Guardians score, recap, highlights vs Tigers. Cleveland wins, alone in 1st in AL Central

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Guardians score, recap, highlights vs Tigers. Cleveland wins, alone in 1st in AL Central

Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Wed, Sep 24, 2025 ·

10 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Guardians came back from the dead in Major League Baseball's playoff picture and charged all the way to the top of the American League Central Division .

The Guardians were 15½ games back on July 8, 10½ games back on Sept. 1 and 9½ games back on Sept. 10. Now, with four games remaining in the regular season, they will try to hang on to first place.

The Guardians won 5-1 Sept. 24 in the second of their crucial three-game series with the division rival Detroit Tigers . With the triumph, Cleveland moved a game ahead of Detroit in the AL Central standings and ensured it will win the series, which began with the Guardians prevailing 5-2 on Sept. 23 and thereby clinching the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams. The Guardians have won 17 of their past 19 games, including the last five against the Tigers.

Guardians column: David Fry injury gives Cleveland new motivation amid push for AL Central title

Here is how Guardians (86-72) versus Tigers (85-73) unfoldd through our updates:

Guardians defeat Tigers 5-1, secure series win and move a game ahead of Detroit in AL Central Division standings

Guardians reliever Cade Smith shut the door on the Tigers in the ninth inning after Jakob Junis allowed a two-out single to Zach McKinstry .

Cleveland defeated Detroit to move ahead the second-place Tigers by one game in the AL Central Division standings.

Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee picked up the win, improving to 12-11 this season. Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty dropped to 8-15.

The Guardians' September magic continues to manifest itself in strange ways against the Tigers. Cleveland takes 5-1 lead vs. Detroit

An unusual sequence of events resulted in the Guardians taking a 5-1 lead against the Tigers.

Brayan Rocchio drew a walk against Tigers reliever Rafael Montero to load the bases with no outs in the seventh inning. But Rocchio actually should have popped out behind home plate. Fortunately for Rocchio, the ball went off the glove of Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler . The error kept the at-bat alive.

The Tigers recorded the first out when Steven Kwan flew out to center field. The second out occurred when George Valera struck out against Tigers reliever Will Vest .

With two outs and the bases still loaded, Jose Ramirez hit a two-run double off Vest to right field after the ball glanced off the glove of Tigers second baseman Gleyber Tores. Ramirez's clutch hit came on the heels of the ball fouling off the knob of his bat.

Another magical inning? You be the judge. The bottom line is the Guardians led 5-1 after seven innings.

Guardians news: David Fry injury update after slugger was hit in the face with a pitch

Tanner Bibee gives Cleveland Guardians six innings and allows just one run vs. Detroit Tigers

Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee last six innings against the Tigers. He allowed five hits, one run and two walks. He struck out five. He threw 105 pitches, including 63 for strikes.

The Guardians replaced Bibee with reliever Tim Herrin to start the seventh inning.

Herrin began the inning by hitting Zach McKinstry in the back. A strikeout and a force out got the Guardians two outs before Hunter Gaddis came out of the bullpen to replace Herrin. With an inherited runner on first base, Gaddis struck out pinch hitter Jahmai Jones to end the inning.

Guardians seize 3-1 lead vs. Tigers in fifth inning

Brayan Rocchio continued to give Jack Flaherty trouble, hitting a one-out single to center field and then stealing second base in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Steven Kwan drove Rocchio home for a 3-1 Cleveland lead with an RBI single to left field.

The Tigers had seen enough. They summoned Tyler Holton from the bullpen to replace Flaherty. In 4⅓ innings of work, Flaherty allowed five hits, three runs and zero walks. He struck out six. He threw 83 pitches, including 55 for strikes.

Facing Holton, George Valera grounded into a force out and Jose Ramirez lined out to left field to end the inning.

Sep 24, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians' Tanner Bibee gets out of fourth-inning jam vs. Detroit Tigers

Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee escaped a jam in the fourth inning, and Cleveland maintained a 2-1 lead.

The inning started with Bibee giving up a lead-off single to Spencer Torkelson , striking out Riley Greene and walking Wenceel Perez.

The Guardians came close to turning a 4-6-3 double play, but Zach McKinstry beat the throw to first base.

With runners on first and third base, Dillon Dingler then grounded to third base for an inning-ending force out.

Sep 24, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter George Valera (35) celebrates his two-run home run in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

After falling behind, Cleveland Guardians counter right away and take 2-1 lead vs. Detroit Tigers with George Valera's two-run home run

Trailing 1-0, the Guardians fired back in the third inning against Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.

No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio led off with a double to left field. Steven Kwan followed by grounding out to first base as Rocchio advanced to third.

Then George Valera hit a two-run home run to center field, giving the Guardians a 2-1 lead. Valera's first homer at Progressive Field traveled 393 feet with an exit velocity of 101.1 mph.

Flaherty stopped the bleeding by getting Jose Ramirez to ground out and striking out Kyle Manzardo . But the Guardians held the lead entering the fourth inning.

Guardians defense continues to support starting pitcher Tanner Bibee, but Tigers strike first and take 1-0 lead in third inning

Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo made a leaping catch on a line drive by Zach McKinstry, recording the first out of the third inning.

Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee stood on the mound and raised his arms in celebration.

Unfortunately for the Guardians, Bibee proceeded to surrender back-to-back singles to Dillon Dingler and Trey Sweeney .

With runners on first and third base, Parker Meadows hit a sacrifice fly, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Guardians right fielder C.J. Kayfus made a diving catch on the sac fly for the second out.

Bibee then allowed the third single of the inning while facing Gleyber Torres . With runners on first and second, Bibee minimized the damage by getting Kerry Carpenter to ground out to Manzardo at first base.

Tigers get away with error and remain in scoreless tie with Guardians after two innings

Daniel Schneemann hit a ground ball to Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson with two outs. The ball skipped just before it reached Torkelson. It then went past him and into right field. Torkelson was charged with an error, and Schneemann hustled to second base.

However, C.J. Kayfus lined out to left field during the next at-bat, ending the inning in a scoreless tie.

Guardians flash defensive prowess early with second-inning double play

With one out in the second inning, Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee walked Riley Greene.

Then, with the count full, Bibee induced Wenceel Perez to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

Guardians star Jose Ramirez moves into second in Cleveland baseball history with 3,000 career total bases

Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty escaped the first inning unscathed after Guardians All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez made some history against him.

Ramirez hustled for a two-out double after slicing the ball to left field with two outs. The play gave Ramirez 3,000 career total bases. He became just the second player in franchise history to achieve the mark. Earl Averill is Cleveland baseball's leader with 3,201 career total bases.

With Ramirez in scoring position, Flaherty struck out Kyle Manzardo swinging to end the inning.

Tanner Bibee's 1-2-3 first inning has Cleveland crowd fired up

The MLB playoffs haven't started, but the crowd at Progressive Field knows the stakes are already high.

Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee heard the roar of Cleveland fans multiple times as he worked a 1-2-3 first inning against the Tigers.

Here is some pregame information:

Guardians vs. Tigers first pitch set for 7:15 p.m. after weather delay

The Guardians announced a new time for first pitch against the Tigers. It's now set for 7:15 p.m.

First pitch between Guardians and Tigers has been delayed due to rain Cleveland

Steady light rain in downtown Cleveland has caused first pitch between the Guardians and Tigers to be delayed.

The Guardians announced the weather delay shortly before 6 p.m. A new time for first pitch has not yet been set.

Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians, with a tarp on the field during the afternoon on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland Guardians players | Today's lineup vs. Detroit Tigers

Steven Kwan, LF
George Valera, DH
Jose Ramirez, 3B
Kyle Manzardo, 1B
Bo Naylor , C
Gabriel Arias , SS
Daniel Schneemann, 2B
C.J. Kayfus, RF
Brayan Rocchio, 2B

Sep 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Guardians game today | Pitching matchup vs Tigers

Guardians right-handed pitcher Tanner Bibee is set to start opposite Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty.

Bibee has started 30 games this season, earning a record of 11-11 with a 4.34 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He has struck out 157 batters and walked 52 in 176⅓ innings.

Flaherty has started 30 games this season. He has a record of 8-14 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, striking out 182 and walking 59 in 156⅔ innings.

Guardians coverage: How a 6-man rotation plays a major role in Cleveland rallying amid MLB playoff race

Where are the Guardians in the AL Central Division standings?

The AL Central Division standings entering Sept. 24:

Guardians85-72 (clinched tiebreaker vs. Tigers)
Tigers 85-72
Kansas City Royals 79-78 (6 games behind)
Minnesota Twins 68-89 (17 games behind)
Chicago White Sox 58-99 (27 games behind)

Note: The other AL division leaders are the Toronto Blue Jays (90-67, East) and Seattle Mariners (88-69, West) They have both clinched a playoff berth.

Sep 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) doubles in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

AL wild card standings

The AL wild-card standings entering Sept. 24 (top three teams make the playoffs):

x-New York Yankees 89-68 (4 games ahead)
Boston Red Sox 86-71 (1 game ahead)
Tigers 85-72
Houston Astros 84-73 (1 game behind)
Royals 79-78 (6 games behind)
Texas Rangers 79-78 (6 games behind)

Note: x denotes team has clinched a playoff spot.

Guardians vs. Tigers games this season

The Guardians lead their season series with the Tigers 7-4 and clinched the tiebreaker between the two teams with a 5-2 win on Sept. 23. The victory extended Cleveland's winning streak against Detroit to four games. The Guardians and Tigers met in Motown a week ago, with Cleveland sweeping Detroit — 7-5 in 10 innings Sept. 16, then 4-0 Sept. 17 and 3-1 Sept. 18. The Tigers swept the Guardians in Cleveland from July 4-6, leaving Ohio with a lead of 15½ games over the Guardians in the AL Central.

Sep 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez (46) celebrates his RBI double beside Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) in the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians game schedule for the rest of the 2025 MLB season

Wednesday, Sept. 24: vs. Tigers, 6:40 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25: vs. Tigers, 6:40 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26: vs. Rangers, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27: vs. Rangers, 7:15 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28: vs. Rangers, 3:10 p.m.

Where to watch Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers today?

The game on Sept. 24 can be viewed on AT&T U-verse (Channel 1736), COX (Channel 80), DIRECTV Satellite and Streaming (Channel 662), FuboTV and Spectrum (Channel 1306). It can be streamed via MLB's direct-to-consumer streaming subscription ( CLEGuardians.TV ). It'll be available on the radio via WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7 and WARF 1350.

Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians score vs Tigers, Cleveland wins, leads AL Central alone

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