The Cleveland Guardians have overtaken the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL Central after besting the Tigers 5-1 in front of their hometown fans with their underrated superstar Jose Ramirez collecting two hits including an RBI double which drove in two runs late in the game.
What a remarkable turn of events in 80 days.
On July 6th, the Guardians were playing the Tigers in very same ballpark with a very different result. That day the Guardians lost 7-2 in 10 innings. That loss was their 10th in a row and put them 15½ games back of the Tigers. At the time, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt stated, “This game felt like a kick in the pants. It really did. Gut-wrenching. Heart-wrenching.”
Yet Vogt also made this comment:
It doesn't do any good to loathe or talk about negatives and moan and complain. That's not productive. We've got to keep working to get better. We're all in this together. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, it's going turn.
And boy has it ever turned.
At the end of play on July 6th, not only did the Tigers enjoy a 15½ lead over the Guardians in the AL Central, they had the best record in MLB at 57-34. Over the past 80 days, the Tigers have gone 28-39 with 8 straight losses during a September which has seen Detroit drop 15 out of 20 games.
The Tigers have gone from having the best record in MLB to being in danger of not making the post-season at all. If this comes to pass, it would be quite a fall from grace. A year ago, it was the Tigers who made a late season surge to reach the post-season for the first time since 2014 and become MLB's Cinderella story.
Conversely, Cleveland has gone 46-24 over the same period. In September, the Guardians boast an 18-5 having won 17 of their last 20 games which included a 10-game winning streak. What is truly astonishing is that Cleveland has done this despite the suspensions of key starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase over gambling allegations.
However, to quote Yogi Berra, "It ain't over 'til it's over." The Guardians and Tigers have one more game to play tomorrow. The Tigers could rally and be tied for first with the Guardians in 24 hours from now.
Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's game, the Tigers then come to Boston to play the Red Sox for the final three games of the season. The Red Sox, of course, are vying for an AL Wild Card spot.
Meanwhile, the Guardians will host a struggling Texas Rangers which snapped an 8-game losing streak tonight. Unfortunately, that losing streak eliminated them from the post-season. In 10 days, the Rangers went from being 2 games out in the AL West to 9 games back.
While I don't wish to rule out the Rangers chances against the Guardians, I believe the Tigers have a much taller task in Boston.
For all of baseball's many flaws, the Cleveland Guardians have made things exciting this September. Should they make the post-season they could make things exciting in October by winning their first World Series title since 1948.
Until then, baby steps.
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