![The Indians will be good for a long time. [Image source : Erik Drost/ Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/12/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-indians-will-be-good-for-a-long-time-image-via-erik-drost_1682645.jpg "The Indians will be good for a long time. [Image source : Erik Drost/ Wikimedia Commons]")
What the Indians accomplished this season is nothing short of amazing. Last year, the Indians made it to Game 7 of the World Series against the best team in baseball. A lot of people like to say that the Indians blew a 3-1 lead. Well, that is true, but it does not change the fact that the Indians overcame immense odds to defeat the Red Sox and Blue Jays to get there. The injury-riddled team was an underdog in each series throughout the 2016 postseason. Though they failed to return to the World Series, the team came back, this season, stronger and the history they made proves it.
Not a lot of people realize how much of an impact the Indians had on baseball this year. The team did not reach the goal of World Series revenge this season, but they have a bright future ahead of them. That being said, let's take a look at some of the amazing, historic highlights made by the Indians from the 2017 season.
Most strikeouts by a single team in MLB history
The strong rotation was backed by an even stronger bullpen to provide the Indians with one of the most significant records in history. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco each had 200+ strikeouts with Trevor Bauer falling just four shy of the mark. Andrew Miller and Cody Allen finished in 11th and 13th place in strikeouts among relievers.
The Indians finished the season with 1,614 strikeouts, surpassing the 2013 Astros record by 79. Corey Kluber provided a huge boost, even bringing home the Cy Young for his incredible season.
Second most wins in franchise history
The Cleveland Indians finished the season with 102 wins. That is the second most wins in team history and the most since 1954.
In 1954 the Indians were 111-43, that was also the most wins by any team since the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2017 Indians were projected to be one of the league’s elite teams, but I don't know if even a Cleveland fan would have predicted a 100-win season.
A lot of this credit must go to the pitching staff. The most strikeouts, lowest ERA, and fewest walks in baseball, all belong to the Indians.
Carlos Carrasco also managed to pitch the Indians second immaculate inning (nine pitches, three strikeouts) ever, and the 84th in history. However, the bats cannot go unnoticed as the team was producing runs from day one.
Most consecutive wins in MLB history*
This record comes with an asterisk for all the wrong reasons. Nobody could decide if the 1916 New York Giants record of 26 wins would count because it included a tie in the middle. Well, there is the answer right there. A tie is not a win, therefore the 1916 Giants hold the record for longest streak without losing while the 2017 Indians have the longest win streak.
On top of winning 22 exciting games in a row, the Indians stats during the streak are phenomenal.
Throughout, the Indians only had one walk-off, which came in game 22. Not many of the games were close, and very rarely did the Indians trail. There was a total of 198 innings played during the streak, the Indians only found themselves behind for eight of them. The starters had an unbelievable 1.77 ERA! This is unheard of over a span that long. They also completed the streak without two former All-Stars in Andrew Miller and Jason Kipnis. The bats showed up however and outscored opponents 142-37. As miraculous as that differential is, they hit 41 home runs, so they managed to hit more home runs than total runs they allowed. Talk about a shutdown defense with a powerhouse offense!
Francisco Lindor (.273/.337/.505)
Even though Jose Ramirez had arguably a better season than him, Lindor still remained the teams' "wow" factor. Whether it was his go-ahead grand slam on the third game of the season, his RBI double to keep the Indians streak alive in game 22, or the comeback-starting grand slam in Game 2 of the ALDS, Lindor did not stop dropping jaws. He is one of the games’ best clutch hitters and nothing but All-Star talent on the defensive side.
Francisco Lindor led all Major League shortstops in home runs hit (33), RBI's (89), and OBP (.505). His home run total pushed him past Willie Held for the most home runs by an Indians shortstop ever. Oh, and just to show how solid the Indians bats were, Lindor was third in all of baseball in at-bats.
Jose Ramirez (.318/.374/.583)
Talk about an MVP year! This was a player who started the season at a different position than he finished it. The third-baseman turned second-baseman proved the league that he is not just a fluke with the big season he has had. His MVP award would be all locked up if it weren't for the other Jose. Altuve's season was too massive to go unnoticed. On the other hand, Ramirez shocked baseball when he was impossible to pitch to. His defense also got considerably better compared to past years.
Jose finished the season with 56 doubles, leading the Major Leagues and becoming just the 19th player to ever hit 56 or more. On top of that, he had 9 consecutive multi-hit games, the first Indians player to do so since 1936.
One of the biggest games of the year for him was his 5-for-5 day. While that is impressive for any hitter to do, it was much more impressive for Ramirez because all five hits were extra-base hits. That ties the record for most extra-base hits in a game. To put the cherry on top of his historic season, he finished with 91 extra-base hits to achieve the second most by a switch-hitter ever.
Jose Ramirez having an incredible year is an understatement. He proved what he is capable of this year and if that is any indicator of the young talent the Indians have in their system, the entire league is in trouble.
Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA, 265 K)
Lastly, let's look at the 2017 Cy Young Award winner. Keep in mind the postseason performances are left out of the voting, thankfully.
Other than the lackluster few playoff games, Kluber was nothing but dominant throughout the regular season, and his numbers show it. The Cleveland Indians ace led his respective league in almost every major pitching category, even becoming the leader in the entire MLB in some statistics. So, after you read these numbers, you should be convinced that there was no doubt he would win the prestigious award.
Kluber led all of baseball in some key pitching areas that helped pad his stats. Towards the end of the season, he surpassed Clayton Kershaw for the lowest ERA. That is huge, considering Kershaw has had the lowest ERA in four of the last seven seasons, four of which were consecutive. On top of that, Kershaw has only had an ERA over .291 once in his entire career.
Kluber also led all of baseball in WHIP (walks+hits per innings pitched) and K/BB (strikeout to walk ratio). These just show how incredible Kluber's control was on the mound this season.
Kluber was tied for first in many MLB leads as well. He was tied with three other pitchers for wins on the year with 18. He was also tied for first in complete games and shutouts. He has the stamina to go the distance and his mental strength does not waiver very much.
Now, let's look at his numbers from the American League standpoint. He led the AL in win percentage, winning a lot more games than he lost. He also gave up the fewest walks and hits per nine innings. It's hard to score runs without base-runners, and Corey Kluber figured that out early.
Let's put it this way, there is only one other “real” candidate to take home the AL Cy Young Award and that is Chris Sale. Nothing against Luis Severino, he just did not perform as well as the other two. The only major categories that Sale leads Kluber in is, strikeouts, strikeouts per 9, and innings pitched. However, Chris Sale also started three more games than Kluber, which is huge because Sale only has 10.9 more innings pitched than him.
A season to remember
The Cleveland Indians may have fallen short of their goal, but they certainly did not fall short of amazing the fans game-after-game. From making history to making jokes, the Indians do it all. You won't find a more exciting group of baseball players. This team has a lot of fun together and that translates throughout the crowd. Regardless of losing in the ALDS, this team is phenomenal, and they will be for years to come.
