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Detroit Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones (18) slides into safe at home in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Tigers Face Massive Showdown with Guardians to Win AL Central Title

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians are off on Monday. After that, the two teams will determine who wins the AL Central crown.

The Tigers (85-71) are in a complete free-fall after being swept by the Atlanta Braves with Sunday’s 6-2 loss. It’s been a brutal stretch for Detroit, which in mid-July had a 14-game lead on the field in the division and a 15.5 game lead on the Guardians. But the Tigers have lost their last six games — including three losses to Cleveland — and have lost nine of their last 10 to put their chances of winning the division on thin ice.

How bad could this be? It could be the worst collapse in baseball history, regardless of it being in the divisional era (since 1969) and the league era. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com and Elias Sports, the biggest rally in Major League history was in 1914, when the Boston Braves came back from a 15-game deficit to win the National League. In the divisional era the record is 14 games when the New York Yankees rallied to overcome the Boston Red Sox in the AL East in 1978.

That is the territory that the Tigers are in right now. But, on Sunday, they got just a little bit of help.

Detroit Tigers Magic Number

Entering Sunday’s game, the Tigers had a magic number of seven to win the AL Central. That’s a combination of Tigers wins and Guardians losses. So, Detroit didn’t help itself with the loss. But Cleveland finally cooled off just a bit.

The Guardians lost the final game of their series with the Minnesota Twins, 6-2. Before the loss Cleveland had won 10 straight games and 15 of their last 16 since Sept. 5 to change the direction of the divisional race.

With this being a head-to-head matchup, every win means trimming the magic number by two for the Tigers. Even one win in this series would be a huge deal for Detroit as Cleveland would be able to do no better than tie the divisional lead with three games remaining. The Tigers still control their own destiny, even with the free fall.

Detroit’s last division title was in 2014, and it was the last of a four-season run in which they dominated the division. In that span they went to the World Series in 2012 and reached the ALCS on two other occasions. The Tigers have not won a World Series title since their 1984 team. Detroit went to the playoffs last year as a wild card team and reached the divisional round, where it lost to the Guardians.