Tribe sets MLB single-season strikeout record Staff has fanned 1,431 batters in 2014, setting a new mark

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1 Tribe sets MLB single-season strikeout record Staff has fanned 1,431 batters in 2014, setting a new mark By Jordan Bastian / September 26, COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber unleashed his signature sinker in the eighth inning on Friday night and pushed the Indians to a Major League record. When Tampa Bay's David DeJesus swung through the 95-mph two-seamer from Cleveland's Cy Young Award candidate, the Tribe established a benchmark for team strikeouts in a single season. The Indians ended Friday's 1-0 victory with a dozen punchouts, giving their pitching staff 1,431 on the year. "It says we've got good pitchers on our staff," Kluber said. "I guess that record probably speaks volumes for what kind of stuff we have as a staff. There are times throughout the year when we probably didn't pitch up to our capabilities, but I think that's a reflection of what we're capable of when we do." The previous standard for team strikeouts in a season was established by the 2013 Tigers, who fanned 1,428 batters en route to the American League Central crown. Detroit surpassed the 2003 Cubs' mark of 1,404 strikeouts, which is still a National League record. It is worth noting that this year's Rays have 1,419 strikeouts. Kluber's strikeout of DeJesus in the eighth inning gave Cleveland the MLB record, but the right-hander then extended the mark with a strikeout of Evan Longoria to end the inning. In the ninth, Indians closer Cody Allen added a strikeout of his own. "It's nice. It's fun," Allen said of the record. "It's pretty cool, but it doesn't always translate into a ton of wins. We'd be willing to trade that record for about five or six more wins. But, it's pretty cool to be a part of." Kluber, who ended with 11 strikeouts to give him an MLB-leading 269 this season, has led the charge. His 269 is the sixth-most in a single season in the franchise's long, storied history. Behind Kluber on the staff are Trevor Bauer (143), Carlos Carrasco (130) and Danny Salazar (120). Allen's 91 strikeouts are the most in a season by an Indians reliever since 1999, when Paul Shuey had 103 in 72 games. "I think it talks to stuff," manager Terry Francona said of setting the MLB mark. "Those types of things happen when you are pitching correctly -- working ahead -- and add it in with stuff, it is going to equate to more strikeouts." Kluber makes closing statement for Cy with 11-K gem Ramirez's homer holds up for win, but postseason hopes end By Jordan Bastian / 12:05 AM ET COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber did his part in trying to save the Indians' season, and the pitcher made quite a statement in the process. On Friday night, Kluber put the finishing touches on a brilliant campaign in a 1-0 victory over the Rays at Progressive Field, giving voters one more pristine pitching line to consider while filling out their ballot for the American League Cy Young Award. Out of Kluber's control was Cleveland's fate in the AL postseason picture. "It'd be a great accomplishment," Kluber said of potentially capturing the award for his work this year. "But, the most important thing right now is that the team won. Hopefully, we're still in it." While Kluber spoke after the game, Oakland's game against the Rangers on Friday was still in progress. The only way Cleveland would still have life in the AL Wild Card race was if the A's lost in Texas. After Kluber's gem kept the dream alive, Oakland picked up a win and officially eliminated the Tribe from postseason contention. As the Indians now begin planning for 2015, the club can consider itself fortunate to have discovered a frontline starter such as Kluber. In his latest performance, the right-hander spun eight scoreless innings, piled up 11 strikeouts and moved into a tie for the AL lead with his 18th victory. Kluber's 269 strikeouts now lead the Majors. It was a superb finish to one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in a Cleveland uniform. "He looked like he was on a mission," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Saying that, he's looked like that since the second game of the year. That was Kluber at his best, but he's done it so many times and done it so consistently." By striking out 11 Tampa Bay hitters, Kluber moved into sole possession of sixth place on the Indians' single-season strikeout list. Only Sam McDowell and Bob Feller have recorded more strikeouts than Kluber in one year as a member of the Tribe. Feller boasts the Cleveland record with 348 strikeouts in Kluber's 10th strikeout -- a swinging takedown of David DeJesus in the eighth inning -- marked the 1,429th punchout of the season for the Indians' pitching staff. That established a single-season Major League team record, surpassing the 1,428 strikeouts turned in by the Tigers in By the end of the game, Cleveland had upped that mark to 1,431 strikeouts. "It's pretty cool," closer Cody Allen said of the record. "But it doesn't always translate into a ton of wins. We'd be willing to trade that record for about five or six more wins. But, it's pretty cool to be a part of." Kluber's lone run of support came in the first inning, when Jose Ramirez launched a 1-2 pitch from Chris Archer to deep right field. The ball just cleared the wall for the rookie shortstop's second homer of the season, helping the Tribe collect their only 1-0 win of the season. With Kluber at 106 pitches and in line for the win, Francona handed the ball to Allen to finish the job. The hard-throwing right-hander held the Rays off the board in the ninth inning, picking up his 24th save to seal the victory. Asked what aspect of this season brings him the most pride, Kluber did not hesitate. "I'd say just the consistency," he said. "Taking the ball every time and going out there and, for the most part, giving the team a chance to win." Archer was also strong for Tampa Bay, logging 7 2/3 innings en route to a hard-luck loss. Then again, a lot of pitchers have been out-dueled this season by Kluber, who has now notched 11 double-digit strikeout games this season. Only McDowell (17 in 1965 and 13 in '68) and Feller (12 in '46) have had more 10-plus strikeout showings in one campaign. With his signature two-seam sinker, and devastating slider, Kluber turned in innings that were fitting summations of his dominant season.

2 In the first inning, Kluber showed off the power approach, using 18 pitches to strike out Ben Zobrist, DeJesus and Evan Longoria in order. In the sixth inning, when the Rays adopted a more aggressive approach, the righty willingly accepted the early contact, creating three outs in a fourbatter span on a mere six pitches. "You don't know what's coming at you," Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "He always has you guessing and you can't give up on certain pitches, and he did a good job tonight of really mowing us down with all four pitches that he has." It was the kind of outing Cleveland has come to expect from Kluber, whose breakout showing this season played a large role in keeping the team in contention to this point. The only question now is whether Kluber's effort will net him some season-end hardware. "That would be awesome," Allen said. "All of us in here, we think he deserves it. We think he should win the Cy Young, but it isn't up to us. I think he's put in a pretty good body of work. He's pretty deserving of it." Cleveland's improbable postseason run ends with A's win By Jordan Bastian / 12:25 AM ET + 5 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians enjoyed only a brief taste of the postseason a year ago, playing in front of a packed Progressive Field in the American League Wild Card Game. It was an electric evening for the city, but one that served as an October tease when the Tribe lost to the Rays. On Friday night, the Indians picked up a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay behind a strong performance from Corey Kluber, but this was hardly a case of payback. This was a win built on desperation, and it still led to another night of deflation as Cleveland saw its improbable road to the postseason officially end. Oakland's win over the Rangers kept the Indians three games back of the second Wild Card spot with only two games to go. That knocked Cleveland out of the mix. "Yes, after the last year, we would've liked to be right back in the playoffs," second baseman Jason Kipnis said last week. "But, you can tell there is a reason guys bought in here." Kipnis referred to the fact that he, along with players such as Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana, signed a long-term extension with the idea of bringing a winning culture back to Cleveland. To that end, the Indians will finish this season above the break-even mark, giving the organization consecutive winning seasons for the first time since There were a pile of unpredicted injuries and issues this season, but Cleveland found a way -- amidst a mid-season youth movement -- to remain in the running for a Wild Card spot until Game 160. Key players such as Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Kipnis dealt with injuries at various points, while Opening Day starter Justin Masterson and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera were traded away in July. Still, the Indians stayed in the hunt until the season's final series. "That says a lot for the character of the team," said Kluber, who went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts this season. "We've had a lot of change in certain areas throughout the year. At times, we didn't play up to our capabilities, but the fact that [we were] still grinding and [were] still in it, I think that says a lot about the character." If Cleveland wins one of its final two games, it will mark the first time since 1997 that the club has pieced together five straight months with at least a.500 record. Where the Indians went awry this season was April, posting an record to get off on the wrong foot. They posted winning records in May and July and went 18-9 in August to pull close to the Wild Card race by the start of September. That made things interesting, but the Tribe could not make up the ground lost early in the year. "I hear people say that all the time, that, 'Well, you have to play well in September,'" Bourn said. "Yeah, you do, but the whole season counts. You don't want to put your back against the wall, especially with the kind of team we have. We have a young team, so you don't want to put your back against the wall late." There are still reasons to believe Cleveland can bounce back in '15. First and foremost, its rotation -- led by Kluber and Carlos Carrasco -- developed into one of the best staffs in baseball in the second half. The Indians will also have key members of the offense looking to turn in strong comeback campaigns. "We have a great group of guys in this locker room," Brantley said. "We have great core guys and guys that are coming in here, having fun, playing the game hard and playing the game the right way. We did a lot of great things this year.... It's been an exciting year. A lot of challenges, but we're going to grow stronger from it." Jordan Bastian is a r Kluber or King Felix? AL Cy Young voters have tough call By Jordan Bastian / September 25, COMMENTS One is a household name and already has hardware in his trophy case. The other seemingly came out of nowhere this season as an emerging ace. With one regular-season start left for each pitcher, Felix Hernandez and Corey Kluber appear to be in a dead heat for the American League Cy Young Award. When 2014 opened, Hernandez was already considered an AL Cy Young Award candidate, considering his track record and Seattle's offseason overhaul. Kluber had never logged a full season in the big leagues before this year, and he did not become the rotation's leader until the middle of the summer. Yet, here they are, neck and neck in an incredibly close race for the AL's top pitching honor. This is not to say that there are no other candidates worthy of consideration. Jon Lester has pieced together an outstanding season, but his campaign is likely hindered by the fact that it has been split between Boston and Oakland. White Sox lefty Chris Sale has also excelled, but he missed a month's worth of starts due to an arm injury early in the year and does not boast the same innings total as the others. Max Scherzer, Phil Hughes and David Price all merit a look, but the balloting should be a twohorse race in the end. Overall showing

3 The season is not over, but the body of work is only one start from completion for Hernandez and Kluber. The Seattle right-hander is scheduled to take the mound against the Angels on Sunday, while Cleveland's workhorse is in line to start against Tampa Bay on Friday. When Hernandez allowed eight runs in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday, he heightened Kluber's chances of an award-season upset. Picking between Hernandez and Kluber could come down to the voter's statistical preference. Kluber boasts more wins (17-9) than Hernandez (14-6), but the Indians starter also has more losses. Looking at the ERA column, Hernandez (2.34) has the slight edge over Kluber (2.53). They have worked nearly the same amount of innings (230 2/3 for Hernandez and 227 2/3 innings for Kluber) in 33 starts apiece. Shifting to more advanced metrics, Kluber currently ranks first in the AL in Fangraphs.com's version of WAR (7.0), while Hernandez (6.0) comes in at fourth, behind Hughes and Lester. When it comes to FIP (Fielding Indendent Pitching), which is based on home runs, walks and hit batsmen (things under a pitcher's control), Kluber has a 2.38 mark compared to 2.60 for Hernandez. That is a slim margin, but it is nearly the same gap as the difference in ERA for the pitchers. Kluber has piled up 258 strikeouts against 49 walks, while Hernandez has tallied 241 strikeouts against 46 walks. Their strikeout-to-walk ratios (5.24 for Hernandez and 5.27 for Kluber) are nearly identical. Hernandez (0.94) does have the edge in WHIP on Kluber (1.10). Opposing batters have hit.233 (.629 OPS) against Kluber, but just.201 (.556) off Hernandez. When it matters Given how close Hernandez and Kluber are in terms of overall stats, an AL Cy Young Award voter will want to strip back a few layers to perhaps find a separator. Both the Mariners and Indians were involved in postseason chases until the final week of the regular season, so the pitchers' respective performances down the stretch might sway some ballots. In the second half, Kluber was clearly the better of the two pitchers. In 13 second-half outings to date, Kluber has gone 8-3 with a 1.88 ERA, 1.84 FIP and 0.97 WHIP. The right-hander has piled up 116 strikeouts against only 17 walks in 96 innings in that span, earning a 3.7 WAR rating, according to Fangraphs. He is 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA so far in September. Simply put, when the Tribe needed him most, Kluber elevated his game to another level. For the Mariners, Hernandez has gone 3-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 13 second-half starts, though it is fair to note that Tuesday's disaster in Toronto skewed the stats. Still, the right-hander has turned in a 3.57 FIP, 1.00 WHIP and posted a 1.1 WAR since the All-Star break. That is still a solid showing, but it falls well short of what Kluber did in the same time period. That said, Hernandez (2.50 ERA, 5.0 WAR) was better than Kluber (3.01 ERA, 3.3 WAR) in the first half. Hernandez has also performed better against top-tier competition. Facing teams with a winning record this season (18 of 33 starts), Seattle's ace has gone 9-4 with a 2.50 ERA. He has gone 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA in nine starts against the AL's top five offenses (in terms of OPS). Kluber has gone 7-7 with a 2.67 ERA in 17 starts against teams with a winning record and 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 games against the AL's top five lineups. Uncontrollable elements The primary argument over putting too much stock in a pitcher's win total is that there are so many factors that are out of his control. The man on the mound can only throw the pitch. He has no say in what his team's defense or offense does that night. That is one reason why Hernandez took home the AL Cy Young Award in 2010 with a record. One thing that should be strongly considered for Kluber's AL Cy Young Award case this year is the defense he had behind him. Cleveland currently has the most errors in the AL, and the club's overall UZR (minus 70.9) is the worst in the league, according to Fangraphs. The Mariners, meanwhile, ranks sixth in the league in UZR (8.9) and Defensive Runs Saved. There is also the fact that Hernandez pitches roughly half his games in Seattle's Safeco Park, which has been the most pitcher-friendly park in the AL this season. Progressive Field in Cleveland has also favored pitchers in 2014, but not to the same degree. Hernandez has gone 9-3 with a 2.12 ERA in 16 home starts, while Kluber has gone 8-6 with a 2.49 in 17 home outings. In terms of run support, both pitchers have been hindered this season. In Kluber's 16 starts that resulted in a loss or no-decision, the Tribe's lineup has produced 2.6 runs of support on average. The righty has a 2.31 ERA in his seven no-decisions this year. Similarly, Hernandez has received 2.7 runs of support in the 19 outings that resulted in a loss or nodecision. He has posted a 1.88 ERA in 13 no-decisions. Who wins? The AL Cy Young Award race remains too close to call. If voters appreciate higher performance with postseason implications, Kluber might be their guy. If the voter likes ERA or history (Hernandez set a Major League record this year with 16 straight starts with at least seven innings and no more than two earned runs allowed), then maybe King Felix will be their pick. If they are unable to decide between the two, maybe the voters will toss more votes Lester's way. Every year, another element that is often discussed is what the player in question meant to his team. If neither the Indians or Mariners make the playoffs, some voters might think that issue is rendered moot. One quick way to show what Hernandez and Kluber meant for their respective teams, though, is to examine how the rest of the rotation did without them. After removing Kluber's starts, the Indians' rotation went a combined with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP this season. If the same is done with Hernandez and Seattle's starting staff, the result is a record, a 3.92 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP for the Mariners' rotation. Both pitchers are critical to their clubs, but Kluber was arguably more important for Cleveland's ability to hang in the Wild Card race. The only thing that is clear right now is that the AL Cy Young Award race took an unexpected turn this year. Carrasco looks to finish strong, take series from Rays Rays call on prospect Colome for final start of season By Stephen Pianovich / MLB.com 9/27/ :38 AM ET The Indians' 2013 season ended against the Rays, who are also their final opponent of the '14 campaign. On Friday, the Tribe was officially ousted from the postseason race with Oakland's win against the Rangers.

4 The Indians -- who lost the American League Wild Card game to Tampa Bay last year -- can still end their season in a winning fashion, as one more win against the Rays this weekend would give them a series victory in their final matchup of the season. Carlos Carrasco will be pitching for the Indians in what will be his last outing of the year. The righty is looking to continue a string of dominant outings, and he has a 1.32 ERA in his last nine appearances. Carrasco, who has 68 strikeouts in his last 61 1/3 innings, was saddled with a loss in his last appearance, but managed to hold the Royals to two runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings. Facing Carrasco will be Alex Colome, who will be pitching in just the eighth game of his Major League career. It will be just the third start of the season for the 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic, who last pitched out of the bullpen on Sept. 21. In his two starts, Colome has allowed just one run in 12 1/3 innings against the Yankees and Orioles, who hit just.186 against him in those outings. "I feel more comfortable starting, because I've never been a reliever in my life," Colome said. "I was a reliever one time in the Dominican. I sign in 2007 and now, 2014, and I only be a starter all my life." Rays: Team struggling to hold leads The Rays are 9-10 in their previous 19 games. In eight of those contests, the team couldn't hold a lead. Tampa Bay blew a four-run lead three times, a three-run lead twice, a pair of two-run leads and also a 1-0 advantage during the stretch. The Rays were shut out for the 18th time this season in Friday's 1-0 loss. They are now in one-run games this season. Indians: Former teammate reflects on Jeter Derek Jeter stole the baseball spotlight again Thursday for possibly the last time in his lengthy career. Many people have talked about Jeter since his debut with the Yankees in Far fewer have shared a clubhouse with The Captain. Nick Swisher was one of those players, and he was not surprised by Jeter's walk-off single Thursday against Baltimore in his Yankee Stadium finale. "I don't know any other way he could've ended his career other than that," said Swisher, who was teammates with Jeter in New York from "You can't script that, man. I think the biggest thing people need to understand is things like that don't happen. "They only happen to certain people, and he's one of those people. He's a god. He's an absolute god." Worth noting Friday night was Autism Awareness Night at Progressive Field, and Rays utility man Sean Rodriguez took part with Indians personnel in a pregame presentation to recognize Elizabeth Sweeney for her anti-bullying efforts, which have raised funds for Austism Speaks. Rodriguez and his wife, Giselle, are actively involved with Autism Speaks. One of their sons has a mild form of autism. Thursday night's 11-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park gave the Rays their most lopsided loss of the season. Swish, Giambi not surprised by former 'mate Jeter's walk-off By Jordan Bastian / 7:32 PM ET + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Indians designated hitter Nick Swisher watched Derek Jeter's final home game with the Yankees from start to finish on Thursday night. When Jeter delivered a walk-off hit in his final at-bat in pinstripes, Swisher felt it was the perfect conclusion to an amazing career. "I don't know any other way he could've ended his career other than that," said Swisher, who was teammates with Jeter in New York from "You can't script that, man. I think the biggest thing people need to understand is things like that don't happen. "They only happen to certain people, and he's one of those people. He's a god. He's an absolute god." Indians veteran Jason Giambi, who played with Jeter with the Yankees from , echoed that sentiment. "It wasn't surprising," Giambi said. "His whole career has been storybook. I've told people I'm more surprised that they didn't make the playoffs and win the World Series, with him hitting a walk-off in Game 7 to win it. That's him. That's his career. That's who he is. It's incredible to watch. He's a special person." Indians manager Terry Francona saw plenty of Jeter during his days as manager of the Red Sox ( ), but his favorite personal memory of the shortstop comes before all the heroics in the Major Leagues. Francona also managed against Jeter in 1994 in the Arizona Fall League -- two years before the shortstop played his first full season with the Yankees. Jeter made a jaw-dropping defensive play that stunned Francona. "He went to his right, slid on a ball," Francona said. "[It was] not that jumping one he's kind of known for. He slid and threw from his butt.... I remember sitting there thinking '[Dang], this kid, that was one [heck] of play.' I just saw it two years ahead of everybody else. I'll never forget that, because that was so athletic. It just kind of stopped you for a minute."

5 Francona agreed that Jeter's walk-off was a near-perfect ending to an incredible career. "That probably sums up Jeter," Francona said. "He's always ready for the moment, and if it seems like maybe there's more moments with him, maybe it's because he makes them." Quote to note "There are days when we tell guys they're not available. The guys that pitch that much, there's a reason. They're competitive, they take the ball. But, sometimes you have to take it out of their hands and you've got to be sensible." --Francona on handling his heavily-used bullpen Smoke signals Francona, along with Indians players Corey Kluber, T.J. House and Zach Walters, served as celebrity bartenders on Thursday night in a downtown event aimed at raising money for the VeloSano charity for cancer research. "I had my hands full there," Francona said with a laugh. "Believe me, I had my hands full. I was a little out of my element. I think I actually hurt more than I helped." Entering Friday's game, All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley was riding a 15-game hitting streak, during which he had a.467 (28-for-60) average. Through 24 games in September, Brantley was hitting.436 (41-for-94) with a OPS. Carlos Santana headed into Friday's game with a Major League-leading 112 walks. Cleveland has not had a player lead the Majors in walks since 1919 (Jack Graney). Santana's 112 walks are the most by a Major League switch-hitter since 2004 (Lance Berkman). The Indians (1,419 strikeouts) headed into the weekend just 10 strikeouts shy of setting a single-season record for punchouts by a pitching staff. The big league record of 1,428 was set last season by the Tigers' pitching staff. Indians 1, Rays 0. August Fagerstrom's final thoughts on Corey Kluber's season By August Fagerstrom Published: September 26, 2014 August Fagerstrom s final thoughts following the Indians 1-0 victory over the Rays on Friday night: NOTE: This will be a special Corey Kluber-only edition of final thoughts! Enjoy. 1.) Well, that s it. Corey Kluber has done all he can to make a case for the American League Cy Young Award this season. All that s left now is for Seattle s Felix Hernandez to make his final start of the season Sunday night against the Angels and for the voters to decide who will take home the hardware. Two weeks ago, if I had the honor of casting a vote, I would have given it to King Felix. Before tonight, I was leaning towards Kluber. After tonight, not only is it hard to see an argument against Kluber, but frankly I can t fathom what Felix could do on Sunday to make up the ground. 2.) I already made an argument for Kluber on these electronic pages last week, but let s revisit the numbers. Though I don t like to look at a pitcher s wins total to evaluate performance, Kluber is tied for the American League lead in wins with 18, so that s out of the way. Felix currently leads Kluber in ERA by 10 points (2.34 to 2.44). However, ERA doesn t always tell the whole story. Consider Felix s pitcherfriendly park and the historically bad defense behind Kluber, and that gap shrinks. A more telling stat to point to Kluber s edge of Felix is Fielding Independent Pitching, where Kluber now leads Felix by 26 points (2.34 to 2.60). In addition, Kluber far outperformed Felix down the stretch, while both pitcher s teams were in the hunt for a playoff spot. 3.) Kluber will finish the season with 269 strikeouts, a figure that currently leads the MLB. In Indians history, that ranks sixth all-time for a single season performance. He trails only Bob Feller s 1946 season and four seasons by Sam McDowell between Difference is, pitchers used to throw a lot more innings back in the day than they do now. A better way to evaluate how dominant Kluber s strikeout numbers have been is to look at his rate of strikeouts. McDowell holds the Indians all-time single season strikeout rate, when he whiffed 29.1% of the batters he faced in Kluber this year? Second all-time, at 28.3%. When Feller set the Indians single-season strikeout record in 1946, he had a K% of 23.0% and struck out 348 batters. If you extrapolate Kluber s strikeout rate to Feller s innings total, you get 424 strikeouts for Kluber. 4.) Perhaps an undersold part of not only Kluber s success this season, but the success of the entire Indians pitching staff is catcher Yan Gomes. After the game, both Kluber and Francona raved about Gomes. The numbers rave about him too. When evaluating a catcher s defense and the effect it might have on a pitching staff, you look at controlling the running game, blocking pitches in the dirt and pitch-framing. Gomes hasn t been the best at controlling the running game that goes to Chicago s Welington Castillo - but Gomes is in the top five. Gomes hasn t been the best at blocking pitches that goes to Milwaukee s Jonathan Lucroy but Gomes is in the top five. And he hasn t been the American League s best pitch-framer that goes to Seattle s Mike Zunino but, again, Gomes is in the top five. It s incredibly rare that you see a catcher who is this good at all three components of catching. Add to the fact that Gomes is also top-five among MLB catchers in hitting, and it s easy to see why Kluber called him the best catcher in baseball after the game. 5.) Let s run through a few advanced numbers that highlight how good Kluber has been this year. After tonight s game, Kluber overtook Clayton Kershaw for the MLB lead in Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs.com. Kluber is estimated to be worth 7.4 wins over a replacement-level player to the Indians this season, Kershaw is at 7.2. Granted, that is a minute difference, and Kluber only has the lead because of Kershaw s missed time at the beginning of the season, but the point remains. Kluber will forever be in the record books as the pitcher with the highest WAR total of the 2014 season. 6.) Kluber joins Feller and C.C. Sabathia as the only pitchers in Indians history to finish first on the FanGraphs WAR leaderboard. Sabathia did it in Feller did it multiple times, most notably with his 10.7 WAR season from Even in Cliff Lee s Cy Young-winning season from 2007, he finished second on the WAR leaderboard to Sabathia, who finished his season and accumulated the majority of his season s value with Milwaukee.

6 7.) By any measure that I can see, Kluber deserves the Cy Young over Felix this year. But even if he doesn t get it (which I have a feeling he still won t), Kluber s season will go down in Indians history as one of the all-time greats. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians 1, Rays 0: Corey Kluber makes his final, convincing argument for AL Cy Young Award By August Fagerstrom CLEVELAND: Your move, King Felix. With the Indians all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, all eyes were on Corey Kluber during Friday night s final series opener against Tampa Bay. Kluber was making the final start of his historic season, and each pitch he threw seemed to inch him closer and closer to a potential American League Cy Young win over Seattle s Felix Hernandez. Kluber struck out 11 in eight shutout innings, allowing just five hits and two walks as the Indians (84-76) eked out a 1-0 win. Later Friday, the Indians were eliminated when the Oakland A s beat the Texas Rangers. He looked like he was on a mission, Indians manager Terry Francona said. But he s kind of looked like that since the second game of the year. I would say that was his best, but he s done it so many times and done it so consistently, my goodness. In the process, Kluber improved his record to 18-9, lowered his ERA to 2.44, moved into sixth all-time on the Indians single-season strikeouts with 269 and closed the book on his case for the Cy Young Award. Personally, I wanted to see him get to 270, joked Indians closer Cody Allen. I thought 270 would be a good number. All that s left now is for Hernandez to make his final start of the year on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Kluber set the tone early, striking out the side in the first inning. He got Ben Zobrist looking on a 96-mph fastball before getting David DeJesus and Evan Longoria swinging on fastballs of 95 and 97 mph, respectively. With Kluber establishing the fastball early, the Rays (76-84) became aggressive, swinging early in the count and often at the first pitch. In the fourth inning, Kluber needed just six pitches to get through four batters. Kluber said his three first-inning fastball strikeouts helped set up his breaking stuff later in the game. After the first inning, six of his remaining eight strikeouts came on offspeed or breaking pitches. Chalk it up to an adjustment facilitated by Indians catcher Yan Gomes. He came and talked to me afterward that they were being more aggressive early on in the counts, especially on the first pitch, so we just tried to take advantage of that, Kluber said. Whether it be mixing up speeds a little bit or maybe working a little further off the plate to get some soft contact on those first pitches. Francona has given Gomes high praise all season, crediting a lot of the success of the Indians pitching staff to his game-calling. Kluber gave him high praise, as well. I think Yan s by far the best catcher in the league, Kluber said of the first-year full-time catcher. I don t think you can really put an amount on how much he helps us out as a staff. I think he does a lot more than he gets credit for back there. When Jose Ramirez hit his second career home run, it seemed like it might be all the Indians would need with how well Kluber has been pitching lately. And it turned out to be the case. Opposing starter Chris Archer struck out six batters through 7 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks. Archer pitched really, really well, Francona said. Besides Jose, I don t think we had a runner on second. It wasn t like we were beating on the door every inning. When Kluber racked up his 10th strikeout in the eighth inning against DeJesus, the Indians broke the major-league record for strikeouts in a single season, with 1,429. Allen shut the door with a perfect ninth inning for his 24th save. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians reflect on Derek Jeter s historic night By August Fagerstrom CLEVELAND: Regardless of what generation you re from, what team you support or what your thoughts are toward the New York Yankees, Thursday night in baseball was about Derek Jeter. The Captain played his final game in Yankee pinstripes in front of his home crowd and finished his career in a way only he could. A walk-off, opposite-field single in the bottom of the ninth inning was the cherry on top of the legendary shortstop s first-ballot hall of fame career. Everyone in baseball shares a connection with Jeter, in one way or another. A couple of Indians have connections deeper than most. First baseman Nick Swisher was Jeter s teammate for four seasons in the Bronx. Swisher was as incredulous in the clubhouse before Friday s game as Jeter was moments after his heroics.

7 It doesn t happen like that, Swisher said. Baseball s not a scripted game. You have to be up at the right time. And they weren t even supposed to play that game! It was supposed to rain all night there. There s very few men that have that unique ability to do something like that. He had the overall good energy of everybody on the planet just pulling for somebody like that. After the game, Jeter announced that, while he had played his last game at shortstop, he would still suit up as designated hitter for the final series in Boston, out of respect for the fans. Swisher can t say he d do the same. If that was me, no offense to all the fans, that would have been the last swing I would have taken, Swisher said. Indians manager Terry Francona was the leader of Jeter s most heated rivals, the Red Sox, for eight years. But he knew what he was in for long before he became Boston s manager. Francona recalls his first memory of Jeter in an Arizona Fall League game in Francona recalls the shortstop ranging to his right, but not making the patented jump-throw Jeter became known for later. Instead, he slid and threw to first base from his rear. He didn t record the out, but that didn t keep him from making an impression. I remember sitting there thinking, Damn, that was one hell of a play, Francona said. I just saw it two years ahead of everybody else. I ll never forget that. It was so athletic that it kind of stops you for a minute. Reflecting on Jeter s big Thursday night, Francona said initially he was surprised, but thinking back on it realized there s really nothing Jeter can do to surprise him anymore. He s always ready for the moment, Francona said. And if it seems like maybe there s more moments with him, it s because he makes the moments. Shaw leader of the pen With one more appearance, Indians right-handed reliever Bryan Shaw will set the club record for games pitched with 80. Shaw currently is tied with Bob Howry, who appeared in 79 games in To me, it says that I ve pitched well enough to be able to do that and that they trust me enough to put me in that many games, Shaw said. It s not more about breaking the record, it s that they trust me enough to get me that many games in a year. Shaw isn t the only one in the Indians bullpen to take on a heavy workload this year. Cody Allen is right behind Shaw with 75 appearances. Marc Rzepczynski has 72 and Scott Atchison has 70. The Indians bullpen, as a whole, has set the American League record for unique relief appearances this season. They currently sit at 566. Brantley nears milestone Outfielder Michael Brantley is one hit shy of reaching 200 hits. Only one other player in MLB this year, Jose Altuve, has more than 200 hits. Altuve is at 222. Brantley s previous career high in hits was 159 in The last time the Indians had a 200-hit season was 1996, when Kenny Lofton had 210 hits and a.310 batting average.akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians 1, Rays 0: Corey Kluber makes his final, convincing argument for the AL Cy Young Award By August Fagerstrom Published: September 26, 2014 Your move, King Felix. With the Indians all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this year, all eyes were on Corey Kluber during Friday night s final series opener against Tampa Bay. Kluber was making the final start of his historic season and each pitch he threw seemed to inch him closer and closer to a potential American League Cy Young Award victory over Seattle s Felix Hernandez. Kluber struck out 11 through eight shutout innings, allowing just five hits and two walks as the Indians (86-74) won by a final score of 1-0. He looked like he was on a mission, Indians manager Terry Francona said. But he s kind of looked like that since the second game of the year. I would say that was his best, but he s done it so many times and done it so consistently, my goodness. In the process, Kluber lowered his season ERA to 2.44, moved to sixth all-time among Indians single-season strikeouts with 269 and closed the book on his case for the Cy Young Award. Personally, I wanted to see him get to 270, joked Indians closer Cody Allen. I thought 270 would be a good number. All that s left now is for Hernandez to make his final start of the year on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Kluber set the tone early, striking out the side in the first inning. He got Ben Zobrist looking on a 96mph fastball, before getting David DeJesus on a 95mph fastball, and Evan Longoria on a fastball at 97. With Kluber establishing the fastball early, the Rays hitters became aggressive, swinging early in the count and often at the first pitch. In the fourth inning, Kluber needed just six pitches to get through four Rays (76-84) batters. Kluber said his three first-inning fastball strikeouts helped set up his breaking stuff later in the game. After the first inning, six of his remaining eight strikeouts came on offspeed or breaking pitches. Chalk it up to an adjustment facilitated by Indians catcher Yan Gomes.

8 The injures and poor performances don'tleave the Indians with many options regarding the two. All the can do is make sure Swisher and Bourn are healthy and ready to play a full season next spring. They're each signed for two more years and I think it would be difficult to trade them. Kluber dominates Rays in 1-0 win CLEVELAND (AP) -- Corey Kluber's closing argument for the AL Cy Young Award was a convincing one. Kluber struck out 11 in eight innings, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Friday night. The game concluded about an hour before the Indians were eliminated from playoff contention by Oakland's 6-2 victory at Texas. The A's victory also put an end to Kluber's breakout season. Kluber (18-9), who allowed five hits and walked two, is tied for the AL lead in wins. He recorded his 11th double-digit strikeout game of the season and leads the majors with 269 strikeouts. ''He looked like he was on a mission, but he's looked like that all season,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''That was Corey Kluber at his best, and he's done it so many times.'' The race for the AL Cy Young Award appears to be down to Kluber and Seattle's Felix Hernandez. The Mariners ace, who was roughed up in his last outing, is expected to start Sunday. Kluber, as he has all season, deflected talk of any personal achievement. ''It's not my call,'' Kluber said when asked about his chances. ''It would be a great accomplishment, but the biggest thing is the team winning.'' Cody Allen, who pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save, believes Kluber should win baseball's biggest prize for a pitcher. ''He's been our horse all year,'' Allen said. ''He's an elite talent. He's a guy you can run out there and match him up against anybody. Every time he pitches we have a pretty good chance to win. A guy like him is pretty special.'' Kluber was at his best when his team needed him the most, going 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA in his last five starts. He had recorded 14 strikeouts in each of his past two outings, becoming the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2004 to have consecutive 14-strikeout games. View gallerykluber dominates Rays in 1-0 win Cleveland Indians' Jose Ramirez, left, is congratulated by Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana Kluber also helped Cleveland set the major league record for strikeouts in a season when he fanned David DeJesus in the eighth inning for the team's 1,429th K of the season. Detroit's pitchers fanned 1,428 in ''That says we've got pitchers on this staff with good stuff,'' Kluber said. ''That record speaks volumes for our staff.'' Jose Ramirez homered in the first for the game's only run. Chris Archer (10-9) pitched innings of three-hit ball for the Rays. The right-hander went 1-1 with a sparkling 0.86 ERA in his final three starts of the year. Kluber's biggest jam came in the seventh. Matt Joyce reached on a one-out single and Kevin Kiermaier drew a four-pitch walk with two away. Kluber struck out Ryan Hanigan looking on a 2-2 pitch to end the inning. Kluber finished with a flourish, striking out DeJesus and Evan Longoria to end the eighth. Kluber struck out the side in the first and also fanned two in the third and fifth. James Loney led off the second with a single, but Nick Franklin bounced into a double play. After Matt Joyce walked, Brandon Guyer struck out. Loney singled with two out in the fourth, but Franklin grounded out. Kiermaier tripled with two down in the fifth, but Hanigan fouled out to first baseman Carlos Santana, who tumbled to the ground while making the catch. ''The elevated fastball was his friend,'' Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ''He did a nice job with that. He was not throwing the ball with the middle part of the plate very often tonight.'' The Indians scored 19 runs in Kluber's previous three starts, but struggled again with their ace on the mound. Cleveland averaged just 1.1 runs in his nine losses. Archer's only mistake cost him the game. He struck out six and walked two. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

9 It was nearly a year ago, on Oct. 2, that the Rays were last in Cleveland, eliminating the Indians with a 4-0 victory in the AL wild-card game. Interestingly enough, Alex Cobb, who started that night for the Rays, will match up with the Indians starter from that game, Danny Salazar, on Sunday. PRAISE FOR THE CAPTAIN Francona wasn't surprised retiring Yankees SS Derek Jeter hit a game-ending single in his last home game Thursday night. ''That probably sums up Jeter,'' he said. ''He's always ready for the moment. If it seems like there's more moments for him, maybe it's because he makes those moments.'' UP NEXT Rays: RHP Alex Colome (1-0) makes his third start and fifth appearance of the season Saturday. He allowed four runs in one inning in a relief appearance Sunday against the White Sox. Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-6) will try to finish on a strong note in his 14th start of the season. He held Kansas City to two runs in innings Tuesday, but got the loss. Kluber's dominant performance a perfect end to Cy Young-worthy season Joe ReedyFOX Sports Ohio CLEVELAND -- It is appropriate that Corey Kluber's final regular-season start and case to show that he should be the American League Cy Young Award winner was a microcosm of most of his games -- dominating stuff without a lot of run support. Kluber went eight innings on Friday night at Progressive Field and made a first-inning home run by Jose Ramirez stand as the Indians beat Tampa Bay 1-0. The right-hander, who allowed five hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts, finishes the year at 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts. Kluber joins Bob Feller as the only pitchers in franchise history to record a season of at least 18 wins and 265 strikeouts while having an ERA of 2.50 or lower. Despite the win, the Indians saw their chances of making a late postseason run extinguished after Oakland's 6-2 win over Texas. "He looked like he was on a mission. Saying that, he's looked like that since his second game of the year," manager Terry Francona said of Kluber. "That was Kluber at his best but he's done it so many times and done it so consistently." Kluber's resume for the Cy Young includes the following: Tied for the league lead in wins. The 18 are the most by an Indians' right-hander since Roberto Hernandez was 19-8 in Corey Kluber's case for the Cy Young Corey Kluber has had a phenomenal season, emerging as the Cleveland Indians' ace. Won his last five starts and allowed just five earned runs over his last 40 1/3 innings. He is the first Indians pitcher to register at least 10 strikeouts in each of his final three starts to conclude a season. The 269 strikeouts lead the Majors and are the sixth most in a season in franchise history. Detroit's David Price trails by six but is scheduled to start on Sunday against Minnesota. Kluber has 11 outings of at least 10 strikeouts, which is the most by a Tribe starter since Herb Score had 11 in Friday marked his seventh mega quality start, which is eight or more innings pitched and allowing an earned run or fewer. Seattle's Felix Hernandez also has seven. "That would be awesome. All of us in here thinks he deserves it but it isn't up to us," said Cody Allen about Kluber's Cy Young chances. "He's put in a pretty good body of work that is deserving. He's an elite talent and can go up and match against anyone." When asked though about his chances of becoming the fourth Indians pitcher to win a Cy Young Award, Kluber as usual didn't express much. "It's not my call. It'd be a great accomplishment, but the most important thing right now is that the team won," he said. Besides the dearth of offense, Kluber displayed what he has the entire season. He struck out the side in the first and six of the first nine. Tampa Bay then made adjustments and had 10 batters swing at the first or second pitch the last five innings, but only two resulted in hits. In the fourth, Kluber faced four batters on six pitches. There were only two times when Kluber faced traffic. In the fifth, Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-out triple but was stranded when Ryan Hanigan fouled out to first. Even that almost went awry as Carlos Santana and Mike Aviles collided in foul territory but Santana held on. "Early on, it was the fastball. I think that set up more of the offspeed stuff late. Overall, I think the big thing was mixing up speeds on them," Kluber said. "They were really aggressive at certain points in the game, so we were kind of taking advantage of that. We got some easy outs, first pitches, things like that, by just mixing up speeds." In the seventh, the Rays had runners on first and second but Hanigan struck out looking. That was Kluber's 10th of the game and also the Indians' 1,429th of the season, which gave them the Major League single-season record, surpassing the mark set by Detroit last year. Said Kluber of the record: "I think it says we've got good pitchers on our staff with good stuff. I guess that record probably speaks volumes for what kind of stuff we have as a staff. There are times throughout the year when we probably didn't pitch up to our capabilities, but I think that's a reflection of what we're capable of when we do." Many thought that Kluber might come out for the ninth, but Francona said he checked with Kluber and thought he had gone as far as he could. Allen retired the Rays in order for his 24th save. Francona said he wouldn't talk about what the Indians would do without nothing to play for until it was official. It will be interesting to see what the lineups will be for the weekend. Michael Brantley saw his 15-game hitting streak end but remains one hit away from 200 for the season.

10 Swisher, Francona say Jeter's storybook ending was fitting Joe ReedyFOX Sports Ohio CLEVELAND -- Nick Swisher and Terry Francona both agreed that when it came to Derek Jeter's last at-bat in Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, there was no better way to end it. Jeter's walk-off single in the ninth inning gave the Yankees a 6-5 win over the Orioles. With the Indians having an off day on Thursday, Swisher and Francona were both able to watch the game on television. "If that doesn't tell you that that guy's a God, I don't know what other way he could have ended it other than that," Swisher said before the Indians took on Tampa Bay on Friday. "You're up 5-2, he's driven in two of the runs, you have Dave Robertson who is one of the best closers in the league blow a three-run lead and next thing you know I'm thinking Jeter is due up third in the inning. I think the biggest thing people need to understand is things like that don't happen and they happen to only a certain amount of people. He's one of those people it happens to." Swisher played with Jeter for four years when he was with the Yankees and helped present Jeter with a Gibson Les Paul guitar during Jeter's final game in Cleveland in early July. Added Francona: "I guess the first thing that came to mind is it wasn't surprising and then when you think back on it how can it not be? The guy plays 20years for a team, gets his last game in his home stadium and how does it work out like that? And then to come through with a hit sums up Jeter. He's always ready for the moment." Ingraham: The good, the bad and the ugly for the 2014 Cleveland Indians By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal With the regular season ending this weekend, let s take a timeout to recognize the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between in this Indians season: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Corey Kluber. In almost any other year but this one, Michael Brantley wins going away. Brantley deserves to be a top-five finisher in the American League MVP voting, maybe even top three. But Kluber has had one of the great pitching seasons in Indians history and is a strong candidate to win the Cy Young Award. MOST TIMES HITTING THE BALL HARD Brantley, in a landslide. Whether he s facing a right-hander or a left-hander, doesn t matter. He almost always hits a line drive, or a screaming ground ball. Sometimes he will pull it, sometimes he will hit it to the opposite field. Almost every time he hits a shot. Even his outs are hit hard. MOST OVERLOOKED SEASON Yan Gomes. Thanks to Kluber and Brantley s sensational seasons, Gomes breakout year hasn t gotten as much notice as it should. Do you know how many AL catchers have hit 20 home runs this year? Three. Brian McCann (23), Mike Zunino (22) and Gomes (21) and Gomes has more doubles, a higher batting average (by 50 points), a higher on-base percentage and higher slugging percentage than McCann and Zunino. Brantley is the only Indians player with more hits than Gomes, whose 21 home runs are the fifth most in Indians history for a catcher. MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED PITCHER Reliever Bryan Shaw. Although he doesn t have a show-stopping won-loss record (5-5), and his ERA is a good-but-not-great 2.61, Shaw has appeared in more games (79) than any pitcher in the major leagues. And he ha pitched really well in almost all of them. He is Manager Terry Francona s bullpen security blanket. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT The collapse of Justin Masterson. He was coming off an All-Star season, was in his contract year, and at an age (29) when he should have been squarely in his prime. Instead, he was a disaster: 5-6 with a 5.51 ERA in 19 starts until the Indians got tired of waiting for him and traded him to St. Louis for a minor-league outfielder. If Masterson had his 2013 season in 2014, coupled with the way Kluber pitched, the Indians may have won their division. BEST SALVAGE JOB Carlos Carrasco. From nearly being released in April to the best pitcher in the AL the last two months? Go figure. SECOND BEST SALVAGE JOB For most of the first half of the season, Carlos Santana looked totally lost at the plate. But as the season draws to a close, he has matched his career high in home runs (27) and set a career high in RBI (83). BIGGEST BANG Lonnie Chisenhall, June 9, in Texas: 5-for-5 with a double, three home runs and a club record-tying nine RBI. He became the first player in major-league history, before or since, to go 5-for-5, with three homers and nine RBI. SECOND BIGGEST BANG May 4, vs. the White Sox. Third inning. In his first career at-bat with the Indians, George Kottaras hit a home run. In the fourth inning, in his second career at-bat with the Indians, Kottaras hit another home run. He should have immediately announced his retirement. He didn t. MOST UNSPELL-ABLE NAME Marc Rzepczynski. For some reason, I always forget and spell it Mark. MOST WASTED YEAR Nick Swisher. It s not his fault. His knees turned into hamburger helper, and he had season-ending double knee surgery, which is a term baseball officials never want to hear about a player in the second year of a four-year, $56 million contract. However, before the surgery, Swisher wasn t exactly tearing it up, hitting.208 in 360 at-bats. All of which means the Indians are left with two more years of an aging, declining switch-hitter with two bad knees and no obvious position in MANAGER OF THE YEAR Francona. He was even better than last year, when he was the AL Manager of the Year. How this year s team reached the last weekend of the season still in the wild-card race is a testament to Francona s leadership. COACH OF THE YEAR Pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Everything considered, he might be the most valuable member of the organization the last two years. MOST NOTHING YEAR Jason Kipnis. There better be some lingering, unrevealed injury or injuries to explain his plunge from an All-Star second baseman into Joe Inglett. Because if not, there s still five years left on that six-year, $52.5 million contract. WORST DEFENSE (tie) The Indians and The dog ate my homework. Corey Kluber makes last push for Cy Young Award in win, but team is eliminated from playoff contention By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal The only Indians pitcher who could have won that game pitched that game. Corey Kluber put a bow on his magnificent and historic season with a tour de Kluber performance Sept. 26, pitching eight shutout innings in a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Kluber s offensive support was nearly non-existent. The Indians were held to one run on three hits. They won because Kluber was pitching, and probably only because Kluber was pitching. Unfortunately for the Indians, Kluber s masterpiece came on a night in which they were officially eliminated from the wild-card race. Oakland s 6-2 win over Texas means the Indians will not be in the postseason this year.