therefore, need to make sure to give everything they got to leapfrog the Yankees for the best record in the junior circuit.
A tie wouldn’t suffice, though, since New York has the tiebreaker.
All things considered, the Guards will need to win all three games and hope the Yankees lose at least two of the four games remaining on their calendar.
It’s unlikely, but very much plausible for Cleveland if they play hard all weekend.
NEXT: Guardians Star Closer Establishes Another Franchise Record With 47th Save
