Comparing the Indians' win streak to that of the 'Moneyball' A's
After his team recovered from blowing an 11-0 deficit to win its 20th straight game in 2002, former Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane told Ross Newhan of the Los Angeles Times:
"The great thing about being young and talented is that there's no ceiling to what you can accomplish."
Fifteen years later, the same can be said for the 2017 Cleveland Indians.
The Tribe extended their win streak to 17 games Saturday, joining Beane's famous "Moneyball" team as the only clubs to win 17 or more consecutive games since the expansion era in 1961.
To make matters more exciting in Ohio, it's the second straight season the Indians have achieved a franchise record-setting win streak, as they won 14 straight in 2016.
Whether they'll match the Athletics' streak remains to be seen, but digging a little deeper gives us a look at how this year's version of the Indians compares.
After their 17th straight win, here's how Cleveland measures up:
2002 Athletics' 20-game win streak
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Runs scored: 141
Runs allowed: 65
Run differential: plus-76
Home wins: 10
Road wins: 10
Starters' combined ERA: 2.36
Starters' BB/K ratio: 31/93
Opposing hitters' stats (through 180 innings): .217/.276/.345
ERA (starters and relievers combined): 2.76
Batting stats: .299/.367/.519 - 30 HRs, 139 RBIs, 69 BBs, 98 Ks
2017 Indians' 17-game win streak
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Runs scored: 118
Runs allowed: 30
Run differential: plus-90
Home wins: 6
Road wins: 11
Starters' combined ERA: 1.80
Starters' BB/K ratio: 22/105
Opposing hitters' stats (through 144 innings): .201/.257/.299
ERA (starters and relievers combined): 1.75
Batting stats: .318/.399/.583 - 35 HRs, 114 RBIs, 75 BBs, 118 Ks
(Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs, Baseball Reference)