Detroit Tigers v Cleveland Guardians previewpublished at 16:09 BST 30 September
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Date: Wednesday, 1 October
Coverage begins: 18:00 BST on iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Jose Ramirez hitting for the Cleveland Guardians.
On September 4th, the Detroit Tigers enjoyed a huge 11-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians at the top of the American League Central division, but since then everything has changed.
In the last month of the season the Guardians were the form team in Major League Baseball, winning 20 games and losing just seven. The Tigers meanwhile collapsed to a shocking seven wins for 17 losses.
That all meant on the final day of the regular season the Guardians were able to complete the most extraordinary comeback to win the division and secure home advantage in this Wild Card series.
No team has overcome such a big gap (15.5 games) to win a division since 1969, but both sides will be well aware of how easily form could go out of the window as we enter the post-season.
October is about knockout baseball, a different task altogether to the league structure of the regular season, and it all starts with this make-or-break three-game series in Cleveland.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
The Detroit Tigers’ Riley Greene has hit 36 home runs this season.
The Tigers had three players in the starting line-up of the American League team in this season’s All-Star Game, more than any other franchise.
Riley Greene was among them and is their best home-run hitter with 36 home runs this season, putting him in the top ten for home runs across both leagues.
Guardians’ veteran Jose Ramirez was their only starting player in that All-Star Game and has enjoyed a special season.
With 30 home runs and 168 hits, the 33-year-old is enjoying the best form of his life for the team he has represented since 2013.
