Cleveland Indians: AL Central champions once again

The Cleveland Indians clinched the American League Central division crown late on Saturday night, but the work is not done yet.

Cleveland Indians fans were given a pleasant surprise Saturday night when the Minnesota Twins were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays. The loss made the Indians champions again.

The Indians officially clinched the American League Central last night, preventing an on-field celebration in the moment, but it does allow for a big party at Progressive Field today.

Corey Kluber is on the mound and a celebration is already scheduled for those making the trip to the stadium this afternoon.

Seeing Jason Kipnis starting in center field illustrates just how interesting of a season it has been.

Winning the division is the first step in the chase for a World Series, but the feat is all but a formality for the Indians this year. In fact, the Indians losing the division in any of the next two or three years would be shocking.

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The team is stacked and in a position to dominate a division featuring three teams headed toward a rebuild, with the Minnesota Twins being the only real competition. Indians fans always glorify those 1995-1999 teams, but this group could end up being quite comparable, especially if they win it all.

Clinching the division with two weeks left in the season is an impressive accomplishment, but the focus remains on success in October. The next step for this team is to secure the top spot in the AL, allowing for a postseason that would see the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros squaring off in the ALDS.

Going through just one of those teams would be a much easier situation, although that doesn’t mean the Indians would just glide through the ALDS against the New York Yankees or one of the other contenders.

Next: Indians draft recap

Fans should enjoy today’s game and also enjoy seeing this team get to celebrate at home after so many champagne showers on the road in 2016. Winning the division obviously isn’t the ultimate goal, but it is important to appreciate all the small victories on the way to the big one.