The Guardians (92-69) are champions of the American League Central Division and have secured the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs. Houston (88-73) is seeded third as the AL West champion.

The only question left to be resolved after the 162nd game is whether José Ramírez can hit a home run and become just the seventh member of the 40/40 club. It’s a distinction Ramírez clearly wants to achieve.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and Astros manager Joe Espada were joined by Cleveland site executives and staff who met on the field for more than 10 minutes before it was announced that the game would begin with a delay would.

Vogt told reporters during his pregame availability that the 40/40 pursuit of Ramírez would be the storyline of the day.

“I don’t think any of us will be shocked if he hits a double and a home run in his first two at-bats,” Vogt said. “It’s just who he is.”

Looking back on Ramírez’s season, Vogt said Ramírez hit several potential home run balls that ended up being near misses.

“Think about the four or five balls Wilyer Abreu stole from him over the course of this week against Boston, the triple off the wall in Colorado, the triple off the wall the other day,” Vogt said. “We just thought about his season and he really has it when you think about it.”

But what Ramírez has achieved cannot be undone or diminished by the lack of a final chance.

“One of the best parts of this job is watching him every day being the same person, playing the game the right way, going about his business, playing the game to win, and at the end of the year your numbers will be there “Be,” said Vogt. “He is the epitome and example of that and it’s so great that our young players get to watch.”