CLEVELAND (Interstat) — The Cleveland Guardians completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in baseball history Wednesday night, not just by beating the Detroit Tigers 5-1 at Progressive Field, but by seizing first place in the American League Central after once trailing by 15 1/2 games.

With a crowd of 26,293 looking on, the Guardians (86-72) moved one game ahead of the Tigers (85-73) with just four games remaining in the regular season. Cleveland also secured the critical tiebreaker by winning the season series. The victory marks the largest deficit overcome to take a division or league lead since the advent of divisional play in 1969, surpassing the 14-game comeback by the 1978 New York Yankees. According to Elias, the 1914 Boston Braves, who rallied from 15 games back on July 4 to win the National League, are the only team to have surmounted a larger hurdle.

The Guardians were propelled by key extra-base hits. George Valera provided the initial spark, erasing a one-run deficit with a two-run homer to center field in the third inning that scored Brayan Rocchio. The lead was extended in the seventh when José Ramírez broke the game open with a two-run double down the right-field line, scoring Daniel Schneemann and pinch-runner Petey Halpin.

Detroit had struck first in the top of the third. Dillon Dingler and Trey Sweeney hit back-to-back singles, and Dingler scored on a sacrifice fly by Parker Meadows. That lone run, however, was all the Tigers could muster against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee and a quartet of relievers.

Bibee (12-11) earned the win, delivering six strong innings while allowing one run on five hits, striking out five and walking two. The Guardians’ bullpen was flawless, with Jakob Junis, Cade Smith, and Hunter Gaddis combining for three hitless innings to seal the victory.

The Tigers’ Jack Flaherty (8-15) was charged with the loss, surrendering three runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six but was lifted in the fifth after Steven Kwan’s RBI single drove in Rocchio to give Cleveland a 3-1 advantage. Detroit’s bullpen, including Tyler Holton, Will Vest, and Paul Sewald, limited further damage until Ramírez’s decisive double in the seventh off reliever Andrew Chafin.

Cleveland outhit Detroit 8-6. Ramírez led the Guardians’ offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Valera’s home run was his second of the season. For the Tigers, Dingler and Sweeney each had two hits.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes, tightened a division race that seemed all but decided months ago. The Guardians have won seven of their last ten games, while the Tigers have dropped seven of ten, including the first two games of this pivotal four-game series.

The two teams meet again Thursday afternoon in the series finale at Progressive Field before concluding the regular season with three-game road series. Detroit travels to face the Boston Red Sox, while Cleveland hosts the Texas Rangers.