What Cleveland Indians Season Best Represents Their Version of "The Last Dance?"

There has never been a sports series that has been as talked about or written about on social media and by sports writers than the current 10-piece drama called “The Last Dance,” the story of the 1998 Chicago Bulls.

To say that there was drama on that 98 Bulls team is an understatement. It was a team made up of stars, with the biggest star of all being Michael Jordan, to many the greatest NBA player in the history of the game.

There was drama between players, between management, ownership, anyone you could think of, it was a difficult and drama filled season you could not turn away from.

The 10-part series already has set records when it comes to viewership, despite the fact it was for a team from a season 22 years ago.

Being in Cleveland fans of the Indians, Browns and Cavaliers know all about drama, as we have all watched moments and seasons that have gotten out of control for one reason or another.

The Indians have made the headlines plenty of times in their quest to bring home a championship.

For the most part a lot of the headlines for things that have happened on the field, some great and some filled with heartbreak.

There has been moments of drama though that the team would probably want to forget, wishing it would have never happened.

Today we examine the Indians version of “The Last Dance,” and if there has been a season that could possibly compare to that of the 1998 Bulls from what we’ve all seen in Cleveland over the years with the Tribe.

Here’s some ideas of some teams that may very well qualify for a version of “The Last Dance” Indians style.

1997: So Close, and Yet So Far

This is probably the most obvious choice just based on the outcome of the season. Heartbreak in Florida on a rainy Sunday night as the Indians lost to the Marlins in game seven of a World Series that so many Tribe fans felt they would win.

The expectations were high for the 97 Indians, they had lost in the ALDS in 1996 to the Baltimore Orioles three games to one, and many thought the window was still open to make a run.

The offseason saw the team sign third basemen Matt Williams and second basemen Tony Fernandez, two moves that had a big impact on the team. The bigger move was a trade in the offseason of popular outfielder Kenny Lofton to the Atlanta Braves for David Justice and Marquis Grissom.

The regular season didn’t go as smoothly as planned, as the team was 12-13 after April, and was eight games over .500 at the All-Star break, a game played in Cleveland. The team finally pulled away with the division in mid-September, winning the AL Central by six games.

The club won a memorable ALDS over the Yankees in five games, then battled the favored Orioles in the ALCS, building a 3-1 lead and winning the pennant in six games.

The World Series was a back and forth battle, as the Indians won games two, four and six before the heartbreaker of game seven. To this day many true Indians fans say the game seven loss is the worst loss they have ever suffered.

1995: A Team with Swagger Dominates, Yet Fails in the Clutch

Another rather obvious choice for a series, the 1995 season is by far and away the season that many Tribe fans point to as the most fun season they have ever been a part of.

The newness of (Jacobs) Progressive Field, the daily beatings that the Indians gave to other teams, pummeling them with the likes of Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar, Eddie Murray and Kenny Lofton.

This was an Indians team that had to get use to winning, but it didn’t take long for the team to get that swagger. The stories of that team are legendary, and there’s been some documentation of that in the MLB drama about the 1990’s Indians.

You could probably do a series on just Belle and his antics, but there was a lot of other great memories for this club. They easily dispatched the Red Sox in the ALDS, went to six games with Seattle in the ALCS, but fell behind the Braves 3-1 in the World Series before falling in six games.

2013: A New Voice Equals a New Attitude for Tribe

The Tribe had suffered four straight losing seasons heading into 2013, but expectations changed heavily when Terry Francona put his name on the dotted line to agree to become the Indians new manager, signing a four-year deal on October 6, 2012.

The team also opened their pocketbooks to sign a couple high-profile free agents, as former New York Yankee Nick Swisher inked a four-year deal December 23, and Michael Bourn signed late in free agency. The Indians also dealt for catcher Yan Gomes and utility veteran Mike Aviles.

The two seasons prior the Indians spent just $8 million in free agency, the offseason before 2013 they spent a whopping $117 million.

The team went just 11-13 in April, but caught fire in May winning 15 of their first 19 games of the month. The club was very up and down, and the AL Central leading Tigers dominated them in 2013, beating the Tribe 15 of 19 times.

Their worst month was August, as they lost 16 of 28 games, and the playoffs seemed to be well out of reach. Then the team got hot, as despite losing ace Justin Masterson and being 3.5 out of a wild card spot at the start of the month, they played as well as any team in baseball.

The Indians had their share of off the field drama, as closer Chris Perez was charged with having marijuana sent to his home in Rocky River in the name of his dog. Perez’s on and off again relationship with the media could be a show all in itself.

They went 21-6 in September, including a 10-game winning streak to end the season, clinching a home wild card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With a matchup with Francona’s old team, the Red Sox, on the line, the Indians were shutout 4-0 in the wild card game, ending a memorable season.

1954: A Historic Team Led by Hall of Fame Talent Wins 111 Games

This would be a tough one as in doing some research only one member of this team (pitcher Dick Tomanek) is still alive today. If you look inside the numbers this could have been the best Indians team ever, as they won 111 games and won the American League.

To show just how good this Indians team was, they had not one, but two 11-game winning streaks during the season, a feat that remained until it was duplicated by the Toronto Blue Jays (who didn’t even exist in 1954) during the 2015 season.

The team was led on the mound by Bob Lemon who went 23-7, and Early Wynn went 23-11. Mike Garcia went 19-8, Art Houtteman was 15-7, and Bob Feller went 13-3.

At the plate Larry Doby was dominant, hitting .272 with 32 homers and 126 runs batted in. Al Rosen hit .300 with 24 homers and 102 RBI.

It was a stacked team, and if you want more proof consider that the Yankees won 102 games – yet lost out to the Indians by eight games for the division title.

Most Indians fans know the history of this great team though, as they lost to the New York Giants 4-0 in the World Series, yet another tough ending to a season for the Indians.

2016: A Magical Run to the World Series Leaves Fans Wanting More

A lot of people still embrace this team as well as it’s magical run to game seven of the World Series, where they outplayed the Chicago Cubs yet fell in the 7 and final game at Progressive Field in a classic that some say is the greatest baseball game ever played.

Unlike the 1995 and 1997 teams, no one could have possibly saw this Indians team making it to the World Series, much less doing it in the dominating fashion they did in the postseason, going 7-1 against the favored Red Sox and Blue Jays.

Not many held out much hope for this team that went 10-11 in April, and sat at 26-24 after the month of May. The team started to get attention nationally as they went 22-6 in June, putting them at 48-30, up six games in the division.

They closed out the regular season winning 10 of 14 games, wrapping up the AL Central by eight games, finishing the year with a record of 94-67. Despite that, they entered the ALDS against Boston as underdogs, but led by three homers in the third inning of game one they set the tone, winning game one 5-4 and game two 6-0.

After sweeping the Sox they went up against the Jays in the ALCS, and again it was the magic of playing at home where they won games one and two, winning game one 2-0 on a Francisco Lindor homer and 2-1 in game two on a superb outing by Josh Tomlin.

They won game three in a game where Trevor Bauer was pulled with a bloody finger, cut on the blade of a drone. The team lost game four 5-1, but then rallied with rookie Ryan Merritt to win game five and the American League with a 3-0 shutout.

We all know the outcome of the World Series, as the Indians won games one, three and four to build a 3-1 series lead, but a variety of tough breaks in the final three games cost them their first title since 1948.

What year do you think could best fit a long form Indians documentary? Does any of them fit the bill to engage an audience for 10 shows? Leave a comment or give us your take on what team deserves another look.

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