With the Indians four wins away, here are some other cities that won two titles in one year
From 1964 to 2015, Cleveland teams won exactly zero major professional sports championships. In 2016, they just might win two: After the Cavs completed a remarkable comeback to win the NBA title back in June, the Indians now find themselves four wins away from a parade of their own thanks to Andrew Miller , Francisco Lindor and just a dash of LeBron Magic.
Before the Tribe embarks on its quest to officially turn Cleveland into the City of Champions, though, it's time for a quick history lesson. What other cities have enjoyed two championships, including a World Series win, in the same season? There have been 14 in all (not including Cleveland itself back in 1948, when the Indians and Browns won titles while the latter wasn't yet a member of the NFL). Here are five of the most memorable, in reverse chronological order:
Boston, 2004: Red Sox and Patriots
More than a decade and three World Series titles later, it's almost hard to remember that the Red Sox were once irrevocably cursed. Entering the 2004 season, Boston sat on 86 years without a title, and just a few months earlier, the Sox had watched their postseason dreams dashed in the cruelest of fashions.
To make matters worse, Boston once again found itself staring at ALCS elimination at the hands of the Yankees, down 3-0 after a blowout loss in Game 3 at Fenway. And then, well, you know what happened: Dave Roberts stole a base, Bill Mueller got a hit, David Ortiz morphed into some sort of postseason demigod and, soon enough, the Red Sox were champions:
Just a few months later, some guy named Tom Brady won his second Super Bowl with the Pats, making sure both the Commissioner's Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy headed back to New England.
Los Angeles, 1988: Dodgers and Lakers
L.A. is no stranger to championships -- the Lakers and Dodgers have combined for 22 rings, after all. But while the Lakers won the final title of the Magic Johnson era that summer, no one expected 1988 to be a year in which both teams finished on top.
The Dodgers had been one of the best teams in baseball from the '70s into the early '80s, even winning a World Series in 1981, but they headed into the '88 campaign coming off consecutive 73-89 seasons. But, thanks an otherworldly 59 straight scoreless innings down the stretch from Orel Hershiser, L.A. returned to October. Then, a free agent signing-turned-NL MVP became a postseason legend, and they won it all.
New York, 1986: Mets and Giants
On the contrary, neither the '86 Mets nor Giants were much of a surprise. Both teams had made the postseason the year prior, and both featured some of the biggest stars in their respective sports -- Lawrence Taylor for the Giants, Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry for the Mets.
But while Big Blue left little doubt -- going 14-2 in the regular season before outscoring their playoff opponents by a combined score of 105-23 -- the Mets decided to add a whole lot more drama. The Amazin's cruised to an NL East crown with a 108-54 record in the regular season, but they needed two iconic extra-inning wins to get by the Astros in the NLCS. Then, they found themselves trailing the Red Sox, 3-2, heading into Game 6 of the World Series.
You probably know what happened next, so we'll let Vin take it from here:
Pittsburgh, 1979: Pirates and Steelers
Thanks to the legendary Steel Curtain defense, the Steelers capped a run of four titles in six years with their Super Bowl win in 1979. The Pirates, on the other hand, had won just one World Series since 1925. But, with some help from NL MVP Willie Stargell, All-Star Game MVP Dave Parker and Sister Sledge, Pittsburgh was back on top:
In addition to slashing .281/.352/.552 at age 39, Stargell won NLCS and World Series MVP honors, launching the deciding homer in Game 7 of the Fall Classic and clinching Pittsburgh's rally from a 3-1 deficit.
Detroit, 1935: Tigers, Lions and Red Wings
While all the other entries on this list are impressive, Detroit has bragging rights -- yes, the Motor City is the only city to claim three major professional titles in one season. Behind Marty Barry, the '35 Red Wings lost just one playoff game en route to winning the Stanley Cup, while the '35 Lions defeated the Giants in the NFL Championship Game to claim their first title in the team's second year in Detroit.
The Tigers, meanwhile, boasted a lineup featuring AL MVP Hank Greenberg and future Hall of Famers Mickey Cochrane and Charlie Gehringer. Detroit rode one of the best offenses in baseball to a 93-58 record, narrowly beating out the Yankees for the AL pennant. They met the Cubs in the World Series, and dispatched Chicago in a dramatic Game 6 on their home field -- officially turning Detroit into the City of Champions.
There are plenty of cities to win multiple titles in a single season that we didn't include here -- if you have a favorite, let us know in the comments.