Indians battled to final inning in memorable 2016

CLEVELAND — The Indians wanted to give the city of Cleveland a second parade in a single year. Against all odds, with an injury-riddled roster, they nearly got it done, too.

After all the Tribe overcame to claim its first pennant in nearly two decades, the sight of the Cubs partying on the Progressive Field infield was not the storybook ending the local fans had in mind. That said, there is real optimism that this Indians team has the ingredients to contend for a World Series crown next year.

2016 Year in Review Final 2016 MLB stats Final 2016 MLB standings Hot Stove Tracker Select a team ¬–AL East ¬BaltimoreBostonNew YorkTampa BayToronto–AL Central ¬ChicagoClevelandDetroitKansas CityMinnesota–AL West ¬HoustonLos AngelesOaklandSeattleTexas–NL East ¬AtlantaMiamiNew YorkPhiladelphiaWashington–NL Central ¬ChicagoCincinnatiMilwaukeePittsburghSt. Louis–NL West ¬ArizonaColoradoLos AngelesSan DiegoSan FranciscoFull coverage ¬–PostseasonAll-Star GameDraftStatcastOpening DayHall of Fame inductionsJackie Robinson DayRoberto Clemente DayFort Bragg GameTrade DeadlineWinter MeetingsAwardsFeats, tributes ¬–Ichiro reaches 3,000 hitsArrieta’s second career no-hitterScherzer strikes out 20Scully retires after legendary careerBig Papi calls it a careerJose Fernandez: 1992-2016Monte Irvin: 1919-2016Ralph Branca: 1926-2016

“All of those experience that a lot of those players got will benefit us moving forward,” Indians team president Chris Antonetti said. “There won’t be any firsts for us moving forward. That group has now experienced as much as you can experience in baseball, including an epic Game 7 of the World Series.”

Terry Francona won the American League’s Manager of the Year Award for his masterful work with the 94-win AL Central champions. In his first full season, shortstop Francisco Lindor was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove Award. Ace Corey Kluber and outfielder Tyler Naquin finished third in voting for the AL Cy Young Award and AL Rookie of the Year Award, respectively. And to cap off a memorable 2016, the Tribe agreed to a three-year deal with slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who averaged 39 homers and 110 RBIs per year over the last five seasons.

2016 Year in Review Final 2016 MLB stats Final 2016 MLB standings Hot Stove Tracker Select a team ¬–AL East ¬BaltimoreBostonNew YorkTampa BayToronto–AL Central ¬ChicagoClevelandDetroitKansas CityMinnesota–AL West ¬HoustonLos AngelesOaklandSeattleTexas–NL East ¬AtlantaMiamiNew YorkPhiladelphiaWashington–NL Central ¬ChicagoCincinnatiMilwaukeePittsburghSt. Louis–NL West ¬ArizonaColoradoLos AngelesSan DiegoSan FranciscoFull coverage ¬–PostseasonAll-Star GameDraftStatcastOpening DayHall of Fame inductionsJackie Robinson DayRoberto Clemente DayFort Bragg GameTrade DeadlineWinter MeetingsAwardsFeats, tributes ¬–Ichiro reaches 3,000 hitsArrieta’s second career no-hitterScherzer strikes out 20Scully retires after legendary careerBig Papi calls it a careerJose Fernandez: 1992-2016Monte Irvin: 1919-2016Ralph Branca: 1926-2016

This was a year that will be remembered for ages among Tribe fans. There were 11 walk-off wins in the regular season, with nine different heroes. A franchise-record 14-game winning streak, capped by a 19-inning victory over Toronto on July 1.

The signature moment of the regular season may have been Aug. 19, when Naquin pulled off a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to beat the Blue Jays, the Indians’ first such feat in over 100 years.

Here are five moments that stood out during Cleveland’s memorable ’16 campaign:

1. It’s Miller Time

On July 31, Cleveland sent four prospects …

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