Indians set AL record with 21st straight win

The Cleveland Indians hit baseball blackjack - 21!

Making history almost every time they take the field, the Indians won their 21st straight game on Wednesday, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers, to set an American League winning-streak record and join only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many consecutive games.

Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer (4-3) and Mike Clevinger (10-5) won his fourth straight start as the Indians matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest streak since 1900. The run has put Cleveland within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose century-old mark includes a tie.

The Indians haven’t lost in 20 days, and they’ve rarely been challenged during a late-season run in which they’ve dominated every aspect of the game.

However, they had to overcome a costly error and rely on their bullpen to hold off the Tigers, who closed within 4-3.

Roberto Perez added a homer in the seventh and four Cleveland relievers finished, with Cody Allen getting his 27th save.

With the crowd of 29,346 standing and stomping, Allen retired Ian Kinsler for the final out, giving the Indians the league’s longest streak since the AL was founded in 1901.

During their streak, which began with a 13-6 win over Boston ace Chris Sale on Aug. 23, the Indians have rarely been tied, never mind equaled, for nine innings. They have been superior in every way possible. Cleveland’s starters have gone 19-0 with a 1.70 ERA, they’ve outscored their opponents 139-35 and trailed in only four of 189 innings.