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After beating KC, Guards would clinch Central if White Sox lose tonight (LIVE)

Following a difficult midseason slump that required careful navigation while José Ramírez recovered from hand surgery, Cleveland captured another division crown this weekend. Catcher Austin Hedges had previously maintained an optimistic outlook during those summer struggles, predicting the group would ultimately reach its playoff goals.

That belief materialized when the squad secured the AL Central title for the third consecutive year by defeating Kansas City while Chicago simultaneously fell to Colorado. With this victory, the organization earned a first-round bye and the No.

2 seed in the American League postseason bracket. Cleveland will now prepare to host its opening playoff matchup next weekend at home against either the White Sox, Astros, or Rangers.

On the field at Kauffman Stadium, the visitors initially fell behind after Tanner Bibee surrendered three runs in the opening frame. However, the deficit evaporated quickly as Patrick Bailey launched a two-run homer off the foul pole and Steven Kwan delivered a go-ahead triple during the second inning.

Bailey later capped his first career multihomer performance with a ninth-inning insurance blast, while Chase DeLauter contributed a solo shot in the third. Brayan Rocchio added further distance by clearing the fence twice, and Travis Bazzana came within a single home run of hitting for the cycle.

Bibee settled into a steady rhythm after his shaky start, yielding only three runs across six innings of work to complete a quality outing.

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