Cleveland Indians: Five Reasons Why They’ll Win It All
The Cleveland Indians have literally waltzed through the postseason so far. They’ve done it with a good mix of good pitching and timely hitting. And regardless of whether they face the Cubs or the Dodgers, there are five reasons why they will win the title this year……….
Usually, around this time of the postseason, there emerges from the pack a team that simply appears destined to win it all. And it usually doesn’t mean that they are the best team, although they could be. Last year, it was the Kansas City Royals who seemed to do everything right and very little wrong. The Royals gelled as a team and carried the momentum from a late season surge straight through the postseason never looking
The Cleveland Indians have that look about them this year. They’ll be appearing in their first World Series in nearly seven decades. Fresh off a NBA championship lead LeBron James, the city of Cleveland is awakening to the fact that the Indians are a pretty good ball club, and even James is getting into the spirit as the head cheerleader of the team.
Meanwhile though, the players themselves seem to be taking it all in stride with a quiet and composed confidence that suggests, “What, did you expect anything else?” And despite the lingering feeling among some that their long layoff since putting away the Blue Jays is a detriment to their chances of winning a title, here are five reasons why the Indians are ready and able to claim a World Championship………
Total dominance is the only way to describe the postseason Andrew Miller is having. In nearly 12 innings of work, he has yet to give up a earned run and he’s striking batters out at a rate of two per inning.
Opposing managers are starting to manage games around him telling their players to attack the starting pitcher aggressively early in the count because they know if they don’t get an early lead and keep it for a while, there’s going to be hell to pay later when the bullpen door opens and Miller comes walking through.
Coming over mid season via a deal with the Yankees, Miller has been the backbone of a relief corps that, with little argument, is the best in baseball today.
Featuring a hard biting slider that very seldom touches the plate, Miller constantly has hitters scurrying after pitches they can’t even reach. It reminds you of Mariano Rivera and his devastating cutter where the hitter knows what’s coming……and he still can’t hit it!
Withe the spacing of games with off days, it’s conceivable that Miller could pitch in all seven games if the Series gets that far. And that is definitely gloomy news for the opposition.
Terry Francona has done nothing this year to take away from a resume that leads straight to Cooperstown. Buoyed by his success in breaking the Red Sox drought in a World Titles, and fresh off a season last year when Sports Illustrated famously predicted that the Indians would be World Champions on their cover, Francona has quietly and ingeniously led this team to the brink of a title this season.
Inheriting one of the youngest teams in baseball, Francona seized on that inexperience and transformed it into a positive by instilling a “we can do it ” (emphasizing the we) spirit that gradually became the Indians way as the season moved along.
Blessed with the trade that brought Andrew Miller and the work of his largely unknown pitching coach, Mickey Calloway, together they assembled what is arguably the best bullpen in baseball (and maybe ever) today.
He believes in his guys and they believe in him. Speaking to reporters from FoxSports, Andrew Miller had this to say about “Tito”:
“Tito does such a good job of setting the tone in the clubhouse,” said Miller, who also played for Francona in Boston. “It’s loose. That’s his style. I think the players in a sense run it. There’s trash talking back and forth, but guys are prepared at the same time and we work really hard, and it shows. We wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case. … It’s exceptional and he’s special.”
At 6’4″, Corey Kluber cuts a menacing personality when he steps on the rubber. His stuff is what the players call “nasty” too. The Cleveland Indians will be relying on him to come out with a flair Tuesday night and he probably will be in a mood to do just that .
Two years removed from a Cy Young, Kluber put together a outstanding season that followed a horrendous 9-16 season last year. He compiled a 18-9 record with a ERA of 3.14, which in the DH league is like a 2.50 in the NL.
Battling injuries for basically the whole season, it was even questionable if Kluber would even pitch in the postseason. He picked up a mild quad strain late in September that he worked his way through and now sports a 2-1 record in the postseason to go along with a eye catching 0.98 ERA.
More importantly, he’s giving his team length averaging about six innings a start, which is exactly what his team needs to get into their bullpen. Quoted in the New York Post, Terry Francona explains:
“He’s such a good pitcher, and his routine [and] his work ethic are impeccable,” Francona said. “When the game starts, whether it’s April or October, he puts himself in a position where he can go enjoy competing because he prepares so well.”
Hey, I’m not kidding. LeBron James doesn’t play with losers and he only backs winners. And this year, he’s taken the city of Cleveland under his wings by becoming the unofficial team cheerleader. He’s even taken it as far as center stage grabbing the mic and urging the faithful on at a recent playoff game.
In the same vein as Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, and Derek Jeter, LeBron just oozes winning. He came back to his hometown to win a championship, and he did just that. Now, he implores the Indians to do the same.
It’s perhaps questionable if the players really need his help, but as they say, every little bit helps. The Indians are one of the few teams these days who operate without a swag. And that’s meant to be a compliment.
But James is swag with a capital “S”. And for this small, struggling town on Lake Erie, he’s like a breath of fresh air.
They’ll be watching and hoping that he can work his magic one more time – and this one is for the Cleveland Indians.
The Cleveland Indians don’t overpower anyone. They just win. And you don’t even see them coming. Just ask the mighty and powerful Blue Jays who were in and out of the DIvision Series so fast that they didn’t even get a chance to flip a bat, except after walking back to the dugout .
With the possible exception of Andrew Miller who has been lights out as their closer, the Indians don’t do anything exceptionally well. They do everything well enough to win though, and that’s what counts.
They went through almost the entire regular season with hardly anyone even noticing they were there. All eyes remained focused on the Royals who everyone knew were going to eventually get on a run that would overtake the Tribe……except it’s the Indians who are here now.
The Indians and the Cubs both seem to have that “pick me up” mentality as they go about their business that is so important and often illusive in professional sports. And the heroes come from all different places on different days.
Just the other night in fact, somebody named Ryan Merritt went out and pitched the game of his life to help the Indians claim the AL Pennant.
Next: Cubs punch World Series ticket
And that’s what the Cleveland Indians do with a little of this and a little of that……….