Cleveland Guardians Near Historic MLB Comeback in AL Central Race

The Cleveland Guardians have orchestrated one of baseball's most extraordinary comebacks, erasing a 15.5-game deficit behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central race to sit just one game back with less than a week remaining in the regular season. Central to this historic surge is their dominant starting pitching, which posted a remarkable 10-0 record with a 1.33 ERA over their last 17 games, including consecutive shutouts in a doubleheader, a feat not achieved by the team since 1961. Their 15 wins in 16 games, highlighted by a 10-game winning streak and crucial contributions from key players like José Ramírez, have reshaped the division and wild-card landscape. The Guardians, who traded key pitchers midseason and had an offense ranked last in batting average entering September, have defied expectations by closing the gap through fundamentally strong team baseball. This comeback, if successful, would surpass the previous largest MLB comeback record held by the 1914 Boston Braves and eclipse the New York Yankees' 1978 AL East rally, marking the greatest deficit overcome to win a division title since divisional play began in 1969. The decisive moment looms with a pivotal three-game home series against the Tigers starting Tuesday, where the Guardians can potentially claim the division lead and clinch the season series tiebreaker.