The Indians can’t stop winning and have clinched the AL Central

You might have noticed lately that the Indians are absolutely crushing every team that gets in their way. They just finished up a record-setting 22-game winning streak, which brought them only a few games away from clinching the American League Central. On Saturday they erased their magic number completely and actually did it, earning them the AL Central crown for 2017.

Cleveland clinching was fairly inevitable even before that insane winning streak (they had a decent lead on the second-place Twins), but winning 22 games in a row definitely helped. And everyone has pitched in. The starting pitching has been masterful, with a rotation that contains Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger, and they've all turned in seasons that are close to their career bests. Their bullpen has been beyond good, which means they’re nearly half a run better than any other bullpen in baseball. (And they just got Andrew Miller back!) Their offense has been humming, and while Francisco Lindor and his world-lighting smile deserves a special mention, everyone has contributed. Their dominance has been a true team effort, which is how it's lasted so long.

This year has been a strange one for baseball. The rise of the home run (due to the juiced ball, let's be honest) has changed things. Three different teams — the Astros, the Dodgers, and the Indians — have had crazy dominant stretches. But the Indians are getting hot at exactly the right time. Playoff baseball is in sight! Two weeks from now the regular season will be coming to a close. (::sob::) And that's when the Indians will get another chance to do what they came so close to doing last year. They'll head to the postseason with something to prove, but a with a spectacular regular season behind them.

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