Cleveland Indians: A quick reflection on 102 wins in 2017

The Cleveland Indians have work to do in the postseason, but no one should forget just how great this team was during the 2017 regular season.

It is easy for Cleveland Indians fans to gloss over the regular season when the team is gearing up for the postseason. But taking a small amount of time to reflect is never a bad thing.

The Indians finished up a regular season filled with intrigue, although most of the good parts didn’t come until the second half. However, no one will remember the bad parts when seeing the 102 wins.

That win total is second all-time in franchise history, behind only the 1954 Indians who were defeated in the World Series by Willie Mays and the New York Giants. The 1995 Indians picked up 100 wins in only 144 games, so arguably this season stacks up right there with that team.

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The difference in 2017 is the 22-game winning streak, which is something we will never forget. No matter how this season ends, that will be a special moment we may never see again. But being a baseball fan, I wouldn’t be surprised if another team went on a run like that in the near future. Maybe even the Indians can do it again.

The Indians are so good right now that the regular season mirrors what Cavaliers fans witness every year. The regular season is important, but making the postseason was never in doubt.

The ultimate goal is to win a title, but if we don’t enjoy the journey along the way it takes away from so much of what makes being a sports fans so special.

From the streak, to Austin Jackson‘s catch in Fenway, the Opening Day walk-off and everything else that happened, no one should view the season as a waste if the Indians don’t win it all.

Next: Bruce on the team in 2018?

That being said, it’s time to focus on postseason baseball. We will be doing a lot of looking back at the regular season once October passes, but for now it is time to write about some playoff baseball. I hope everyone stocked up on Prilosec.