Cleveland secures third straight AL Central crown and No. 2 seed with Rockies’ help

The Cleveland Guardians clinched their third consecutive AL Central title and the American League’s No. 2 seed after beating the Royals 11-5 and getting the needed 9-6 White Sox loss to the Rockies. They will meet the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series.

Tampa Bay had already secured the AL’s No. 1 seed, and with one day of games remaining, the eventual AL West winner could not surpass Cleveland’s win total. The Guardians and Red Sox split their six regular-season games, three apiece.