Hope you didn't try to bury the Cleveland Guardians, even if you had a reason to. This team was 11 games back of the Detroit Tigers coming into the final month of the season, was 12.5 games back on Aug. 23, and was as many as 15.5 games behind their AL Central rivals in May. They sold at the trade deadline. They were written off by man. And now they are currently holding the division lead over the Tigers after Tuesday night's monster win over Tarik Skubal.
The 5-2 victory gives the Guardians and Tigers an identical record at 85-72. However, that was the seventh win for Cleveland in this division series this season, meaning that Terry Francona's team now holds the division lead. That has everyone not just thinking about what the Guards could do in the MLB postseason race late in the regular season, it now has Cleveland fans wondering about this team's magic number as they can almost taste the playoffs.
While this club has gone on this miracle run, though, the job isn't done with five games remaining in the regular season still. So what is the Guardians magic number to get into the postseason and, now more relevant than ever, to win the AL Central? Let's check in on the latest updates to see what this team needs to accomplish in order to be playing in October.
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What's the Guardians magic number to clinch a playoff berth and the AL Central?
After Tuesday's win over Detroit, the Guardians, as mentioned, now have the tiebreaker over the Tigers, which puts them into the division lead. That means they're playing for not just a postseason berth, but for also an AL Central crown. At this point, though, the magic numbers are the same.
- Magic number to make the playoffs: 5
- Magic number to clinch the AL Central: 5
While the magic number to clinch the division won't change until the Guardians and Tigers play again on Wednesday and depending on the result, a late game on Tuesday could change things in a big way with the Houston Astros on the road in action against the Athletics. Cleveland's magic number to just get into the postseason is based on their race with Houston in the Wild Card to confirm a postseason spot. If Houston loses on Tuesday, the Guards' magic number will drop to 4.
If you need some more visualization, here's a look at the standings for the American League playoff spots right now, with the Astros 0.5 games back of the Tigers before Tuesday night's results.
- Toronto Blue Jays (90-67, AL East leaders)
- Seattle Mariners (87-69, AL West leaders)
- Cleveland Guardians (85-72, AL Central leaders)
- New York Yankees (89-68, AL Wild Card No. 1)
- Boston Red Sox (86-71, AL Wild Card No. 2)
- Detroit Tigers (85-72, AL Wild Card No. 3)
All this is to say, though, nothing is certain for the Guardians just yet with five games to play. They obviously have two more games against the Tigers, which could be monstrous in the division race, especially if they sweep Detroit. However, if they fail to complete the sweep, the final weekend could be a white knuckle affair for both teams with the Guardians hosting the Texas Rangers and the Tigers on the road against the Boston Red Sox.
Buckle up, Guards fans. It's already been a helluva ride to get to this point, and the ride's not over yet.