After a rollercoaster season, the Cleveland Guardians gave fans a glimpse of hope in the postseason but ultimately fell short on Oct. 2, losing 6-3 to the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series (ALCS).
The game remained tight through six innings, with third baseman José Ramírez tying it 1-1 in the fourth before Dillon Dingler’s home run put the Tigers ahead in the sixth. Starting pitcher Slade Cecconi lasted just 2.1 innings, forcing Cleveland’s bullpen to take over early. Pitchers Tim Herrin and Joey Cantillo kept the Guardians within reach, but the momentum shifted in the seventh when pitcher Hunter Gaddis entered with two runners on and surrendered three straight RBI singles, giving Detroit a commanding 6-1 lead.
Cleveland showed a flash of its signature “Guards Ball” grit in the eighth, when two runs scored on an infield error. But with Ramírez thrown out trying to advance, the rally fizzled, sealing a 6-3 loss, and a heartbreaking end to the Guardians’ remarkable season.
The Guardians’ year was anything but predictable. The team stumbled through the first few months of 2025, enduring a 10-game losing streak before the All-Star break. In July, their struggles deepened as two players were placed on administrative leave amid ongoing MLB investigations, including starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. In the month of August, the Guardians had gone just 1-9.
Then came September. In a stunning turnaround, Cleveland mounted one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history, storming back to clinch the AL Central title. They became the first team since 1969 to overcome a 15 1/2 game deficit to win their division, a feat that makes their early playoff exit all the more difficult to swallow.
“The predominant feeling is devastation, because everybody on this team rode the lows and the highs together,” Cecconi told MLB.com. “And the lows and the highs this year were as extreme as you can create. For it to come to a halt this quickly feels terrible. But with those feelings, you don’t want to lose what we did and what we accomplished from where we were.”
Although their postseason run ended earlier than last year’s ALCS Game 5 appearance, the Guardians delivered an exciting season that kept fans on edge until the very end. While some may be disappointed by the early playoff exit, many take comfort in knowing Cleveland wasn’t even expected to make it this far. The Guardians finished the year on a high note, showcasing their resilience and giving fans plenty of reason for optimism heading into next season.
“We’re close. We are really close,” manager Stephen Vogt said to MLB.com. “We’re not quite there yet. There’s things we need to improve upon. There’s things we need to get better with. But the overarching theme is I’m so proud of that group for not quitting.”