By KYLE ADAMS
Staff Writer
Winning your division in the MLB is a tough accomplishment by any stretch of the imagination, for any team. However, there is the exception of the NL East, where the Nationals are the only team over .500.
Normally when your team wins the division, it happens one of two ways. The team dominates all season long and they pretty much have everything locked up by the All-Star break. Or the more common way, which is a tooth and nail fight down the stretch in September between two or three teams, one trying to clinch the division, while the other(s) have to settle for the Wild Card, if they’re so lucky.
This year the Cleveland Indians ignored what usually happens and they locked up the AL Central in a brand new and historic way.
They won 22 consecutive games beginning on Aug. 24, 2017, in their fi nal game of four against the Boston Red Sox (1). The streak included sweeps of the Kansas City Royals (3), New York Yankees (3), two sweeps of the Detroit Tigers (7), Chicago White Sox (4), Baltimore Orioles (3), and one more win against Kansas City, before falling on Friday Sept. 15, 2017 in the middle game of their set of 3 with the Royals.
While the Indians’ 22 game streak is the longest in the expansion era, it is not the longest of all time. In 1916, the New York Giants, led by Christy Mathewson, won 26 consecutive games, in a season of ten fewer games. During the streak, the Indians outscored opponents by a +105 run differential, including a grand total of 41 home runs, 9 from Francisco Lindor and 8 from Jose Ramirez.
The Indians only allowed a total of 37 runs during the streak. There were 7 total team shutouts, and 10 games where the team allowed only one or two runs. Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer each pick up four wins during the stretch, the team ERA was 1.58 and the K-BB ratio was 200 – 37. They only played 7 games in the span that required a closer come in to get the save.
Cleveland fans are used to being surrounded with uncertainty and disappointment. At least there were a couple good years with LeBron and Kyrie, but all good things come to an end. Will LeBron stay? There’s the Browns, and that’s all I’m going to say about them.
The difference between the Cavs and the Indians: LeBron has been in the NBA finals every year since 2011, which is an expectation. The Indians are a surprise; they weren’t supposed to go to the World Series last year, but they did. Teams aren’t supposed to win 22 consecutive games, but they did. Teams that continually defy the odds and do the unexpected is why you play the game, and why a streak like this in the sport of baseball is so signifi cant. Every single game the pitcher changes. You don’t have the same person, like you do a quarterback. You don’t have someone who is going to guarantee you 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. In baseball, you can’t predict anything, because every game you have to hope you have your best stuff, and if you don’t, you have to deal with what you have that day. That’s why a streak like this is so impressive in baseball, because of everything that had to go the Indians way for this to happen.
