When a major league baseball team wins 29 out of 31 games it is clearly something incredible.
The hottest stretch for a team we can remember was the 35-5 stretch the 1984 Detroit Tigers started that season. That carried the Motor City Kitties to a World Series title.
Each time the Tribe lost in that span, they rebounded with resounding wins, an 8-4 win over Kansas City after the Royals ended the American League record 22 game winning skein, and an 11-4 thumping of Seattle after the Mariners beat the Tribe in walk off fashion last Friday night.
Still, there are more remarkable numbers surrounding the 2017 Cleveland Indians.
First, the franchise is on the verge of winning 100 games in a season for just the third time in history. Keep in mind, the Indians have been playing baseball in Cleveland since 1901. Only the 1954 team (111 wins) and the ’95 squad (100 wins) have accomplished this.
Consider the tremendous season Carlos Carrasco is having. The right-hander is 17-6 for the year, and has allowed 167 hits in 192 innings, striking out 212 hitters, while walking just 45. His ERA is 3.43, well below the league average.
Then look at the unworldly numbers put up by his teammate, Corey Kluber.
Kluber has pitched seven more innings than Carrasco and has allowed 32 less hits. Kluber has fanned 50 more hitters while walking nine less hitters.
That’s one reason Kluber could and should become the first two time Cy Young Award winner in the history of the franchise.
You have the incredible season from Jose Ramirez. We think everyone will now realize that last season was not a fluke for the switch-hitter, who turned just 25 years old a week ago.
Ramirez has 86 extra base hits, the 7th highest total in club history and if he can get three more in the final six games, only Albert Belle (103 in ’95), Hal Trosky (96 in ’36) and Grady Sizemore (92 in 2006) would have more.
If two of those would be doubles, Ramirez would have 53 on the season, and the last time an Indian had more would be 1923 when Hall of Famer Tris Speaker had 59.
That’s a historic season and remember, he’s only 25.
Speaking of tremendous young players, 23-year-old switch-hitting shortstop Francisco Lindor is another Tribe player making history.
Lindor has already set club records for home runs in a season by a shortstop and middle infielder, and he is approaching 80 extra base hits for a season and 100 runs scored for a season.
Remember when fans were concerned about Edwin Encarnacion early in the season?
The slugger should get at least one more RBI in the final six games, which would give him 100 for the fifth time in the last six years. He has also set a career high in walks without his strikeouts increasing over last year.
There is also a possibility of him reaching 40 home runs for the third time in his career.
We know the Indians will be home on October 5th for the first game of the Division Series. They still could get home field throughout the American League playoffs too.
If the pitching continues like it has over the last month, it could be a very fun month of October for Terry Francona’s team.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 