Indians historic winning streak ends despite Rajai Davis hitting for cycle

All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Indians, that also includes their franchise-record 14-game winning streak.

The Indians finally went down in defeat on Saturday, losing 9-6 to the Blue Jays in Toronto. The loss not only ended their incredible streak, but also marked the end of a remarkable run for Cleveland sports. The Indians had not lost since the Cleveland Cavaliers completed their epic NBA Finals comeback, defeating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 on June 19.

That’s almost two solid weeks of sports celebrations in Cleveland, which the city was probably owed after going 52 years without a major sports championship.

The Indians losing is only a minor setback though. During their streak, they’ve build up a 6 1/2 game lead in the AL Central.

Beyond that, not all was bad for Cleveland even in Saturday’s loss. That’s because outfielder Rajai Davis hit for the cycle, becoming the first Indian to accomplish that rare feat since Travis Hafner on Aug. 14, 2003. Davis’ cycle was the eighth in Indians franchise history and the second in MLB this season, joining Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman.

Rajai Davis (right) is congratulated by Jason Kipnis after leading off Saturday’s game with a home run. (AP)

Here’s an interesting note to add: Davis actually completed his cycle in reserve order. He led off the game with a home run. He tripled home another run in the third. After grounding out to end the fifth, Davis bounced back with a double in the seventh, which led to him scoring the then tying run. Davis then made history with a clean single in the ninth inning.

	MLB GIFS @MLBGIFs
.@rajai11davis out here cycling: atmlb.com/29aulJL pic.twitter.com/vNOVGBjfGg 1:55 PM - 2 Jul 2016

Davis did all he could to keep Cleveland’s streak alive. The Blue Jays just had more firepower on Saturday. Toronto also benefited from a review in the eighth, which overturned a critical play at home. That allowed the go-ahead run to score, and opened the door to a three-run rally.

The Indians will now try to start a new streak on Sunday. They’ll have ace Corey Kluber on the hill against Toronto’s JA Happ.