September baseball. There is nothing like it for fans with teams still in contention for a post-season berth, of which there are more than ever before. We have always used the standard that if a team is within five games of reaching the playoffs on September 1st, they still have a reasonable shot of getting in.

In today’s game, it means most teams still have something to play for, which is what the powers that be wanted when they expanded the post-season. For hardcore fans, it brings an added meaning to each and every game.

We think of 2013, Terry Francona’s first year as the Cleveland skipper when the Indians went 21-6 in September coming back from six games out of a playoff spot to hosting the Wild Card Game, which they unfortunately lost. And everyone recalls Jason Giambi’s huge home run to beat Chicago, the signature moment from that run.

In 2017, buoyed by a record 22-game winning streak which spanned from August 24th through September 14th, the Tribe went 25-4 in the last month of the year in route to a franchise record 102 wins.

And of course, just last season Cleveland went 20-7 in September going from four games out of a wild card spot and 10.5 out in the Central to win the division on the last day of the season.

Those seasons provided an unbelievable amount of excitement as baseball fans hung on the results of every single game. Of course, we grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, so a then pennant race was just the rumor, our team was never a part of it, outside of a role as a spoiler.

When the Indians emerged from mediocrity in 1994, supporters were robbed of a potentially great race by the strike. When play ended in August, the White Sox were a mere 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland. We guess the first experience came in ’97 but even still, Mike Hargrove’s squad has a 3.5 game lead heading into the last month, then won 13 of 20 to stretch the advantage to 7.5 and coast to a title.

What we are trying to say is this is a fun, if not stressful time of the year for baseball fans. And for the Guardians, it seems obvious, but this would be a great time to put together a solid stretch of winning, fundamental baseball.

After a four-game set against the Tigers, Steven Vogt’s crew enters a nine-game stretch against three playoff contenders, Baltimore and Minnesota on the road, followed by what could be a huge three game series against the division leading White Sox.

The latter could be very special as winning the AL Central would seem to put that team right into the Division Series with time off to set up the starting pitchers as well as having home field advantage.

Don’t forget the penultimate series of the season is in Fenway Park for three games against the Red Sox, who might already have their playoff plans set at that time.

So, a lot of important baseball coming up. Position in the standings can change series by series, but if you keep winning games and/or series, teams aren’t going to move down.