Nine out of the last 10 years, 93 wins was good enough to earn a wildcard berth in the American League.
Unfortunately for the Cleveland Indians, this year it wasn't.
One week ago, the American League playoff picture was still fuzzy, at best. Chicago was faltering, the Indians were surging, and the Red Sox and Yankees were fighting it out in the East.
The scenarios were myriad for a Cleveland trip to October baseball. If the blitzing Indians continued to win, they had the opportunity to head into this weekend's series with the White Sox with a chance to become only the second team in MLB history to come back from a 15-game deficit to win the division. Even if that didn't happen, even if they didn't continue their torrid pace, a wildcard berth seemed inevitable.
Then, Grady Sizemore lost a ball in the sun in the final game against the Kansas City Royals and suddenly, the White Sox clinched the Central Division.
Next on tap, the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a team that had played hard against most of the top teams in the American League, including the Yankees and Angels, but still remained in the East's cellar despite a winning record since the All-Star Break.
And so began the week that wouldn't end.
The Devil Rays came into Jacob's Field and took two out of three from the Tribe. Bats that had produced a record 51 homers in the month of September suddenly went quiet with the exception of a couple of long balls in a 6-0 victory.
This was a young team at the start of the season, and GM Mark Shapiro had been upfront with Indian faithful the last two years. With a $42 million payroll, the Indians were depending on young bats, pitching, defense, and the fundamentals to win. The winning part, however, probably wouldn't come anytime soon.
After a mediocre first half of the season, Shapiro's recipe for success started to work. Cleveland's bullpen ERA was tops in the AL, the starters were in the top five for ERA in the league also, the young Cleveland bats (many of them playing their first full year in the majors) started to come alive to the tune of record home runs for a handful of the starting lineup, and manager Eric Wedge's philosophy of taking one game at a time brought the team together and made them believe in themselves.
With Chicago far ahead in the Central, the Indians put together the best record in baseball in the second half. Catcher Victor Martinez led the league in batting after the All-Star Break, Kevin Millwood led the league in ERA, Bob Wickman led the AL in saves, and CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Travis Hafner, and Grady Sizemore showed why they will be the cornerstones of the Cleveland organization for years to come.
Suddenly, "next year" was "this year."
However, the White Sox ended the second half of the season just like they started it, by sweeping the Indians.
For many Cleveland fans, myself included, the fact that this team is young probably shouldn't have made it this far, and will be one of the best teams in the AL next year are no consolation for the last week.
A 1-6 record in the last seven games when 3-4 or 4-3 would have put them in playoffs puts a taint on what had been a magical season.
You have to be proud of what this team has done, and you have to be optimistic about next year, but you can't look at this team and tell me that they weren't ready to win now.
It's also troubling to look down the road at the offseason and wonder who will be back and who won't. Maybe, like Kevin Millwood, the Indians caught lightning in a bottle this season.
Millwood, along with Bob Howry, Bob Wickman, and Scott Elearton, will be free agents this winter. Millwood will absolutely command $10 million a year for about four years from someone, but it remains to be seen whether the Tribe ponies up the money and takes a chance on a long-term contract for the 31-year-old hurler. Wickman doesn't even know if he wants to pitch anymore, but how can you walk away from a 40+ save season? After what seemed like 8,000 appearances this season, there should be no question about bringing Howry, one of the best setup guys in the American League, back for next season.
There are other questions, too, for instance, where and how will Shapiro find a big bat to stick in the middle of the lineup. The power could come in right field, replacing Casey Blake, or from first base, replacing Ben Broussard.
Boy, would Mike Sweeney look nice in an Indians uniform next year.
If I were Mark Shapiro, I would keep Casey Blake as your bench player that can play every position and provide a little right hand power off the bench. He's a good team leader, and would be a good upgrade over Jose Hernandez. To be sure, either Blake or Broussard won't be back as a starter next season.
One of my friends from Cleveland moved to Boston a couple of years ago, and to my surprise, now roots for the Red Sox over the Indians. His argument is that you have to root for the Red Sox because of last season and because they are "America's Team."
Treason, pure treason.
Baseball's about rooting for your hometown, not last year's champion, and if there's any team that "America" should be rooting for, it's the $42 million payroll little engine that could.
Let the $150+ payroll club play this year, because next year the World Series is the next step for the Indians.
October 4, 2005
Jake:
Not to spark a fire or anything, but the White Sox will be doing just as well next year, if not better, when they inevitably acquire a second lineup-star to work with Konerko.
Those talks about Griffey may have been just rumors, but the White Sox have a pretty small payroll themselves, and a tremendous potential to get some serious power in the lineup again, unless Big Hurt manages to recover and actually stay with the team this time, at which point the White Sox will be hot again anyways!