CLEVELAND -- If Wednesday night was a preview of what¡¯s to come in October, then buckle up, Cleveland fans.

For everything to go perfectly for the Guardians in the postseason, they need their bullpen to be lights-out. They need Steven Kwan to be the guy he was in the first three months of the season. And they need Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez to be Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez. The finish line for the regular season is now in sight, and it seems like all of these players are heating up.

Kwan homered in his first at-bat off of the injured list. Four relievers combined to carry a perfect game through six innings. Ram¨ªrez stole the show in the eighth with a go-ahead three-run blast that led to a 5-2 Guardians victory over the Reds at Progressive Field. Then, Emmanuel Clase danced around traffic in the ninth to set yet another franchise record.

Yes, Cleveland has already clinched the division title and a first-round bye, but now it¡¯s closing in on the top seed, too. The Yankees (92-66) lost to the Orioles (88-70) on Wednesday night, moving the Guardians (92-67) to just one-half game back of the No. 1 seed. If Cleveland secures that spot, it will guarantee home-field advantage through at least the AL Championship Series.

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But whether they¡¯re the first or second seed, the Guardians are using these last few games to showcase to the world that they aren¡¯t going to be an easy opponent.

Let¡¯s start with the bullpen.

Even the rookies have been impeccable. Andrew Walters was called on to open Wednesday¡¯s game after the team knew it had clinched a first-round bye on Tuesday night so that it could get its rotation in order for the playoffs.

Walters came in and tossed 1 2/3 hitless innings, making him one of three pitchers in MLB history to begin his career with eight straight hitless outings (Jonathan Sanchez, 2006; Garry Roggenburk, 1963). Erik Sabrowski followed his lead with another 1 1/3 perfect frames.

These two have been everything and more than the Guardians could have asked for in their short stints in the big leagues -- so much so that they¡¯ve made it difficult to envision postseason rosters without them. But then you look at the rest of the group, and you realize why there¡¯s even a chance they might not make the cut.

Going back to Tuesday¡¯s game, Cleveland¡¯s pitching staff had retired 31 consecutive batters through the sixth inning on Wednesday. Cade Smith (one inning) and Eli Morgan (two innings) kept the perfect game alive. Tim Herrin lost it on a leadoff bunt single in the top of the seventh. Hunter Gaddis gave up a rare run.

But Clase was there to earn his 47th save of the season, breaking a tie with Jose Mesa at 46 for the most in a single season in club history. Still unsure of how dominant Clase and the rest of the high-leverage guys have been? The Guardians are an MLB-best 82-0 when leading after the eighth inning.

¡°I thought tonight was a really cool night just for them to showcase,¡± Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of the ¡®pen. ¡°Can¡¯t ask for anything more than what this bullpen has done for us this year, and again, we saw it on display tonight how great they were.¡±

But this was more than a showcase for the bullpen. This became an all-out frenzy for a team showcasing that it has what it takes to make a deep run in October.

Kwan came off the injured list and immediately launched a homer on his first swing. He added another single later in the game, allowing the Guardians to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that their leadoff hitter may be rediscovering the swing that caused him to flirt with a .400 batting average through mid-June.

¡°He¡¯s a machine,¡± Ram¨ªrez said of Kwan through interpreter Agustin Rivero. ¡°One of the reasons why we are where we are is because what he¡¯s able to do in the field.¡±

Pair that with Ram¨ªrez¡¯s flare for the dramatic and Cleveland fans started dreaming of what the 2024 playoffs may look like. With the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the eighth, he stepped up to the plate with one goal on his mind. Next thing he knew, homer No. 38 was flying over the fence. The third baseman now has three games left to get two more long balls for the coveted 40-40 mark.

¡°One of my favorite parts of having this job is getting to watch [Ram¨ªrez] every single night,¡± Vogt said. ¡°We¡¯re spoiled.¡±