Sep 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; The Cleveland Guardians celebrate a win over the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

Guardians receive helpful news for final series of the season against Rangers

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Steve Kubitza | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Cleveland Guardians are on a run for the ages at the moment. The team now sits atop the American League Central, via tiebreaker, after taking it to Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in traditional #GuardsBall fashion.

The win puts the Guardians at 85-72 and officially clinches the season series over the Tigers. Thus, Cleveland wins the division if the teams finish with the same record. In addition, the Guardians hold a tiebreaker over the Houston Astros for the third and final Wild Card spot if it comes down to that.

But for now, the focus is on winning Wednesday and closing out the final five games strong to secure a spot in October. The next two games against the Tigers will be tense, as both teams are fighting for the division. However, things just got a little easier for the final series of the season against the Texas Rangers.

Bochy: Corey Seager (appendectomy), Marcus Semien (foot) shut down for rest of season.
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 23, 2025

Per manager Bruce Bochy, as shared by Underdog MLB on Twitter, both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien will be shut down for the rest of the year. This moves comes as the Rangers have lost eight in a row to fall out of playoff contention.

It must be pointed out that the two Rangers stars have both missed all of September due to their respective ailments. However, there was always a possibility they returned in order to lead a charge into the playoffs. Losing eight straight games ended the need to bring either of them back.

Just a week ago, fans were noting on social media how crucial the series against the Rangers would be to end the season. Alas, the Guardians have not stopped winning and the Rangers have not stopped losing, making the final series one simply about pride for the team from Texas.

This news is helpful for the Guardians, but the focus still remains on the next two games against the Tigers. All the good vibes and excitement of the past few weeks could be wiped away with losses on both Wednesday and Thursday. Yet just one win means the Guardians would enter Friday atop the division, holding the tiebreaker.

As fans, it is easy to look ahead and play the schedule game, thinking of all the possible scenarios both good and bad. Luckily, this Guardians team has proven they truly take it one game at a time. That mindset has them on the brink of capping off a historic run to October.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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