The Cleveland Guardians deserve all the credit in the world for what they accomplished.
Not only was winning the AL Central difficult to pull off, it was unprecedented.
The Guardians were as many as 11 games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers in September.
As shown by Sarah Langs, no MLB team had ever overcome such a deficit in the final month of the regular season.
Largest Sept deficits overcome to win division (1969-on) or league (1900-‘68):
2025 Guardians: 11 GB
1964 Cardinals: 8.5
2009 Twins: 7.0
2007 Phillies: 7.0
1938 Cubs: 7.0
1934 Cardinals: 7.0h/t @EliasSports
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 28, 2025
The Guardians took care of business when it mattered most, playing their best baseball of the season down the stretch and defeating the Tigers five times in the final two weeks.
Cleveland is peaking at the right time, and that can take any team a long way in the postseason.
The Guardians will now face the Tigers in the AL Wild Card round, with every game at Progressive Field.
The Tigers also gave them a helping hand with their unprecedented collapse, and that will be one of the most talked-about endings in baseball for years.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t make what the Guardians did any less impressive.
Not only did they play a part in the Tigers’ late-season demise, but they also deserve credit for fighting through adversity all season long and never giving up, regardless of how slim their chances seemed.
The Guardians are the most resilient team in baseball, and they must feel invincible and love their chances against anyone right now.
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