Guardians secure American League Central title over White Sox thanks to domination of previous pitching nemesis 

On Aug. 28, Kansas City Royals starter Michael Wacha turned in eight dazzling innings in the Royals 3-0 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field that pushed Cleveland further back in the American League Central. 

Twenty-nine days later, the Guardians tagged Wacha for six runs across six innings earlier today. And it was a win that helped the Guardians continue their run of dominance across the midwest. 

With the win, the Guardians clinched their third straight American League Central title thanks to their 11-5 win over the Royals combined with the White Sox’s 9-6 home loss to the lowly Rockies.

Those results also gave the Guardians the No. 2 seed in the American League West. It hasn’t been the easiest year on the shoes of Lake Erie, but it’s another year that’s going to end a division title. 

The Guardians won the American League Central title by beating Michael Wacha

Although the Royals entered tonight’s game with a 68-92 record that was the worst mark in the AL Central, it seemed like it had all the makings of a trap game thanks to Wacha being on the mound. 

Wacha entered the game with a 2.07 ERA in 65 1/3 innings against the Guardians in his career, and had gone at least six innings in five of his last six starts. 

He ended up going six innings against the Guardians, but got tagged for six runs thanks to a four-run outburst in the second inning that started with an error from Bobby Witt Jr. and was highlighted by a Patrick Bailey homer that snuck in past the right field foul pole. 

It was the perfect complement after Tanner Bibee allowed three runs in the first inning. 

Bibee locked in after that and followed his disastrous first inning up with five scoreless innings, while the Guardians offense added two more runs off Wacha before adding one run in the seventh and four in the ninth. 

The Guardians picked up their win a little after 9:50 p.m. EDT with the Rockies leading 9-3 over the White Sox, but their chances of winning the division immediately got a bit sweatier when Andrew Benintendi slugged a three-run home run in the ninth inning. 

But Rockies closer Jordan Romano managed to lock in and get the final three outs to clinch Cleveland’s division title. 

The Guardians’ win on Saturday was yet another game that summed up the way the 2026 iteration of the team has played. They spotted the Royals three runs (which has happened far too frequently recently) before their starting pitcher locked in and the offense got contributions from everyone in the lineup. 

Brayan Rocchio and Bailey both recorded mutli-homer games (the first of Bailey’s career), while Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter drove in runs at the top of the lineup. Even trade deadline acquisition Nathaniel Lowe got into it with a four-RBI game (the best showing he’s had with the Guardians). 

After Sunday’s now meaningless game, the Guardians will get a week off before starting the postseason on Saturday with a game against the winner of the Wild Card Series between the White Sox and the winner of the American League West. 

But no matter who the Guardians play, the fact they won the division and earned a bye to the American League Division Series is a testament to just how determined this team is. What a year it’s been. 

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