CLEVELAND (Interstat) — C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch from Robert Garcia with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, forcing in Petey Halpin to clinch a playoff berth for the Cleveland Guardians with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night at Progressive Field.

The win, secured in dramatic and painful fashion before a sold-out crowd of 36,000, guarantees Cleveland at least an American League wild card spot. More importantly, the Guardians remain tied with the Detroit Tigers atop the AL Central heading into the final day of the regular season. Cleveland owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning a victory over Texas on Sunday or a Tigers loss at Boston would deliver the Guardians their second consecutive division title.

The contest was a tense, back-and-forth pitchers’ duel for much of the night, a stark contrast to the offensive outburst in Friday’s series opener. Both teams finished with six hits, and the game was deadlocked at 2 from the fourth inning until the final, chaotic moments of the ninth.

Texas struck immediately against Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo. Leadoff hitter Michael Helman doubled on a line drive to center field. After a groundout, Josh Jung drove Helman home with a double to left, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead just three batters into the game.

Cleveland answered emphatically in the bottom half of the frame off Texas starter Jacob Latz. Following two quick outs, José Ramírez kept the inning alive with a single. Johnathan Rodríguez then connected on a towering two-run homer to right-center field, his second of the year, abruptly flipping the score to 2-1 in favor of the home team.

The Rangers drew level in the top of the fourth. With one out, Adolis García launched a solo home run to left-center, his 19th of the season, to knot the game at 2.

From there, the bullpens took over, trading zeros and stranding runners in key situations. Cantillo was brilliant for Cleveland, pitching into the sixth inning. He allowed just three hits and the two early runs while striking out eight. His counterpart, Latz, was nearly as effective, surrendering two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, fanning six.

Texas had a golden opportunity to break the tie in the top of the eighth. Dylan Moore singled and Michael Helman was hit by a pitch, putting two on with one out. After a strikeout, Josh Jung hit a grounder that forced Helman out at second, but Moore aggressively rounded third and attempted to score on the play. He was caught in a rundown and tagged out at the plate on a throw from second baseman Brayan Rocchio to catcher Austin Hedges, snuffing out the threat.

Cleveland’s Cade Smith and Texas’s Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong provided critical scoreless relief to keep the game tied heading to the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Robert Garcia took the mound for Texas and quickly recorded two outs. Rodríguez, already with a home run in the game, worked a walk. Pinch-runner Petey Halpin entered and advanced to third on a single by Kyle Manzardo. Garcia then intentionally walked Gabriel Arias to load the bases and set up a force at any base.

The strategy backfired on the very next pitch. Garcia’s first offering to Kayfus drilled the batter on the body, bringing Halpin home with the winning run and sending the Cleveland dugout into a frenzy.

Smith earned the win for Cleveland, improving to 8-5 after recording 1 2/3 perfect innings of relief. Garcia was tagged with the loss, falling to 4-8.

The victory improves Cleveland’s record to 88-75, while Texas falls to 81-80, officially eliminating them from postseason contention. The two teams conclude the regular season Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field, with the Guardians playing for a division crown.