With a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, the Cleveland Indians extended their historic winning streak to 22 games. That topped the longest American League win streak which was the Oakland Athletics‘ streak of 20 wins in a row set in 2002. That also topped the post-19th century MLB record of 21 uninterrupted wins set in 1935 by the Chicago Cubs. However, with a 4-3 loss to the Royals on Friday, the Indians streak came to an end.
Cleveland Indians Historic Win Streak Ends at 22
Pitching has been dominant over the 22-game stretch, as Indian pitchers have given up more than three runs only three times. They have had seven shutouts over that period and have outscored their opponents 142 to 37.
While the winning streak began on August 24, their hot streak began on August 11. Since then the Indians have gone 31-5. Over that period, the Tribe has overcome a nine-game deficit on the Houston Astros for the top seed in the American League. After their 22nd win on Thursday, they moved ahead of the Astros by 2.5 games. They also extended their division lead to 13.5 games over the Minnesota Twins with 15 remaining at the time.
The Indians were able to break the A’s and Cubs records during their series with the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers, having traded away Justin Verlander, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton and with Victor Martinez on the 60-day DL, gave the Indians a perfect opportunity to make the streak even more historic. The Indians also just completed a four-game sweep over the Tigers in Detroit at the beginning of the month.
Moving Ahead
The Indians continue their four-game series with the Royals on Saturday. The Indians swept the Royals in three games without giving up a single run at the end of August. While the streak may be over, the Indians have put themselves in a great playoff position as the season rapidly comes to an end.
