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The Cleveland Guardians completed their incredible comeback to win the American League Central on Sunday. The Guardians, who took a pivotal three-game set from the Detroit Tigers earlier this week to claim the season series and gain the tiebreaker advantage, entered Sunday needing only a win or a Tigers loss against the Boston Red Sox to secure their second division title in a row. The second condition -- the Tigers loss -- was achieved first, rendering the outcome of Cleveland's game against the Texas Rangers irrelevant. 

At their lowest, the Guardians were 15 ½ games back on July 6. The Tigers, who led the division by 10 games as recently as Sept. 3, stumbled down the stretch and finished September with an 8-16 mark. The Guardians, conversely, took advantage of one of the easiest schedules in the majors and entered Sunday with a 19-7 mark. In turn, the Guardians miraculously rallied from 10 back in the Central as recently as Sept. 6.

Of course, the Guardians themselves didn't seem to believe in their chances of coming back, trading longtime ace Shane Bieber at the trade deadline to the Toronto Blue Jays for a pitching prospect. Clearly that didn't stop the players on the field.

The Guardians were led, per usual, by third baseman José Ramírez, who put forth a nearly six-win effort that will undoubtedly earn him downballot Most Valuable Player Award consideration. Three other Guardians placed accrued at least 2 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations: outfielder Steven Kwan, right-hander Gavin Williams, and utility player Daniel Schneemann.

It's worth noting that the Guardians' late-season rally came after starter Luis L. Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball while the league probes potential gambling-related misdeeds. 

The Guardians will begin their playoff run on Tuesday, with a best-of-three Wild Card Series against -- who else -- the Tigers.