CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cleveland Indians stretched their franchise-record winning streak to 18 games, beating the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 Sunday night behind homers from Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez.
Cleveland’s streak is the longest in the majors since Oakland won 20 straight in 2002. The best run in baseball history belongs to the New York Giants, who had a 26-game streak in 1916, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Giants’ streak included a tie, which doesn’t count as a game in baseball.
The crowd of 21,259 roared in the ninth inning as Cody Allen recorded his 26th save. He struck out the first two hitters and retired Trey Mancini on a line drive to right field to end the game.
Perez snapped a 1-all tie in the sixth with a leadoff homer. Lindor then broke two bats while running the count to 3-2 before homering to right. Cleveland’s All-Star shortstop, using a bat tossed to him by teammate Abraham Almonte, looked at the dugout and smiled as his 29th homer of the season sailed into the seats.
Cleveland hasn’t lost since Aug. 23 and has outscored its opponents 121-32 in the streak. Cleveland has trailed in only four of 162 innings during the stretch.