CLEVELAND (AP) — C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch from Robert Garcia with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, scoring Petey Halpin to clinch a playoff berth for the Cleveland Guardians with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
Cleveland (87-74) is guaranteed at least an American League wild card and remains tied with Detroit atop the AL Central going into the final day of the regular season.
The Guardians own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so a victory Sunday over Texas or a Tigers loss at Boston would give Cleveland its second conestuve division title following a stirring comeback this season.
The fourth-place Guardians were 40-48 through July 6 and still 15 1/2 games out of first two days later.
Houston was eliminated from postseason contention with the Guardians' victory. The Astros will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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