Tribe made it look easy, but it really wasn’t

It’s Cleveland. Nothing comes easy for its sports fans nor the teams they love.

But a second consecutive American League Central Division title did come to the Indians. Or maybe they just relentlessly chased it down despite adversity that seemed just as relentless in finding them.

As they Indians did late last season in a run that took them to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, they found – and mostly conquered – adversity at every turn in 2017.

Ace Corey Kluber spent a month on the disabled list with a bad back.

Outfielder Michael Brantley has been on the DL for much of the second half. Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis have six stints on the DL between them.

Star reliever Andrew Miller, who dominated last season’s playoff run, has been out twice with a knee injury.

Indians manager Terry Francona, the man some consider the heart and soul of the club, ironically missed a few games and parts of others with an irregular heartbeat.

Through it all, though, the Indians never broke under the challenges. Their lengthy streak of avoiding more than three consecutive losses – which dated to July 22-28 2015 – lasted until just after the All-Star break, when they dropped six of seven, including five of six to Oakland and San Francisco on a West Coast trip.

But then they caught fire. Since July 21, when the Indians were an inconsistent 48-45, they’ve been far and away the best team in baseball. Cleveland has gone 45-12 since then, including an AL-record 22-game winning streak.

Francona and the Indians didn’t panic after and up-and-down first half because they saw plenty of adversity down the stretch last season. They’re used to it.

Kluber (17-4, 2.35) worked another seven scoreless innings in a 3-2 win over Kansas City on Sunday and appears on his way to a second Cy Young Award.

The 31-year-old right-hander allowed just three hits, struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter.

Kluber had pitched with a sore back in spring training and his first few starts. He was 3-2 when he went on the DL in the first week of May.

Kluber’s performance since June has been masterful and fellow starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco (16-6, 3.48), Trevor Bauer (16-9, 4.41) and Mike Clevinger (10-5, 3.21) have joined him making the Indians’ rotation one of the deepest in baseball.

Josh Tomlin (9-9, 5.04) had an uneven first half, much like Bauer, but he has also put together a run of quality starts since his own return from the DL.

“In a way when we come across those types of things, injuries, Tito’s scare, not that it doesn’t affect us and we don’t care about it, but we just brush it off and move on,” Kluber told reporters Sunday as the Indians celebrated the AL Central they clinched late Saturday, hours after a Minnesota Twins loss.

“It’s just the mentality that started with the way things went last year and developed throughout the postseason with the different adversity we went through,” Kluber said.

“And to be able to still go out there and get the job done just kind of carried over I guess.”

The Indians want it to carry over to – and through – October.

As Francisco Lindor said, “It’s still not done.”

The champagne and beer was doubtlessly sweet as it sprayed and flowed around the Indians’ clubhouse late Sunday afternoon.

But it won’t compare to what awaits Cleveland in a few weeks if the Indians take care of some unfinished business.

Write Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.