Column: Never-quit Guardians enjoy great playoff chase

A few thoughts from the week in sports …

Cleveland Guardians fans will long remember the “Great Playoff Chase of 2025.”

The Guardians came all the way back from 14.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers on July 8 to tie them for first place in the AL Central on Sept. 23.

Cleveland used another complete-team effort to defeat Detroit 5-2 and match its 85-72 record on the night before the press deadline for this column. And the Guards held the season tiebreaker due to a better head-to-head record.

That left five games in the regular season for Cleveland, with two more matchups with free-falling Detroit and three with Texas.

If the Guardians can finish off their comeback and win the AL Central, it will be the biggest deficit overcome since divisional play began in 1969. The 1978 New York Yankees rallied from 14 games down to win the AL East.

The adversity Cleveland has overcome is mind-boggling. The Guards had All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase placed on leave due to a gambling investigation on July 28, joining starting pitcher Luis Ortiz on the suspended list.

Injuries also hit hard with veterans Lane Thomas and Ben Lively, along with top prospects like Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter, sidelined. Cleveland also traded former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.

Veterans Carlos Santana and Nolan Jones scuffled and were sent packing, but none of it mattered. The Guardians kept scratching, clawing and fighting their way back.

It took a few games for Cleveland to get its bearings after Clase's locker was cleaned out and setup man Cade Smith took over the closer’s role, but the Guards quietly cut the Tigers' lead to 12.5 games on Aug. 25.

Then September rolled around, and Cleveland put it all together, going 17-5 to pull into an AL Central tie. That made wins in 15 of their last 17 games, allowing the Guards to overcome a 9.5-game deficit on Sept. 10.

No matter what the level of baseball, success or failure starts with the pitching. Cleveland’s starting pitchers had an ERA of 2.04 in September, best in MLB.

Is there any franchise better at developing starting pitching than Cleveland?

Check out these September ERAs: Joey Cantillo (1.16), Tanner Bibee (1.25), Gavin Williams (1.50), Parker Messick (3.00), Logan Allen (2.00) and Slade Cecconi (3.12).

Coming into the season, Guardians fans knew very little about Cantillo, Messick or Cecconi, but they all looked like veterans down the stretch.

Cade Smith settled into the closer’s role, and Hunter Gaddis is solid as the setup man.

When managers talk about guys competing every single pitch, the Cleveland staff epitomizes that. They are tough as nails.

Most nights the Guardians’ lineup had three or four starters with batting averages in the .100s, but they got just enough production to scrape out wins. Whether it’s timely hitting, small ball or occasional power outbursts, Cleveland found a way.

And similar to the starting rotation, the front office hasn’t been afraid to throw relative unknowns into the fire. Rookie outfielders CJ Cayfus, George Valera and most recently Petey Halpin have all stepped in to contribute.

All-Stars Jose Ramirez (third base) and Steven Kwan (left field) are the clear leaders and fantastic to watch batting, fielding and running the bases.

First baseman Kyle Manzardo, second baseman Brayan Rocchio and shortstop Gabriel Arias have all taken turns as stars on certain nights. Even catcher Bo Naylor has gotten hot in September.

Steven Vogt, who some fans were questioning in July, could be headed for a repeat AL Manager of the Year award. Vogt has a different personality than former skipper Tito Francona, who wore his emotions on his sleeves, but the current boss’ even-keel approach could lead to a raucous AL Central celebration.

As much as us Cleveland fans complain about the Dolan family ownership group, the Guards are almost always in contention for the playoffs. Over the last 13 years, Cleveland has only played 25 games total in which it was mathematically eliminated from the postseason.

The 2025 season looked like it was over in July, but no one told Vogt and the Guardians. They kept showing up and playing the game the right way. Anything Cleveland can accomplish from here on out will be downright magical.

PARTING SHOTS

What is a Most Valuable Player? Is it the best overall player, or the one who means the most to his team?

That’s been a question debated countless times over the years, from the pros down to high school teams. There’s never a definitive answer; it comes down to subjective interpretation.

The AL MVP race will almost certainly come down to a vote between the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (.325, 49 HR, 105 RBI, 131 R) and Mariners’ Cal Raleigh (.245, 58 HR, 121 RBI, 107 R). They have had the two best seasons in the AL.

However, if you’re going by who meant the most to his team in 2025, the Guardians’ Jose Ramirez would get my vote. There isn’t a better all-around player in baseball. Despite having little support around him in the batting lineup, Ramirez once again put up incredible numbers.

Ramirez was batting .282 with 31 doubles, 30 home runs, 82 RBI, 101 runs and 40 stolen bases through games of Sept. 23. He’s the first three-time 30-30 player (HRs and 2Bs) in Cleveland history.

—Why quit while we’re ahead, Cleveland fans? The Browns also won a game! They also proved it ain’t over ‘til it’s over by stunning the Packers 13-10 on Sept. 21. The Browns (1-2) scored all of their points in the final 3:38. It was wonderful to see rookie kicker Andre Szmyt make a game-winning 55-yard field goal as time expired to make amends for his costly misses in the opening loss against the Bengals.

If the Guardians wind up winning the AL Central and the Browns beat the Lions on Sunday, us Cleveland fans might not know what to do with ourselves. That kind of good fortune just doesn’t happen often around these parts.

Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com.