Cleveland complete record comeback, Mets crash out

The Cleveland Guardians completed the biggest regular-season comeback in baseball history on Sunday to clinch the American League's Central division title as the big-spending New York Mets were eliminated from playoff contention.

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The final day of Major League Baseball’s regular season campaign left all eyes on Cleveland, who were aiming to pinch the Central crown after a dramatic collapse by the Detroit Tigers.

The Guardians trailed Detroit by a massive 15-and-a-half game deficit in July, a margin that no team has ever overturned. The previous biggest comeback was 15 games, held by the Boston Braves in 1914.

But the Guardians’ resurgent second half of the season — combined with Detroit's collapse — allowed Cleveland to sneak into top spot.

The Guardians had assured themselves of at least a playoff berth with a 3-2 defeat of the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

However, Detroit’s 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday ensured that the Guardians would enter the postseason as divisional winners. Cleveland capped that success with a 9-8 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, Brayan Rocchio’s three-run walkoff home run delivering victory in extra innings.