And when Rafaela delivered a walk-off triple off the centerfield fence in the bottom of the ninth against the Detroit Tigers, it started a party at Fenway. The Red Sox had clinched a playoff spot. But this was also a crucial swing in the AL Central Division race.

The loss, however, did not hurt the Guardians (86-74) because Detroit (86-74) lost to Boston, 4-3, at Fenway Park. The dueling losses kept the two teams tied atop the AL Central with the Guardians holding the tiebreaker should they finish with the same records.

The Guardians maintain a magic number of two to either clinch a playoff berth or win the division after the Tigers lost to the Red Sox on Friday.

The Guardians entered their series opener Sept. 26 against the Texas Rangers on the doorstep of the MLB playoffs. After losing to the Rangers 7-3 at Progressive Field, the Guardians have yet to open the door.

Alejandro Osuna hit a three-run homer in the first, rookie Jack Leiter matched a career high with 10 strikeouts and the Texas Rangers beat Cleveland 7-3 on Friday night. The Guardians (86-74)