CLEVELAND — The 2025 Guardians etched their name in the record books with one of the craziest runs to a division title in baseball history, but their playoff run came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Detroit Tigers , the team they spent six months chasing.

Statistically and historically, they weren't supposed to be there in the first place. By most accounts, the Guardians were expected to pack it in months ago. They sputtered to start the season and then dealt with the sudden sidelining of Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase because of a gambling investigation , which led to a trade deadline that threatened to see them become sellers.

They were under .500 at points in the month of September. And then, for a few weeks, the Guardians borrowed a little magic from the '90s teams th

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