CLEVELAND — Playoff baseball is returning to Cleveland.

The Guardians secured their playoff position with Thursday’s victory over the Minnesota Twins, bringing their record to 89-65. They join the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers as teams that have clinched playoff berths, with the Brewers achieving this on Wednesday night.

In a thrilling finish in the 10th inning, with Jose Ramirez on second base representing the winning run, Andres Gimenez delivered a single to right field, sealing a 3-2 win. This marks the Guardians’ second consecutive walk-off victory and is the first time they have achieved walk-off wins in extra innings in back-to-back games since September 2018.

After missing out last year, the Guardians are set to compete in October once again. They also participated in the playoffs in 2022 (with 92 wins) and in 2020 during the shortened season due to COVID-19.

Current standings for the Cleveland Guardians in the American League; playoff outlook

The Guardians’ next goal is to secure the American League Central title. Currently, they enjoy a 6.5-game cushion over the Kansas City Royals, with their magic number reduced to three. They could clinch the division as early as Saturday when they face the St. Louis Cardinals.

Furthermore, the Guardians aim to secure one of the top two seeds in the American League, which would allow them to bypass the first wild card round. The Yankees (89-63) would currently hold the No. 1 seed if the playoffs commenced today. The Guardians are positioned for the No. 2 seed, while the Houston Astros (82-70) are actively competing for that spot.

In the wild card race, the Baltimore Orioles sit in the first spot with a record of 84-68. The competition for the last two wild card spots is extremely tight, involving three AL Central teams: the Royals (82-71), the Twins (80-73), and the Detroit Tigers (80-73). Recently, the Tigers have emerged as the hottest team in baseball.

Should the Guardians clinch one of the top two AL seeds, their first playoff game is expected on October 5 at Progressive Field. If they finish as the No. 2 seed, they would face the winner of the matchup between the No. 3 seed and the No. 6 seed.