🏆 Guardians Clinch Division Title + Red Robot-Boat Explores Lake Erie

Cleveland is riding a sports high this week. The Guardians clinched the AL Central Division Sunday evening. As the champagne flows, we're still basking in the glory of the Browns whupping the Steelers in front of a national audience, redeeming themselves for their epic collapse a week ago.

But that's not all that's going on.

• An odd-looking red watercraft has been spotted in Lake Erie.
• A 60-year-old Virgin Mary statue is still missing.
• A Richfield officer was burned trying to save a woman from setting herself on fire.

If you're on Public Square this afternoon, check out Eric Everett Jazz. And if you love Buffalo wings, pump up your taste buds. It's Wing Week in Cleveland!

🌧️ Cloudy and windy with showers. High: 63, Low: 54

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Youth Isn't Wasted On These Young Central Division Champs

1) How many of you predicted the Guardians — the youngest team in baseball — would win the AL Central Division? They did so in grand fashion Sunday, with rookie Steven Kwan hitting a grand slam and driving in a season-high five runs in the 10-4 win over the Texas Rangers. Tied for first on Sept. 4, the Guardians have won seven straight and ripped off 18 wins in 21 games. This is the franchise's 11th Central Division title.

The Guardians returned to Cleveland Sunday night, landing at Hopkins Airport around 10 p.m.

Video, stats, stories and more

• Team shop opens Monday with merchandise celebrating AL Central Division Championship (3News WKYC)
• Look back at 16 times Cleveland celebrated earning a playoff spot (Cleveland.com)

2) If you've been out on Lake Erie lately, you might have seen a strange, red, submarine-like vessel on the waters. Rest assured, Canada is not invading Ohio. Called the DriX-12, the craft is a robot boat owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its specialized instruments are used to create better maps of the lakebed and to search for marine life. The ship has been in Lake Erie since August. NOAA says more than 90 percent of the Great Lakes floors remain unmapped.

Cleveland.com (subscription required) | More cool NOAA photos

3) A Virgin Mary statue stolen last November from St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Cleveland was replaced on Sunday, but the parish still wants the thieves to return the original. The statue, which sat inside a trellis, had been on the grounds of the parish for more than six decades. The Virgin Mary statue was valued at $1,000. “We are hoping that whoever stole this statue will return it to its rightful place. It is part of our history and it is greatly missed,” Father Robert Jasany said.

Fox 8 News

4) A Richfield police officer is recovering after she stopped a woman in distress from taking her own life by setting herself on fire. Police stopped the woman on I-271 near Route 303 after learning she may be trying to hurt herself late Friday night. The woman got out of her car, poured a flammable liquid on herself and the officer rushed to stop her. The woman managed to ignite the liquid, burning herself and the officer but the officer put out the flames and called EMS.

Cleveland.com

5) Hundreds of people joined a Saturday fundraiser to support Cleveland SWAT Officer Jon Rodriguez, who was paralyzed two years ago after a drunken driver struck a SWAT vehicle. Rodriguez, 32, needs a potentially life-changing surgery. The community is rallying to raise $50,000 to help him get that surgery.

3News WKYC

5 More Stories You Need To See Today

• OSU athletic director invites LeBron James to play football for Buckeyes (Fox 8 News)
• Cleveland Bagel Company opens new café in Kent (WKYC.com)
• Video: Lake Erie waterspout seen in Lake County (Fox 8 News)
• Cleveland show up in air after Post Malone postpones weekend concert (Fox 8 News)
• NEOCH-toberfest set; Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless fundraiser is coming up (Cleveland.com)

Today in Cleveland

• Eric Everett Jazz, Lunchtime Concerts on Public Square | 11:30 a.m.

4 More Things To Do This Week

• Cleveland Wing Week, Various Locations, Sept. 26-Oct. 2 | Details
• Tremont Farmers Market, Sept. 27 | Details
• Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Progressive Field, Sept. 27-29 | Details
• Little Shop of Horrors, Hanna Theatre, Sept. 28-Oct. 2 | Details

Find more on our calendar | Add your event

Cleveland Chatter

• Teacher's pet: "We have to brag for a second... just look at this smarty-pants go! After graduating from Mind Your Manners I at Cold Nose Companions Dog Training , Yvette has moved on to Mind Your Manners II! This bright, attentive little lady is a joy to watch learn. You can see how attentive she is in the video, and she picks up on new things quickly. She now has a solid foundation for focus/eye contact, sit, down, stay, and leave it and is ready to show off these skills in her future home!" (City Dogs Cleveland via Facebook)
• Get culturized: "With 16 exhibitions currently on view and daily guided tours, there is always an opportunity to dig deeper into new works, or old favorites. General admission is ALWAYS FREE ✨ cma.org" (Cleveland Museum of Art via Instagram)
• Nick Chubb always shows up to work: "Is Nick Chubb more like Batman or Captain America? 🤔 #DawgPound" (Heavy on Browns via Facebook)
• Bar for sale: "If you've been dreaming of running your own dive bar, give this classic Cleveland tavern the once-over. Located at W. 50th and Detroit, the Edgewater Café (4911 Detroit Avenue) offers up a heaping slice of understated elegance." (Cleveland Scene Magazine via Facebook)

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Events:

• Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit (October 1)
• American Speed Festival 2022 (October 2)
• Today's Bride October Wedding Show - Cleveland (October 2)
• Acrylic Painting Class for Teens | Poison Apple (October 2)
• Add your event

Thanks for catching up on Cleveland. And thank you, Rose Mendez, for taking care of Cleveland Daily readers last week while I was on vacation.