Written by David Schoenfield at ESPN.com
When the Oakland A’s set the American League record with a 20-game winning streak in 2002, they did so in dramatic fashion. Wins 18, 19 and 20 were all walk-off victories, with No. 20 the famous Scott Hatteberg pinch-hit home run after the A’s had blown an 11-0 lead. A’s executive Billy Beane recently said he knew the streak was over at that point; the team was gassed.
The Cleveland Indians, on the other hand, look like they may never lose again. They beat the Tigers 5-3 on an overcast Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland for their 21st win in a row.
After the Tigers took the lead in the top of the first, the Indians immediately struck back when Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer with two outs, just clearing the fence in left-center. After the Tigers clawed back to 4-3, Roberto Perez iced the win with a home run in the seventh and Cody Allen closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth. Cleveland tied the 1935 Cubs at 21 straight, with only the 1916 New York Giants looming on the horizon at 26 straight wins.
It’s a remarkable, dominant stretch of baseball. The Indians have trailed just four innings in the 21 games, have needed just three one-run victories, and have obliterated their opponents on both sides of the ball with a plus-104 differential — that’s an average winning margin of 4.95 runs per game.
Some highlights from the streak:
MVP during the streak: This is a tough one. Jose Ramirez has hit .388 and slugged .910 thanks to eight home runs and nine doubles and has 16 RBIs. Francisco Lindor has hit .370 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs. Neither has made an error, and Ramirez’s ability to slide over from third base to second base with Jason Kipnis out has been vital.
Ramirez went 4-for-4 in a 2-1 win over the Yankees in Game 6 and had five extra-base hits in an 11-1 win over the Tigers in Game 11. Lindor had the go-ahead single in the ninth inning against the Tigers back in Game 8, had the leadoff home run in a 2-0 victory in Game 20, and had home runs in the sixth and seventh innings against the Orioles in Games 17 and 18 that turned one-run leads into two-run leads.
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