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

Which five teams have inflected the most pain on the Cleveland Indians the last five years? We take a look back.

The year 2020 has been full of pain, including for Cleveland Indians, after watching the club’s franchise World Series title drought to an MLB long 72 years.

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the deaths have countless celebrities, wildfires, hurricanes and for Indians fans a gut-wrenching playoff lost.

With the theme of pain in mind, it seems appropriate to look back at which five teams across the majors have inflected the most pain on the Cleveland Indians.

Criteria to make this list include regular season success at the Indians’ suspense, knocking the Tribe out of the postseason and other ways of causing Cleveland fans to shake their heads.

Without further ado, here are the five teams across the MLB to inflect the most pain on the Indians from 2016-20.

Record against since 2016: 12-13

Painful Moments

• 2019 season series: In 2019, the Cleveland Indians missed out on the second AL Wild Card spot by three games. Thus one could argue season series with the Tampa Bay Rays, who landed that second Wild Card spot is what cost them a playoff berth. Tampa took five of six from the Indians in 2019, with the Tribe’s lone win coming during their three-game set at Progressive Field. If the Indians went 4-2 instead of 1-5 against the Rays, they would’ve forced a Game 163 with Tampa and may have extended their connective postseason berth streak to four.
• 2018 season series: Despite winning the AL Central by 13 games over the Minnesota Twins (78-84), the 2018 Indians, who finished 91-71 on the year, had their ups and downs. One team, in particular, that gave them fits were the Rays. Tampa took four out of six from the Indians in their season series and won each series as they took two out of three both at Progressive Field and at the Trop.
• The Ji-Man Choi game: Looking to finish off the 2018 season strong, the Indians traveled to the Sunshine State for a three-game series with the Rays. The Tribe appeared on their way to a Game 1 victory as they took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth with closer Brad Hand on the mound. Hand retired the first two batters of the inning and appeared set to coast his way to an easy save, but the Rays never quit. Tommy Pham hit a single to extend the inning and two pitches later, Ji-Man Choi stunned Hand and the Indians with a two-run walk-off home run to give Tampa a stunning come from behind win at Cleveland’s expense.

Record against since 2016: 45-41

Painful Moments

• 2020 season series: When thinking about the pain the Minnesota Twins have inflicted upon the Indians, don’t look far. The Twins dominated Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season as they went 7-3 against their division foes in what was the difference between first and second place in the division. Of those losses for Cleveland, three came in the same series as the Twins swept a three-game set from the Tribe in Minnesota from September 11-13. The Indians ended up finishing two games behind the Twins for first, meaning that series ended their hopes at a division title.
• Ending the AL Central title Streak: From 2016-18, the Cleveland Indians owned the American League Central. They won the division by eight games in 2016, 17 games in 2017 and 13 games in 2018. In 2019 however, that streak came to an end. Despite winning 93 games, which was two more than their 2018 total (91) that clinched them the Central, the Minnesota Twins overtook them atop the division by posting a 101 win season. Not only did the Twins end the Indians three-year division title streak, but they helped keep Cleveland out of the postseason as Cleveland finished three games behind the Rays for the final Wild Card spot.
• Back-to-back walk-offs: Early on during the 2016 season, the Indians sought to build early season momentum and a large lead over a struggling Twins team when they traveled to Target Field in late April. There the Twins, who entered play 5-14 on the year, handed Cleveland back-to-back painful losses as Oswaldo Arcia smacked a walk-off home run in the series opener and the following day, Miguel Sano ripped a walk-off single off Cody Allen to hand the Indians walk-off losses in back-to-back games.

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.

Record against since 2016: Regular Season (3-5), Postseason (3-4)

Painful Moments

• 2016 World Series: After an improbable playoff run that saw the Cleveland Indians sweep the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS and take down the Toronto Blue Jays in a five-game ALCS, the Indians broke a 62-year American League title drought and sought to end their then 68-year World Series title drought. The team standing in their way was the Chicago Cubs, who sought to end their historic 108-year title drought. Through five games, it appeared it would be the Indians’ title drought coming to an end. Cleveland won game one and after a game, two defeat bounced back to take Games 3 and 4 in Chicago to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Then the wheels began to fall off. Chicago edged out a 3-2 win in Game 5 after scoring three runs off Trevor Bauer in the bottom of the fourth inning. They then dominated the Indians in Game 6 to set up a decisive Game 7 at Progressive Field. The game was a back and forth affair that made it’s way to extra innings after Cleveland outfielder Rajai Davis hit a dramatic two-run home run off Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman to tie the game at six. After a 17-minute rain delay, extra innings kicked off and the Cubs wasted no time jumping in-front as they plated two runs off Bryan Shaw in the top of the tenth. Cleveland would get a run back in the bottom half of the inning, but it would be too little too late as they dropped a dramatic World Series to the Cubs, breaking the Indians’ heart.
• 2020 season series: Four of the Indians 60 regular season games featured a 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs and like that World Series, it did not go well for the Tribe. Chicago swept the four-game set from Cleveland that was split between an August two-game series at Progressive Field and a September two-game set at Wrigley Field. In Chicago, the Cubs walked-off the Indians on back-to-back nights while the Tribe were in the midst of a season-long eight-game losing streak.
• David Ross, the Indians killer: In both the 2016 World Series and 2020 regular season sweep, David Ross played a major role on inflicting pain upon the Cleveland Indians. In Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Ross delivered a clutch solo-run home run in the top of the sixth inning off ALCS MVP Andrew Miller to 6-3 in a game Cleveland ended up losing by one run. Four years later, Ross again burned the Indians. In his first-year as Cubs manager Ross guided his Cubs to a four-game sweep of the Indians, which would be crucial to Chicago clinching the NL Central title as they ended up winning the division by three games over the Cardinals and Brewers.