Francona savors AL Central title, but thirsts for more

DETROIT — Terry Francona knows all about the struggles of the Cleveland Indians’ franchise. He was born into it, making his debut in the real world on April 22, 1959 — just five days after his father, Tito, made his Indians debut.

And Terry added to the anxiety of Tribe fans when he managed the Boston Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2004, ending that franchise’s 86-year drought, which had been the longest among American League franchises.

The Indians inherited that distinction. Their 67-year championship void is now the longest among AL teams, second only in the Major Leagues to the Cubs, who last celebrated a World Series championship in 1908.

Now Francona gets his chance to remove that burden from the Tribe. With a 7-4 victory against the Tigers at Comerica Park on Monday night, the Indians clinched the AL Central title, earning them a trip to the postseason for the 10th time since their most recent World Series championship in 1948, their ninth playoff appearance in the past 22 seasons.

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“It is not my fault my dad didn’t win,” said Francona.

But Francona could be part of the solution to ending that drought. Cleveland’s skipper got the Tribe into the postseason in 2013 — his first season at the helm — but that was as a Wild Card. The Indians went home after one game that year, losing the AL Wild Card Game at home to the Rays, 4-0.

This time, the Indians will get more than one shot to advance. They are headed to a best-of-five AL Division Series, hoping to make amends for past playoff disappointments.

“Just to have a chance to keep playing, we are looking forward to that,” said Francona. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us, but at least we have a chance.”

So do the fans in Cleveland.

“2016 has been a special year for the city, changing the way the city looks at itself,” said Indians …

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