The Cleveland Guardians didn’t play on Monday, but they could have tied the New York Yankees in the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League without even taking the field.
That would have happened with a Yankees loss at home against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
New York ended up winning, though, and stretched the gap with the Guardians to one game.
Still, Cleveland is very much in the postseason picture with 45 games left to play.
Their fate is in their own hands: if they keep playing like they have in the last few weeks, they will get in one way or another.
“With 45 games to play in the regular season, the Guardians are just one game back of a playoff spot in the American League. The marathon becomes a sprint starting tomorrow night at Progressive Field,” Nick Camino posted on X.
With 45 games to play in the regular season, the #Guardians are just one game back of a playoff spot in the American League.
The marathon becomes a sprint starting tomorrow night at Progressive Field. pic.twitter.com/hyRoKYidFi
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) August 12, 2025
The Guardians don’t just have a very good chance of making it to October via the Wild Card if they fare well during the stretch run, but the division is also within reach.
They managed to cut the deficit to 6.5 games: the Detroit Tigers were up 15 games a little over a month ago, in early July.
Cleveland will face Detroit six more times before the end of the season, so yes: their fate is in their hands, even in the divisional race.
All the Guardians need to do is play solid baseball, the same kind that has helped them go 9-2 in their last 11 games or 21-8 in their last 29.
Of course, it’s much easier said than done, but if they keep winning games at that pace or at least at a similar one, they won’t need to worry about standings because they will make the postseason.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Prospect Promotions
