Tribe had great season

Sure, hopes ran high as the Cleveland Indians entered the 2017 Major League Baseball season on the heels of falling only two runs shy of a World Series title in 2016.

And sure, those hopes ran higher as the Tribe displayed long spurts of sensational play throughout the spring, summer and fall, punctuated of course by a record-setting American League winning streak of 22 games last month . ...

Though we, too, lament the fact that the Tribe’s 2017 fun in the post-season sun was fleeting, Tribe loyalists have no reason to hang their heads in abject shame.

Take the talent of pitcher Corey Kluber, an odds-on favorite for the coveted Cy Young Award this season. His earned-run average of 1.62 was the lowest in the MLB by nearly a run. It also stands as the lowest home ERA by a starting Tribe pitcher since Gaylord Perry way back in 1972.

Or take the hitting acumen of third-baseman Jose Ramirez. His 91-extra-base hits rank second-most ever by a switch-hitter, and his nine consecutive multi-hit games in June stands as the longest such streak by a Cleveland player since Roy Hughes in 1936.

And as a collective team, there’s little room for disgrace.

... Team members and devotees of the 116-year-old Northeastern Ohio franchise alike should now channel that pride and momentum into the 2018 season to fuel another season of superlative play aimed squarely at going the distance to reign at last as World Series champions.