Cleveland Indians a Virtual Lock to Win the AL Central

The Cleveland Indians are closing in on their first division title in nine seasons with just 11 games remaining. Is there any way the Tribe could fall short?

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Yogi Berra was certainly on to something, as baseball has proved again and again throughout its history that the unthinkable can hit at any time. Yet, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Cleveland Indians do not cross the regular season finish line as American League Central Division champions.

With just 11 games remaining on the schedule, Cleveland owns a 7.5-game lead in the division, and has a magic number to clinch the title of just five. Any combination of five Indians’ wins and Detroit Tigers’ losses means the AL Central crown belongs to the Tribe for the first time since 2007.

Cleveland has set themselves up in this enviable position by dominating the other teams in its division. Entering play on Thursday night, the Indians are 43-22 against Central Division opponents, with a run differential in those games of +81 (336-255).

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The Tribe concludes a three-game home series with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday before hosting the Chicago White Sox for another three. From there, the club visits Detroit for a four-game series before wrapping up the season with the final three games at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals.

Playing exclusively divisional opponents, anything can happen, of course. But Cleveland would really have to fall flat to not take the AL Central title. Consider this, from the TribeVibe blog:

"If Cleveland goes…0-11: Detroit would need to go 8-4 to force a tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. 3.1-10: Detroit would need to go 9-3 to force a tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. 3.2-9: Detroit would need to go 10-2 to force a tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. 3.3-8: Detroit would need to go 11-1 to force a tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. 3.4-7: Detroit would need to go 12-0 to force a tiebreaker on Monday, Oct. 3.If the Indians win five games, they win the AL Central."

The Tigers essentially have to be flawless in their final 11 games to reserve even the smallest odds of winning the division, and even if they do so, need a whole lot of help from the Indians. The Tribe is the only team in Major League Baseball this season to not have a losing streak longer than three games, meaning something unprecedented for the club would have to happen for them to lose their grip on the AL Central.

Detroit has a doubleheader with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday at Target Field before returning home for three with Kansas City and three with Cleveland. The Tigers close the season on the road against the Atlanta Braves, who own the worst record in the National League.

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The Indians are so close to a division championship, everyone from the front office to the coaching staff to the players to the fans can taste it. Playoff positioning and matchups are still in flux as well, and the Tribe has a chance to chase down the Texas Rangers for best record in the AL. These final 11 games are among the most meaningful Cleveland has played in a decade, and could (should) end with champagne being sprayed and hardware being hoisted.