The Cleveland Guardians are one game back of the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the American League Central. With six games left, it's an incredibly exciting race that will come down to the wire.
However, the Guardians haven't made it this far without their bumps and bruises. From the investigations into Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to their stretches of awful play this season, Cleveland being just one game back is an incredible feat.
With such an improbable comeback in the works, the question of how the Guardians got here has to be asked. As Zack Meisel of The Athletic shares, there is one decision that the Guardians made that helped spark the improbable turnaround from Cleveland this season.
How one decision sparked the Guardians' improbable comeback
While the recent winning streak is the reason why the AL Central is as close as it is, there's another moment that happened earlier in the season that's been the turning point of the year for Cleveland.
That moment occurred at the trade deadline. Not for a move that the team made, but rather one they didn't. The Guardians held onto Steven Kwan, a beloved Gold Glove outfielder, despite fielding plenty of interest from top teams in baseball.
"When Kwan stayed, the team rejoiced," wrote Meisel.
Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee said it was a "Great deadline," while catcher Austin Hedges's comments point towards the overall vibe-shift in the clubhouse: "Here's the group. Here we go. Everyone got a little lighter after the trade deadline."
Keeping Kwan was the turning point of the season. The Gold Glove outfielder has continued to play stellar defense, and despite his .627 OPS in the 48 games since the deadline, he's had some timely hits in this stretch.
Whether it was a false or real belief, the Guardians not trading Kwan allowed the players to believe that they had what it takes to make a postseason run.
MORE: Guardians' Jose Ramirez on pace to join Hank Aaron in incredible MLB history
After their remarkable post-trade deadline record indicates, the team does have what it takes to be a postseason team. They do have reason to believe in themselves.
Jose Ramirez is still one of the best players in baseball; other role players are stepping up, and the pitching staff has been nothing short of amazing.
With six games left, three against the Tigers and three against the Texas Rangers, the Guardians can cement a postseason spot with a winning record in the final stretch of the year, especially if they can win the Tigers series.
Since the end of July, the Guardians are 30 and 18, with a 16-5 September record bolstering the team into postseason, and AL Central contention.
It's been a remarkable comeback, and it all began thanks to the Guardians holding onto Steven Kwan. Despite a very tumultuous season, the Guardians are in decent shape to not only earn a postseason spot but even clinch the AL Central despite being down 15.5 games at one point in the year.
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