On September 1st, 2025, the Cleveland Guardians had just a 2.9% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Over the month of September, the Guardians went 20-7 to put themselves back in the playoff race. The team had many moments that people believe ‘saved the season’, including CJ Kayfus’ 2-run go-ahead home run vs. Kansas City on September 11. On September 22, the Guardians sat just 1 game behind 1st-place Detroit in the standings, with Detroit coming to town for a big 3-game series. The Guardians had a dramatic win over Detroit on September 23, solidified by Daniel Schneeman’s 2-run single. The Guardians went on to win the next game but lost on Thursday, and they ended the series in first place as they had the head-to-head tiebreaker.
For the last 3 games of the season, the Texas Rangers were coming into town. The Guardians sat just one game away from fully clinching the playoffs and were still in first place. Despite losing that Friday, September 26, they were still in first as Detroit lost as well. One might think this would set them back. But the Guardians did all but give up. On Saturday, the Guardians took the field to a sold-out Progressive Field crowd, amped up and ready to see their team go to the playoffs. They went down 1-0 early, but didn’t wait to respond. In the bottom of the 1st, with one runner on, right fielder Johnathan Rodriguez crushed a home-run out to center field to give the Guardians the lead. Later, Texas tied it up. However, in the bottom of the 9th, Guardians rookie CJ Kayfus got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to win the game and clinch a playoff spot. But the excitement wasn’t done there. On Sunday, despite knowing that they had already clinched the division, Brayan Rocchio hit a walk-off 3 run home-run that put an emphasis on the run that this team was on. This kicked off the celebration and brought the fans together before the teams first playoff series against Detroit.
On Tuesday, the Guardians fell to Detroit 2-1 to put Detroit ahead in the series 1-0. Despite having the tying-run on third with no outs in the bottom of the 9th, the Guardians were unable to get the run home.
Facing elimination on Wednesday, Tanner Bibee took to the mound for the Guardians. Rookie George Valera put the Guardians up early when he crushed a solo home-run. The Tigers proceeded to tie it up in the bottom of the 4th. The game remained tied and fans became anxious as the game went on. In the bottom of the 8th, Brayan Rocchio brought his late game heroics back, as he crushed a solo home-run out to right field. The Guardians got a few runners on, and Bo Naylor added insurance with a 3-run home-run. The final score was 6-1 Guardians.
Today, the Guardians face-off against the Tigers for the decisive game 3. Slade Cecconi takes the mound for Cleveland, and Jack Flaherty takes the mound for Detroit. The winner moves on to face the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series, and the loser’s season is over.
All in all, one may be surprised, considering the Guardians had a 10 game losing streak in the middle of the season and lost their closer in the middle of the season as well. However, these only seemed to make the team stronger, as they finished with the best record in the second half of the season. Late game heroics such as Angel Martinez’s grand-slam vs. Houston, Daniel Schneemann’s grand-slam vs. Toronto, Kyle Manzardo’s walk-offs vs. Minnesota, Jose Ramirez’s continuous clutch hitting, the dominant pitching staff, and Kayfus stepping up when he was needed most are the reasons why the Guardians are here today.
