Tigers fans can thank their most loyal celebrity fan for cursing the Guardians

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more vocal celebrity Tigers fan than Oscar winner JK Simmons. He's frequently spotted at Tigers games in Comerica, has been a frequent guest in the broadcast booth alongside Jason Benetti, he threw out their ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day in 2015, and he's been on MLB Network a lot recently talking about his Tigers fandom during the team's hot season.

When he threw out the first pitch at a Guardians game on June 27, it initially felt like a betrayal, until eagle-eyed Tigers fans noticed that he was wearing something curious under his Cleveland jersey: a Tigers shirt. Everyone could put their pitchforks down.

Going into that game, the Guardians were 40-39 and in second place in the AL Central. Since then, they've slid down to 41-48 and fourth place. Simmons' first pitch opened the second loss in what would become an 0-10 slide that Cleveland only broke on July 7 with a 7-5 victory over the Astros. But they were swept three times, including by the Tigers, before breaking Simmons' short-lived curse.

JK Simmons sneakily wore a Tigers shirt while throwing out a first pitch in Cleveland

The Tigers won their three-game set in Cleveland narrowly. They only won the first and second games by a one-run margin. Then they looked prepared to spoil a scoreless seven-inning start for Tarik Skubal in the finale, until a wild pitch allowed the Tigers to tie the game. Then, Trey Sweeney kicked off what would become a six-run 10th inning with a three-run homer — his first since May 12 and after being briefly demoted.

The Guardians' collapse has been breathtaking, and more than a little fun for Tigers fans to watch. They were really the only other team in the AL Central that looked like they could stand a chance against Detroit, and they'd already walked away with a series win earlier this season, but now they're behind even the Royals and Twins, who are an unbelievable 14 games behind the Tigers.

Tigers fans might've liked if the Simmons Curse could've lasted a little longer, even just to watch some of the most obnoxious Guardians fans on the internet cry a bit more, but the damage has been done. Cleveland can still vie for a second or third place spot with the rest of the division, but the Tigers clearly have little reason to worry about them anymore.