The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central and a first-round bye in the postseason.
That’s why they are sitting the Wild Card round while other squads try to secure a place in the Division Series.
Cleveland’s foe in the Division Series is now settled: the Detroit Tigers swept the Astros in Houston to claim the right to face the Guardians in an AL Central matchup.
“The ALDS is set! The Cleveland Guardians will face the Detroit Tigers, with Game 1 on Saturday at 1:08 p.m,” Guardians on SI posted on X.
The ALDS is set! The Cleveland Guardians will face the Detroit Tigers, with Game 1 on Saturday at 1:08 p.m. #Guardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/0OfZqY0Btc
— Cleveland Guardians On SI (@GuardiansOnSI) October 2, 2024
Tanner Bibee will take the ball for Cleveland in that game, while the Tigers are still busy celebrating (as they should!) and haven’t made their pitcher for that day official.
It probably won’t be Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal since he would be throwing on three-days rest.
The lefty is the most likely name for the second game on Monday, though.
The Tigers are the hottest team in MLB, so they present a true nightmare matchup for the Guards.
Cleveland is still the favorite to advance, but the thing about the playoffs is that there is no room for error.
This will be a best-of-five matchup, so a cold streak by your best hitter or a lousy start from your ace and you are against the wall.
It will be a fun matchup, though.
The Guardians won the regular season head-to-head matchup, but it was a close 7-6.
Everything is ready for two talented, well-coached teams to take the scene and vie for a place in the AL Championship Series.
NEXT: Former Guardians Star Announces Retirement From Baseball
