What seemed impossible just weeks ago is now reality: the Guardians are the favorites in the American League Central.
After sitting well behind the Tigers in the division essentially all summer, Cleveland now controls its own destiny with three games to go after a ridiculous hot streak – and an epic collapse from Detroit.
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Guardians are -215 on FanDuel to win the AL Central over the Tigers, who own +172 odds to avoid a historic meltdown.
The teams are tied in the standings at 86-73, but the Guardians hold the tiebreaker, giving them a significant advantage in this ever-so-close race.
Detroit battles the Red Sox in Boston to end the season, while Cleveland hosts the eliminated Rangers.
It wasn’t long ago that this division appeared to be the biggest runaway in baseball.
At the All-Star break, the Tigers led the AL Central by 11 1/2 games over the second-place Twins and held a 12-game edge over the Guardians, which was easily the largest division lead across the league.
Cleveland trailed Detroit by as many as 15 1/2 games in July before storming back.
Before the second-half kicked off, the Tigers were -10000 to win the division at BetMGM Sportsbook. The Guardians were all but written off, sitting at +15000 (150/1).
While they crept back in late July and August, the AL Central really started to change in September when the Tigers led the Guardians by 10 1/2 games entering the month.
The Guardians have gone 18-6 during September, the best record in baseball, while the Tigers have gone just 6-15, the second-worst mark in the league.
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In the last couple of weeks, Cleveland has won 12 of their last 14, while Detroit had lost eight straight before eeking out a win in the series finale against the Guardians on Thursday
Now, all the Guardians control their own destiny with a chance to pull off one of the most amazing comebacks in baseball history.
The Tigers have to finish at least a game ahead of the Guardians to avoid living infamy with an embarrassing late-season implosion.
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.