Cleveland Guardians’ September Surge to Make Postseason is the New Normal

The Cleveland Guardians are back in the playoffs, and it’s in part due to yet another September surge, something the baseball club is certainly used to.

Sep 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) hits a fly ball against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It truly never gets old. For the third straight season, the fourth time in five years, and the eighth time in the last 11 years, the Guardians will be playing in October.

New family photo just dropped.#GuardsBall | #StandGuard pic.twitter.com/ecVpoS0LIc

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 25, 2026

Guardians clinch! Tom Hamilton with another call for the ages: "Cleveland! You will have another October to remember!" @GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/a2AuNpXB1W

— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) September 25, 2026

And it was, once again, in part due to an incredible September. to close out the regular season.

This Season’s September Surge

On Aug. 16, Cleveland was, arguably, at its lowest point of the season. Not necessarily in terms of their record, although that certainly played a part, but more specifically, in terms of the American League Central division.

The Guardians were 60-65 and had lost nine 17 of their last 23 games at the time. Sitting six games back in the division, they were tied for third in the Central, behind a surging White Sox team. Then, over that next 10 days, Stephen Vogt's ballclub won eight of their next nine games to cut the White Sox’s lead atop the division to 2.5 games. And then, the September surge truly began.

With the win over the Red Sox Thursday night, the Guardians are 14-8 this month, including taking two of three games in Boston to secure yet another spot in the postseason.

The 2026 version of the September Surge for the Guardians was in part due to a dominant bullpen, led by Cade Smith.

Since August 18, Cleveland’s bullpen has the best in the MLB: 13-2 record, 2.04 ERA (leads MLB), 173 strikeouts (leads MLB), 0.95 WHIP (leads MLB), and a .184 opponents’ batting average (leads MLB) in 141.1 innings

Cleveland was four games back in the division at the start of September and then have gone 14-8 so far this month to clinch a playoff spot with three games left in the regular season.

Even with plenty of young players throughout the roster, the Guardians are used to being in these situations, and it clearly shows. Experience — not necessarily age and youth — matters in crucial situations, especially in the playoffs, and Cleveland will continue to try to prove that this postseason.

Looking Back at the Record-Breaking Late-Season Surge in 2025

Last season, the Guardians had to work much harder to get back to the postseason due to how they played for the first three-plus months of the season. On July 9, they sat 15.5 games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers.

But then the calendar flipped to September, and Cleveland suddenly became a completely different baseball team. The Guardians went 20-7 last September, including a 17-5 run, to eliminate an 11.5-game lead at the start of the month, overtake the Tigers, and win the division on the final day of the regular season.

The 15.5-game deficit the Guardians overcame is the largest margin any team has overcome to finish atop the division since divisional play began in 1969. It surpasses the 1914 Boston Red Sox, who trailed by 15 games.

Also, a year earlier in 2024, Cleveland went 15-10 in September to overcome a four-game deficit and win the division.

It’s clearly become a way of life at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

What’s Next?

The Guardians have a three-game series against the Royals in Kansas City Friday night through Sunday afternoon to conclude the regular season. The Chicago White Sox, meanwhile, host the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series this weekend.

Currently leading the division by one game over the White Sox, Cleveland controls its own destiny in terms of either winning the division or making the playoffs via a wild card spot. That said, if the Guardians and White Sox tie atop the division come Sunday night, Chicago owns the tiebreaker.

If Cleveland wins the division, it would have automatically make the ALDS and would not have to take part in the wild card round. The Guardians' first game in the five-game ALDS would be Oct. 3; therefore, they’d be able to set up their rotation for the playoff run.

If the White Sox come back and win the division this weekend, the Guardians would have to play in the three-game AL Wild Card series, which will begin Sept. 29.