It was raining. Of course, it was raining. If you grew up in Northeast Ohio, you knew that the sky opening up at midnight on November 2, 2016, wasn’t just a weather event. It felt like cosmic intervention. Honestly, it felt like a curse refresher course. We were so close. The Cleveland Indians 2016 World Series run was supposed to be the moment the city finally shed the "Mistake on the Lake" reputation for good, especially coming off the high of the Cavaliers winning the NBA title just months prior.
Instead, we got Game 7. We got the rain delay. We got a 108-year drought ending, but for the wrong team.
Looking back, that series wasn’t just a baseball matchup. It was a collision of two tortured fanbases, a tactical masterclass by Terry Francona, and a display of gut-wrenching grit from a pitching staff that was basically held together by medical tape and prayers. Most people remember the Rajai Davis home run—the scream that shook Progressive Field—but they forget how improbable it was that Cleveland was even in that position.
The Pitching Staff That Shouldn't Have Been There
By the time the World Series started, the Cleveland rotation was a ghost town. Carlos Carrasco had a broken hand. Danny Salazar was barely a shell of himself, relegated to a bullpen role because his arm couldn't handle a starter's load. It was Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, and a whole lot of "good luck."
Kluber was a god that October. He started Games 1, 4, and 7. That's unheard of in the modern era. He was pitching on short rest constantly, his "Klubot" persona masking what had to be absolute exhaustion. In Game 1, he was untouchable, striking out nine in six innings and making a very good Chicago Cubs lineup look like they were swinging underwater.
But you can't talk about that 2016 run without mentioning the "Super Bullpen." Before every team started using openers and high-leverage relievers in the fifth inning, Tito Francona was doing it with Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. Miller was a cheat code. He was 6'7" of literal nightmares for left-handed hitters. He pitched multiple innings, coming in whenever the fire was hottest, not just in the ninth. It changed how we think about playoff baseball.
That Game 7: A Heart Attack in Nine (and a half) Innings
Let’s be real: Game 7 was the greatest game of baseball ever played, even if the result was a dagger to the heart of every Clevelander. It started terribly. Dexter Fowler hit a lead-off home run off Kluber. You could feel the air leave the stadium. It felt like the dream was over before the first beer was poured.
✨ Don't miss: The Detroit Lions Game Recap That Proves This Team Is Different
By the middle of the game, Cleveland was down 5-1. Then 6-3. Then came the bottom of the eighth.
Aroldis Chapman was on the mound for the Cubs. He was throwing 101 mph gas. Brandon Guyer doubled. Then Rajai Davis came up. Rajai wasn't a power hitter. He was a speed guy. But he choked up on the bat, fought off some absolute seeds, and then... it happened. A line drive to left field that cleared the 19-foot wall.
The stadium didn't just get loud. It vibrated. I’ve never seen anything like it. People were crying in the stands before the ball even landed. It was 6-6. We had all the momentum. We had them on the ropes. Chapman looked broken.
Then the rain came.
The 17-Minute Disaster
That 17-minute rain delay between the 9th and 10th innings is where the Cleveland Indians 2016 World Series title was lost. Jason Heyward famously called a meeting in a weight room for the Cubs. They reset. They exhaled. When play resumed, Bryan Shaw—who had been a workhorse all year—just didn't have the luck on his side. Ben Zobrist hit a double. Miguel Montero drove in another.
Suddenly, it was 8-6.
🔗 Read more: The Chicago Bears Hail Mary Disaster: Why Tyrique Stevenson and Bad Luck Changed a Season
Cleveland tried to fight back in the bottom of the 10th. Rajai Davis (of course) drove in another run to make it 8-7. With two outs and a runner on, Michael Martinez came to the plate. Martinez was a utility player, a "good glove, no hit" guy who was only in the game because of defensive substitutions. He hit a soft grounder to Kris Bryant. Bryant slipped, smiled, and threw to first.
Game over. History for Chicago. Agony for Cleveland.
Why the 2016 Indians Were Special
It’s easy to focus on the loss, but that team was a weird, beautiful collection of personalities. You had Mike Napoli and the "Party at Napoli's" craze. You had Francisco Lindor, who was then just a 22-year-old kid with a million-dollar smile, establishing himself as a superstar. You had Jose Ramirez, who most people didn't realize was a future MVP candidate at the time, just gritting out at-bats.
The "Cleveland Against the World" mentality was at its peak. This wasn't a team built on a massive payroll. They were built on scouting, player development, and the tactical genius of Terry Francona. They swept a loaded Red Sox team in the ALDS. They dismantled a high-powered Toronto Blue Jays offense in the ALCS. They were the underdogs in every single round.
There are a few things people tend to get wrong about this series:
- The Trevor Bauer Drone Incident: People blame Bauer's finger injury (caused by a drone repair accident) for the loss. While it forced the rotation into chaos, the bullpen actually covered those innings well. The real issue was the lack of a healthy third starter like Carrasco.
- The Rajai Davis HR wasn't a walk-off: Many casual fans remember the highlight and think it won the game. It only tied it. Cleveland still needed a run in the 9th that they couldn't get.
- The "Choke" Narrative: Losing a 3-1 lead is always called a choke. But look at the rosters. The Cubs were an All-Star team. The Indians were starting a short-rest Kluber and a guy in Josh Tomlin who was pitching on pure guile. It wasn't a choke; it was a gas tank running dry.
The Lasting Legacy of the 2016 Run
That series changed Cleveland baseball. It proved the front office's model worked. It also solidified Corey Kluber’s legacy as one of the greatest to ever wear the uniform. He pitched 34.1 innings that postseason with a 1.83 ERA. That is legendary stuff.
💡 You might also like: Steelers News: Justin Fields and the 2026 Quarterback Reality
If you go to a game at Progressive Field today (well, now under the Guardians name), you still see 2016 jerseys everywhere. Not just Lindor or Ramirez, but Napoli, Miller, and Davis. It was a summer of "Believe" posters and red "C" hats.
The 2016 World Series remains the most-watched baseball game in 25 years. 40 million people tuned in to Game 7. They saw a team from Cleveland with no business being there take a juggernaut to the absolute limit.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking to revisit this era or understand the impact of the Cleveland Indians 2016 World Series, here is how to dive deeper:
Study the Bullpen Usage
Go back and watch the box scores for the ALCS. See how Francona used Andrew Miller in the 5th and 6th innings. It’s a blueprint for how modern postseason "bullpenning" works today. If you're a coach or a stats nerd, this is the origin story of the modern high-leverage reliever.
Check the "What If" Scenarios
Look into the 2016 trade deadline. Cleveland traded top prospects for Miller, signaling they were "all in." It was a rare moment where a mid-market team pushed all their chips to the center. Understanding the cost of that run helps explain the team's roster moves in the years that followed.
Visit the Memories
If you’re ever in Cleveland, go to the Corner Bar at the stadium. There are still nods to that season everywhere. The Rajai Davis home run spot in left field is practically a holy site. Even with the name change to the Guardians, the 2016 season is the benchmark for the modern franchise.
The 2016 World Series didn't end with a parade down East 9th Street. It ended with rain, a quiet locker room, and a lot of "what ifs." But for one month, that team made a city believe that the impossible was actually likely. They didn't win the ring, but they won the permanent respect of the baseball world. That team had heart. They had grit. And they gave us the most stressful, exhilarating, and heartbreaking week of our lives.
For any Cleveland fan, that's more than enough to keep the memory alive forever.