The Cleveland Indians earned their third consecutive AL Central title with a decisive 15-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. This is their 10th AL Central title. They won five straight AL Central titles between 1995 and 1999 and earn their other two titles in 2001 and in 2007 before this current streak.
The Indians really had no competition this season taking control of the division on April 21st and never looking back. They currently have a 15.5 game lead over the Minnesota Twins.
Frankly, the Tribe is lucky they are in the AL Central. The team is marginally better than the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays and have a record inferior to both likely AL Wild Card teams - the New York Yankees and the Oakland A's. If the Indians were in the AL West they would be 9.5 games back of the Houston Astros and if they were in the AL East they would be 18.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox.
Yet with all that said, the Tribe has two bonafide AL MVP candidates in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez and two time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber along with a lights out bullpen and an experienced manager in Terry Francona. The Tribe will most likely face the Astros in the ALDS and while the Astros would be overwhelming favorites, it would be a mistake to dismiss a franchise seeking to win their first World Series title in 70 years.
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