COLUMN: The Cleveland Indians are lost and may never be found
Cheers are now tears, hope has turned into mope, and Cleveland’s baseball team misses out on another prime opportunity to win a trophy. The Cleveland Indians have blown their chance at winning a World Series Championship three consecutive years in a row. First, the Indians blew a 3–1 lead in the World Series to the Chicago Cubs. Second, the Indians blew a 2–0 lead in the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees. Lastly, the grand finale — the Indians were swept by the Houston Astros in humiliating fashion. The Tribe arguably have the best ace pitcher and utility hitter in all of baseball. Corey Kluber, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, seems to have lost his groove in the postseason and Jose Ramirez, a potential finalist for the AL MVP award in 2018, was ice cold the last month and a half of the season. In sports, there is often talk of this “window” for teams to win a championship. For the Indians, in 2016, the window opened to win a championship and in 2018, the window is starting to close. Unlike big spending teams — the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, etc. — as a small market team, the Indians cannot come up with the big dollars to consistently compete for a championship. The Tribe’s chances at a championship seem to come every 20 years and chances in the playoffs seem to come every 10 years. Let’s be honest, the only reason the Indians are in this place to begin with is because they scouted their way into premier talent. Kluber was a lottery winning and Ramirez has the most favorable contract in baseball. Those are just two of the top-end players, not even mentioning Francisco Lindor, Mike Clevinger, Michael Brantley and others. To the luck of the Tribe, they currently sit in the worst division in baseball. Cleveland won the AL Central by 13 games, five more games than the next best division winner. Until the Royals, Tigers, Twins or White Sox become good again, Cleveland will have a shot at the postseason for the next year. Until then, the Indians are kicking themselves for kissing away their championship two years ago against the Cubs.
Oct 9, 2018
Cheers are now tears, hope has turned into mope, and Cleveland’s baseball team misses out on another prime opportunity to win a trophy.
The Cleveland Indians have blown their chance at winning a World Series Championship three consecutive years in a row.
First, the Indians blew a 3–1 lead in the World Series to the Chicago Cubs. Second, the Indians blew a 2–0 lead in the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees. Lastly, the grand finale — the Indians were swept by the Houston Astros in humiliating fashion.
The Tribe arguably have the best ace pitcher and utility hitter in all of baseball. Corey Kluber, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, seems to have lost his groove in the postseason and Jose Ramirez, a potential finalist for the AL MVP award in 2018, was ice cold the last month and a half of the season.
In sports, there is often talk of this “window” for teams to win a championship. For the Indians, in 2016, the window opened to win a championship and in 2018, the window is starting to close.
Unlike big spending teams — the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, etc. — as a small market team, the Indians cannot come up with the big dollars to consistently compete for a championship.
The Tribe’s chances at a championship seem to come every 20 years and chances in the playoffs seem to come every 10 years. Let’s be honest, the only reason the Indians are in this place to begin with is because they scouted their way into premier talent. Kluber was a lottery winning and Ramirez has the most favorable contract in baseball. Those are just two of the top-end players, not even mentioning Francisco Lindor, Mike Clevinger, Michael Brantley and others.
To the luck of the Tribe, they currently sit in the worst division in baseball. Cleveland won the AL Central by 13 games, five more games than the next best division winner. Until the Royals, Tigers, Twins or White Sox become good again, Cleveland will have a shot at the postseason for the next year.
Until then, the Indians are kicking themselves for kissing away their championship two years ago against the Cubs.
