After the dust settled on September 24, 1952, the Yankees held a two-game lead in the American League. On that day, they swept both games of a doubleheader in Boston against the Red Sox, winning the first in extra innings. Meanwhile, the only team that could still catch them, the Indians, beat the White Sox to somewhat keep pace.
Cleveland trailed by two games despite being only one behind the Yankees in the win column. Due to either weather or a weird scheduling quirk, the Indians only had two games left in the season, while the Yankees still had four to go.