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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians completed a remarkable comeback to capture the AL Central title, defeating the Kansas City Royals 11-5 on Saturday night while the Chicago White Sox fell 9-6 to the Colorado Rockies. The victory sealed Cleveland's third straight division championship and seventh in the last 11 seasons.
Back on August 16, the Guardians trailed Chicago by six games in the division. They responded by winning 25 of their next 36 contests, including 15 of their final 21, to overtake the White Sox. The team had already clinched a playoff spot with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, marking their eighth postseason appearance since 2016.
Following the game, players celebrated in the clubhouse for nearly an hour, spraying bubbly before taking the party onto the tarp-covered field at Kauffman Stadium as rain intensified. Manager Stephen Vogt, who has now guided the team to the postseason in each of his first three seasons, praised the collective effort. "We'll get some rest, this team was on fumes," Vogt said. "There's so many people that have contributed to this win, this championship and I think that's what makes this feel really good. I think that's the story of this year, how deep the roster was."
Cleveland had to navigate injuries to key hitters Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and rookie Chase DeLauter. "We were without three of our best hitters for over a month and the boys held it together," Vogt said. "They held the season together. Our season could have gone very differently." The front office also made trade-deadline additions, acquiring outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, left-hander Foster Griffin, and right-hander Craig Yoho to bolster the roster.
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Saturday's winning pitcher, Tanner Bibee, reflected on the team's resilience. "I feel like the thing about us, the stretch we had after the All-Star break, the majority of teams could have folded," Bibee said. "We could have went back in our shell, but we knew it was going to flip. If you show up every day on the field in the same way, usually the baseball gods reward you in a good way." Bibee, whose 15 losses are tied for the major-league lead, views the postseason as a fresh start. "At this point, it doesn't matter," he said. "Everyone's at zero when it gets to October. The stats don't matter. Only wins do now. That's the beautiful thing about October."
Cleveland will finish its regular season on Sunday before enjoying a bye. The Guardians will open the AL Division Series at home next Saturday.
Originally reported by yahoo.