CLEVELAND — The Guardians are bound for October.
Seemingly buried only a few weeks ago, Cleveland’s historic run through September has secured their place in the 2025 playoffs.
The Guardians officially clinched their spot in the postseason with a wild walk-off win over the Texas Rangers Saturday, Sept. 27. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, C.J. Kayfus was drilled by a pitch to score the winning run.
They’ll also have a chance to win the division on the last day of the season.
As of Sept. 4, Cleveland was below .500 at 69-70. They then went on an improbable 17-2 run, led by a starting rotation that had one of the best 19-game runs in 100 years of baseball, to climb back into the playoff races.
American League playoff bracketWho might the Guardians play in the first round of the playoffs?
The Guardians know they’re in the postseason, but there are still a few options as to who they might play (and where) in the Wild Card Series.
If they win the AL Central and are the No. 3 seed, they could play the Tigers or the Red Sox in Cleveland. If the Tigers win the division Sept. 28, the Guardians would go to Detroit as the No. 6 seed.
2025 MLB postseason schedule
Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, which is best-of-3, is set for Tuesday, Sept. 30. Game times on that day are still to be determined.
Game 2 of the Wild Card Series would then be Wednesday, Oct. 1. If Game 3 is necessary, it would be the next day, on Thursday, Oct. 2.
What did the Guardians do in the postseason last year?
A year ago, the Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS in a winner-take-all Game 5 that included Lane Thomas’ earth-shattering grand slam off Tarik Skubal. Cleveland eventually fell to the New York Yankees in the ALCS in five games, falling just three wins short of the World Series.
Guardians playoff tickets
Information on Cleveland Guardians 2025 playoff tickets can be found here.