Jose Ramires running the bases – captured by Zach Meisel
By William Petty
Beakon Staff Writer
Cleveland, OH – September 30, 2025 – The Cleveland Guardians are heading back to the playoffs after a season nobody expected. In July, they were 15 games behind the Detroit Tigers. Now, they’re division champs and will host Detroit in the Wild Card series.
The Guardians’ big turnaround came in September when they won 17 of 19 games. They clinched a playoff spot on a walk-off hit-by-pitch and officially took the division the next day when Detroit lost.
Mrs. Popichak said late-season momentum could help them in October. “Yeah, I think so. Late-season momentum matters. Momentum is a big factor. All sports, particularly baseball, so late-season momentum could carry them into a playoff run,” she said.
She also thinks facing the Tigers again won’t be easy. “I think it will be interesting to see them play the Tigers again. I think the Tigers will come back with revenge and play with a chip on their shoulder. So it will be a challenge, but I think it will be interesting to see how the Guardians handle them.”
Student Marco Beato had his own thoughts on the team’s chances. “No, I do not think the Guardians will make the World Series. I think some teams in the AL are better,” he said.
Beato also shared what it felt like when the Guardians were way behind earlier in the year. “When we were 15 and a half games behind, I thought we had no chance, and didn’t want to watch them anymore, but I still did, and they came back.”
Even though not everyone believes the Guardians can go all the way, fans agree this run has been something special. Now, just a few weeks later, their playoff run has come to an end after a tough series loss — but the comeback and late-season magic have left fans proud of what the team accomplished.