The Top 5 seasons in Guardians history

CLEVELAND – The Guardians made some extraordinary runs in the 1990s and 2010s. The club has two world championships, six American League pennants and 10 AL Central division titles. So, what seasons stand out as the best? Let’s take a look:

1. 1954
Record: 111-43

It’s not one of the two years the club ended with a World Series victory, but it was a season that still holds a record today. No other team has posted a higher winning percentage (.721) than Cleveland did in ’54. It was a team led by Larry Doby, Al Rosen, Bobby Avila, Bob Lemon and Bob Feller. After the club secured the AL pennant, besting the Yankees’ 103-win season, it was swept in the World Series by the Giants. But that certainly doesn’t take away from the regular-season efforts.

2. 1995
Record: 100-44

Forty years had gone by since Cleveland last clinched a postseason berth. It was their second 100-win season at the time (they now have three) in franchise history, along with 1954. The club also posted its second-best winning percentage (.694) that season, trailing just the ’54 team. Cleveland finally got a taste of playoff baseball once again and made it all the way to Game 6 of the World Series before falling just short of its ultimate goal to Atlanta.

3. 1920
Record: 98-56

It’s impossible for this list to be complete without the first championship season. Players like Tris Speaker (who was also the manager) and Stan Coveleski helped lead the club to its first World Series victory in franchise history. Ray Chapman played a vital role on the roster until he died later in the season after being hit by a pitch in August. Cleveland finished two games ahead of the White Sox in the regular season before defeating the Brooklyn Robins in the World Series.

4. 1948
Record: 97-58

While we’re talking about championships, let’s throw the organization's second -- and most recent -- World Series victory season on the list. Lemon threw a no-hitter in June and Negro Leagues star Satchel Paige provided a boost to the pitching staff when he was signed later in the year and owned a 2.48 ERA in 21 regular season games (seven starts). Cleveland defeated the Boston Braves in six games to become World Series Champions for the second time.

5. 2016
Record: 94-67

Just reading that year may cause some fans’ stomachs to still sink. But nobody expected the Guardians to do what they did in 2016. The team didn’t win the most games in club history, but it was the club's first division title since 2007, following a season in which it came in third place, 13.5 games out of first. It was the first full season for shortstop Francisco Lindor and a key pickup of reliever Andrew Miller at the Trade Deadline took the bullpen to the next level. Cleveland went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before falling just short in an extra-innings loss to the Cubs after Rajai Davis provided the electric game-tying homer in the eighth.

Honorable mention

2017: Coming off the high of the 2016 season, the Guardians won the second-most games in franchise history (102-60). The team’s .630 winning percentage still stands as Terry Francona’s best as the manager in Cleveland. But the club was eliminated from the postseason after losing to the Yankees in five games in the AL Division Series.

1996: Cleveland came just shy of what would’ve been the fourth 100-win season in franchise history. Led by Jim Thome, the team followed its stellar performance in ’95 with a first-place finish in the division (99-62) once again. But this time, the club came up a little shorter in its postseason run, dropping the ALDS to the Orioles in four games.