"In early July, after the Tigers swept the Guardians, Cleveland trailed Detroit by 15½ games in the division race. No team has ever won a division title or pennant after a deficit that large. On July 8, Cleveland's odds of winning the division were a minuscule 0.1%, according to FanGraphs. At the time, the Tigers were 59-34, the best record in the majors."
"The Guardians clawed back to 6½ games out of first place in mid-August but then lost nine of 10, including three straight shutouts at the end of that stretch, to fall 12½ games out of first place on Aug. 25. Their division chances didn't even register: 0.0% via the odds at FanGraphs; their overall playoff odds were a mere 3.0%."
The Guardians trailed the Tigers by 15½ games in early July after a Detroit sweep, with FanGraphs giving Cleveland only a 0.1% chance to win the division. Cleveland chipped away before a mid-August setback left the team 12½ games back and with essentially 0.0% division odds and 3.0% playoff odds. A dramatic turnaround followed: the Guardians went 20-6 since those near-zero odds and reduced the gap to one game entering a three-game series in Cleveland. The Tigers have lost six straight and gone 7-16 since Cleveland's odds became negligible, creating a tense final-week race.
Read at ESPN.com
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