Guardians clinch their 3rd straight AL Central crown with an 11-5 win over the Royals

Associated Press

Sep 27, 2026

Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio, right, celebrates with Steven Kwan (38)

Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Nathaniel Lowe during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Cleveland Guardians' Nathaniel Lowe watches his sacrifice fly to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals left fielder Isaac Collins can't make the catch of a triple hit by Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey (16)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Once again, the Cleveland Guardians are division champs.

Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each hit two of Cleveland's five home runs as the Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5 on Saturday night to clinch their third straight AL Central title.

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Cleveland's victory coupled with Chicago's 9-6 loss to Colorado gave the Guardians (85-76) a two-game lead over the second-place White Sox (83-78) with one game remaining in the regular season.

José Ramírez and the Guardians are assured the No. 2 seed in the American League playoffs and a first-round bye into a best-of-five Division Series. They will have five days off and then home-field advantage against the winner of a best-of-three Wild Card Series between the No. 6 seed White Sox and either Houston or Texas — whichever one wins the AL West on Sunday.

It is Cleveland's seventh division crown in the past 11 seasons.

Kansas City jumped on Tanner Bibee for three first-inning runs, highlighted by doubles from Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. But then Bibee shut out Kansas City as Cleveland quickly mounted a comeback.

A fielding error by Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop opened the Guardians’ four-run second inning. Bailey hooked a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole, and Cleveland grabbed a 4-3 lead when Steven Kwan’s slicing liner eluded diving left fielder Isaac Collins for an RBI triple — one of four extra-base hits in the inning.

After missing four games with a right wrist sprain, Chase DeLauter lined Michael Wacha’s second pitch of the third into the right-field seats for his 16th home run.

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Travis Bazzana tripled and scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Rocchio hit his 14th homer in the seventh. Bailey and Rocchio connected for back-to-back homers to highlight a four-run ninth.

Nine of the Guardians’ 14 hits went for extra bases.

Bibee (7-15) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out six. Cleveland has won nine of 10 games and five straight series.

Wacha (9-10) worked 6 1/3 innings, permitting six runs — two earned — and six hits.

The last-place Royals (68-93) have dropped 11 of 13 and 18 of 24. Kansas City lost eight straight series to finish the season, its longest such skid since losing eight in a row from April 10 to May 7, 2023.

The Guardians were undecided on the mound for their regular-season finale Sunday against LHP Daniel Lynch (6-6, 4.13 ERA) and the Royals.

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