22 MUCH! INDIANS WIN COMEBACK THRILLER
Tribe streak hits record 22 thanks to Br ruce’s heroics
Jay Bruce gets doused with a mix of baby powder and water after his 10th-inning double lifted the Indians to a 3-2 win over the Royals, their 22nd straight victory. The Indians had been down to their last strike in the ninth before tying it on a Francisco Lindor double.
CLEVELAND — Now these Indians are just showing off.
Now, too, they own an even more elite place among baseball’s best streakers.
Down to their last strike — what is this, the 1986 World Series? — the Indians climbed back and upward, prevailing over the Royals, 3-2, in 10 innings for their 22nd straight victory. When former Met Jay Bruce lined a double into the right-field corner, scoring Jose Ramirez from second base, the Indians broke a tie with the 1935 Cubs for baseball’s second-best winning streak since 1900. And the top mark, 26 straight wins by the 1916 Giants, is compromised because the run featured a tie between the 12th and 13th consecutive win.
“Hopefully we’re just getting started here,” said Bruce, who delivered a huge hit for the second straight day. “It’s been an absolute blast.”
Before this game, the streak had served as a seminar in Indians dominance. Through the first 21 games and 189 innings, Cleveland had trailed in just four innings.
On this night, the Indians doubled that count with four trailed innings. This became a night for the ages because Terry Francona’s group didn’t dominate. Because it kept fighting. And because it gave the crowd of 30,874 a moment — actually, multiple moments — to attach to the milestone victory.
Ramirez, who has enjoyed a breakout year, started the winning rally when he led off the bottom of the 10th against Kansas City’s Brandon Maurer and laced a line drive to right-center field that he hustled into a double. For the night, Ramirez went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two singles and a walk. Edwin Encarnacion worked a walk, bringing up Bruce, who delivered a three-run homer in Wednesday’s win that set the new American League record. Bruce took a pair of pitches, and then he ripped the game-winner into the corner. After Ramirez motored home, Bruce’s mostly younger teammates swarmed him on the field, doused him with baby powder and tore off his jersey.
“Kids these days are throwing everything,” the 30-year-old Bruce said, smiling. “You never know what you’re going to get hit with. It’s my first jersey rip-off, for sure.”
The Royals, occupying the periphery of the race for the AL’s second wild card, appeared set to end this fun. They recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth, having allowed a one-out single to Tyler Naquin, and flamethrower Kelvin Herrera had a 1-and-2 count on leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor.
After ball two, however, Lindor went the opposite way, hitting a laser to deep left field. Alex Gordon leaped and couldn’t quite reach it, the ball hitting the wall on a fly. Naquin scored the tying run, and the fans roared in disbelief.
“For a second, I hit it, I’m like, ‘Oh, no, I hit it the other way. I hit it to the wrong guy,’” the All-Star Lindor said. “All of a sudden it hit the wall. Emotions were pretty high. Seeing your teammates screaming at the top step of the dugout is pretty special.”
“Right man, right spot, I guess,” Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin said, referring to Lindor. “When he came up, you had this feeling: The type of year he’s having, the type of player he is, he’s going to put together a competitive at-bat and do everything he can to try to get that run in. That’s what he did. Give him credit. That’s a good pitch off the mound.”
In all, Francona said, “It kind of felt like a playoff game, and that’s invaluable.”
Even as they reach ridiculous heights, the Indians know the real fun comes next month, when they try to get this franchise its first World Series victory since 1948.
This, though? This is pretty darn fun in its own right.