Their durability is impressive. All aspects of this team are getting it done. The hitters have come on strong, the bullpen has been solid. But it all starts right out there with the starters.

In 2000 and 2001, people feared coming here. They're not afraid now. We've got to get that back. We can't keep saying we're a young team. It's time to put that behind us.

[Indians reliever Arthur Rhodes has left the club because of a family illness and will miss the rest of Cleveland's season, a blow to baseball's best bullpen and the club's playoff chances.] It's going to be tough without him, ... He has been huge for us all year. We're definitely going to miss him.

I was coming after him because he already had his homer tonight.

There were two teams that manhandled us last year, Chicago and Tampa Bay. It was just the worst-case scenario that we had to play them seven times at the end of the season when we were right in the race. Any other team, we probably would have been there. We were beating everybody else, but for some reason, Tampa Bay had our number, and so did Chicago.

We ended like we started. We came up one game short. But the guys should be very proud of what they've accomplished.