Guardians clinch a playoff spot again, edging the Red Sox 1-0 on Martínez homer

Cleveland's Angel Martínez delivered a crucial home run and Joey Cantillo recorded a perfect fifth inning as the Guardians secured a playoff spot for the third consecutive season with a 1-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

As the American League wild card holder, Cleveland now maintains a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. The division title is expected to secure the second seed, ensuring a bye into the Division Series.

Cleveland's Daniel Espino pitched one inning before relinquishing the mound to Cantillo (11-9), who struck out four batters without allowing a single hit. Martínez's 18th homer of the season came in the second inning to set the tone for Cleveland's dominant performance.

Boston managed to clinch a playoff spot for the second straight year earlier in the week, but they are still in the process of finalizing their seed. The Red Sox lead the Chicago Cubs by three games for the AL’s second wild card, which would grant a No. 5 seed and pit them against the No. 4 New York Yankees in a best-of-three series.

Boston starter Ryan Suarez allowed one run over five innings, striking out five batters. The Red Sox have gone 8-0 this season against the Boston team, having faced them twice already this year.