Playoff baseball is back in Cleveland and the Guardians are poised to make a deep run.

Why it matters: Cleveland looks to make its first American League Championship Series since 2016, behind first-year manager Stephen Vogt.

Driving the news: First up is the AL Divisional Series, with the Guardians facing the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 tomorrow at Progressive Field.

The intrigue: Cleveland led a strong AL Central Division for much of the regular season, finishing with the second-best record (92-69) in the league behind the New York Yankees.

• The Guardians narrowly won the regular season series against Detroit seven games to six.

State of play: Cleveland's strength is its bullpen led by closer Emmanuel Clase, who led the AL with 47 saves.

• The Guardians also had a stronger offense than Detroit during the regular season.
• Sluggers José Ramírez and Josh Naylor each hit over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

The other side: Detroit is on a magical run, going 10-3 in its last 13 games to clinch a playoff spot before upsetting the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round.

• The Tigers also have a dominant pitcher and Cy Young Award favorite in Tarik Skubal.

What they're saying: "There's nothing better than postseason baseball," Vogt told reporters via Zoom earlier this week.

• "It's like, the hard part is over. It's 162 games, grueling getting through it. Now, let's just go have fun and play our game and see what happens, because these guys have earned it."

How to watch: Tickets for tomorrow's game are available on the secondary market starting at just under $200 apiece.

• Start time is 1:08pm and will air on TBS and Max.

What's next: Game 2 takes place at 4:08pm Monday also at Progressive Field.

Our list of the greatest Guardians teams concludes with a squad full of legends that came up just short of a World Series title.

Flashback: Cleveland spent much of the 1950s in the shadow of the New York Yankees teams led by Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

• The Yankees competed in eight of the decade's World Series.

Yes, but: In 1954, the American League belonged to the Indians — which won 111 games, the fourth most in Major League Baseball history.

• The team was led by Hall of Fame manager Al López and five Hall of Fame players in Larry Doby, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Hal Newhouser and Early Wynn.

By the numbers: Several of those players had, arguably, their best seasons, including Doby who led the AL in home runs (32) and RBIs (126).

• The pitching staff led the league with 77 complete games, including five shutouts by All-Star Mike Garcia.

State of play: Cleveland compiled two different win streaks of 11 games on its way to a World Series matchup with the Willie Mays-led New York Giants.

• Game 1 featured Mays' famous over-the-shoulder catch at the Polo Grounds in New York City, which set the tone for the series.
• The Giants swept the Indians in four games.

The bottom line: Cleveland won its most games in franchise history and kept the Yankees from winning a sixth straight World Series.

• Still, the Indians couldn't overcome a Giants team led by one of the greatest players ever.

ICYMI: Our full list of the five best Guardians teams.

🪣 Ward 12 Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer has dedicated this week to highlighting strategies to revive the Fleet Avenue commercial corridor in Slavic Village. (Cleveland Scene)

• Negligent owners are "dragging down the city and the neighborhood along with them, all because they refuse to invest in their properties," she said.

🚨 Cleveland police are pursuing the stunt drivers who took over multiple intersections in the city last weekend and plan to charge them with felony rioting. (Signal Cleveland)

🇭🇹 Former President Donald Trump said he would deport legal Haitian immigrants living in Ohio if reelected. (Axios)

🎚️ Cleveland native DJ Meel has been DJ'ing the Los Angeles Lakers training camp at the request of LeBron James. (X)

Editor's note: A story we shared in Tuesday's news roundup concerning Cuyahoga County Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze was originally published in The Marshall Project - Cleveland.

Travel + Leisure Magazine has included Cleveland on its list of the top 10 food destinations in the United States.

State of play: The "severely underrated, albeit eclectic food scene" is "fueled by nearby farms, local producers, and trailblazing chefs," the publication exalts.

Zoom in: Cleveland was named alongside major cities New York, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, as well as smaller, burgeoning food hubs like Louisville, Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.

• Tucson, Arizona and New Orleans rounded out the list.

What they're saying: Travel + Leisure cited the diverse local vendors at the West Side Market, ethnic enclaves like AsiaTown and Slavic Village, and recent foodie hot spots The Judith and Cordelia.

An impressive concert season at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights culminates tonight with My Morning Jacket.

The intrigue: The Louisville rock band known for its epic live shows will play at Evans Amphitheater at 7:30pm.

• Not surprisingly, the show is sold out at the venue, which holds around 2,500 people.

Flashback: MMJ last played Cleveland in 2022, delivering a two-hour-plus set at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in nearly 90-degree heat.

If you go: Your best bet for tickets on the secondary market is StubHub or Seat Geek where they were going for under $150 apiece as of yesterday.

Stop by: Mediterranean restaurant Zhug is just a six-minute drive from Cain Park and is one of the best small-plate spots in all of Cleveland.