With spring training for the 2026 MLB season about to begin, the Cleveland Guardians are still being recognized for their historic achievement from last year. Their unprecedented rally to win the AL Central will never be forgotten.
The Guardians were as many as 15.5 games behind in the division at one point, and still trailed by 11 games in September. However, they kept pushing forward and eventually overtook the Detroit Tigers to take the crown.
Now, that historic comeback by the Guardians has captured a major award, being named the 2025 Best Cleveland Sports Moment by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
“Improbable, implausible, impossible … HISTORIC! The [Cleveland Guardians] miracle 15.5 game comeback to win the Central Division Title takes home the 2025 Best Cleveland Sports Moment,” the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission posted on X.
Improbable, implausible, impossible… HISTORIC! The @CleGuardians miracle 15.5 game comeback to win the Central Division Title takes home the 2025 Best Cleveland Sports Moment, presented by @JACKclecasino! pic.twitter.com/XnhZnqtoBN
— Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (@CLESports) February 6, 2026
It was the biggest deficit ever overcome to win a division in MLB history. In retrospect, it is even more impressive when considering the obstacles the Guardians encountered along the way.
Most notable among them was the forced absence of pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz as part of an MLB gambling investigation. Though that was very significant at the time, recent reports indicate that the scandal’s influence on Guardians games over the past two years may have been much more widespread than initially thought.
With the loss of Clase, an All-Star who was considered one of the best closers in the game, the Guardians had to revamp their bullpen on the fly. Fortunately, Cade Smith was up to the task, and his performance during the final two months was critical to Cleveland’s comeback.
In addition, manager Stephen Vogt made the unorthodox decision to switch to a six-man starting rotation in an attempt to deal with a difficult schedule. With the emergence of pitchers such as Gavin Williams and Parker Messick, the strategy worked wonders, and the Guardians kept gaining ground after it was implemented.
The team now knows that almost nothing is insurmountable, and they can carry that attitude into this season as they attempt to win the division for a third straight season and make it back to the World Series for the first time in a decade.
NEXT: New Projection Raises Concerns About Guardians’ 2026 Outlook
