Five teams that have inflected most pain on the Cleveland Indians since 2016

Record against since 2016: Regular Season (14-12), Postseason (0-3)

Painful Moments

• 2018 ALDS: After a painful ALDS defeat in 2017, the Indians sought redemption against the defending champion Houston Astros in the 2018 postseason. Instead, the series was a nightmare; the Tribe were swept aside in three games by Houston and were outscored 21-6 and out-hit 34-13 in the series despite sending Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer to the mound.
• Michael Brantley: Few Indians were more loved by the fan base than Michael Brantley. Brantley was named an All-Star three times while a member of the Indians and finished third in MVP voting after a monster 2014 season. When he hit the open market after the 2018 season, Cleveland decided to let him go and the team to scoop him up was none other than the Houston Astros. Brantley inked a two-year $32 million deal with Houston just months after the Astros embarrassed Cleveland in the postseason. Watching him in an Astros uniform both play and a World Series and play in the All-Star Game at Progressive Field surely was sore on Indian fans’ eyes.
• The Tony Kemp Game: Looking to avenge their 2018 postseason loss to Houston, the Indians traveled to the Lone Star State for a late April series with the Astros in 2019. On April 27, the Indians suffered one of their most painful losses of the 2019 season. Trailing 3-1, Cleveland rallied back to even the score in the top of the seventh as Francisco Lindor hit a sac-fly and Mike Freeman ripped a game-tying single. The game remained tied entering the bottom of the 10th, where Adam Cimber faced non-power hitter Tony Kemp to leadoff the inning. Kemp, known for his speed, instead showed off a rare home run stroke as he slugged a stunning walk-off home run to hand the Indians a painful 4-3 defeat.