Guardians clinch MLB playoff spot on walk-off hit-by-pitch in pursuit of AL Central, record-breaking comeback

Here’s a headline we didn’t think we’d be seeing in 2025: The Cleveland Guardians have clinched a playoff berth. 

The miracle run continued Saturday with a 3-2 walk-off hit-by-pitch win over the Texas Rangers (box score). While the furious fight for the AL Central title is ongoing, the Guardians are playoff-bound for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons.

The Guardians won the AL Central last season, but this year was a roller coaster at best.

• The Guardians lost 10 in a row from June 26-July 6, pushing them 15 ½ back of the Tigers in the division and eight games under .500 at 40-48. They were seven back of playoff position. 
• They won 11 of their next 13, but then lost four of five. They sold at the trade deadline, most notably dealing Shane Bieber.
• Then they won nine of their next 10. 
• Then they lost 11 of their next 14. After the loss on Aug. 25, the Guardians were in third place, 12 ½ games out in the Central and six out of a playoff spot. 
• The Guardians then won four in a row, followed by losing four of five. After their Sept. 4 loss, they were 11 games back in the division and 3 ½ games out of a wild card. 
• And then they went gangbusters. Since that 11-game deficit, the Guardians have gone an absurd 18-4. They won all six games against the Tigers. 

MLB playoff clinch scenarios: How AL East, AL Central, wild card races will be decided this weekend

Mike Axisa

This marks one of the most amazing and unlikely comebacks in MLB history. That statement isn’t hyperbole. Should the Guardians win the division, it’ll mark the biggest deficit overcome to win a division title in MLB history. The 1914 Braves held the record for more than a century at 15 games. Conversely, the previous high for a blown lead was 13 games by the 1951 Dodgers.  

If you dig into the playoff odds, the Guardians bottomed out at 2.5% on Sept. 2. Their chances to win the division were below 1% from July 4-20 and then again from Aug. 19-Sept. 12. 

There’s far too much credit to go around to name everyone right now. We can start with the organization as a whole. Calling up rookie starter Parker Messick and having him dominate down the stretch is a testament to the ability of the ballclub to develop stud players and plug them in. Both the rotation and bullpen have been excellent down the stretch. On the position-player side, Steven Kwan deserves plenty of credit for the stability he provides both offensively and defensively, but we need to elevate José Ramírez here. 

Ramírez is the engine that makes the Guardians go. The 32-year-old third baseman is again posting numbers that’ll land him in the top five of MVP voting in a season with two historically good frontrunners. He’s not underrated anymore but he is the heart of this team.

The Guardians’ work isn’t complete. They still need to lock down the AL Central and they’re surely hungry for a World Series title after all these postseason trips. For now, though, they’ve already completed an absurdly unlikely run to the playoffs.