CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Indians fans have held up their end.

That's what Brian Barren said as we talked about the team passing 2 million tickets sold for the 2017 season.

Barren is the Tribe's president of business operations. He talked about the "leap of faith" made by the Paul Dolan ownership team when Edwin Encarnacion was signed to a three-year, $60 million deal in the off-season.

"The question was how the fans would respond," said Barren. "We went to the (2016) World Series, so we knew we'd sell more tickets."

Before the signing of Encarnacion, the Indians were aiming for at least 1.8 million fans. They had drawn slightly under 1.6 million in 2016. The Tribe signed Encarnacion to the largest contract in franchise history. After a slow start, he's regained his form as one the top power hitters in baseball.

The Indians also signed free agent reliever Boone Logan to a deal that guaranteed him $6.5 million. That was a lot for a situational lefty who ended up getting hurt.

With the natural increases in older long-term contracts, the Indians were projecting a franchise-high $125 million payroll on opening day. After adding Jay Bruce and Joe Smith during the season, it approached $130 million.

"We began talking about 2 million fans," said Barren. "Reaching it is a milestone for us."

It's the first time that's happened since the team drew 2,169,722 fans in 2008. But from 2009-16, consider the following:

1. The most the Tribe drew was 1.84 million in 2011.

2. The Tribe's attendance declined every year from 2011-15.

3. In 2015, the Indians drew 1.38 million. That was the lowest since 1992.

4. In 2016, the Indians won the Central Division with a 94-67 record, but drew only 1.59 million fans.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Tim Salcer is the Tribe's vice president of sales and service. He described how the fans began to come back to the Tribe.

1. The 14-game winning streak from June 17-July 1, 2016.

2. The Tribe's surprising 2016 postseason run to the World Series. The was the first time for the Tribe since 1997.

3. The signing of Encarnacion.

4. The recent 22-game winning streak.

5. Winning the Central Division and heading to the playoffs. This is the first time the Tribe has had back-to-back postseason trips since 1998-99.

"We've had a combination of two dynamic winning streaks, the World Series and super weather," said Salcer. "We've had a great team to watch and not a single rainout. We didn't even have a lot of hot days in the summer. The spring wasn't as cold as normal."

The team's 22-game winning streak ran from August 24-Sept. 14.

"It's hard to sell tickets in September," said Barren. "This is Northeast Ohio. It's football country with high schools, colleges and the Browns ... and school had started. The winning streak has been a huge boost."

The Indians were adding 5,000 to 10,000 extra fans per game near the end of the streak compared to projections of when it began.

"When The Streak ended and Tito (Terry Francona) led the players back on the field and they applauded the fans, that was a great moment," said Barren. "It was genuine. You can't make that up. It's something people will always remember."

BUILDING ATTENDANCE

1. At the start of the 2013 season, the Indians had sold about 7,500 season tickets. That was the lowest total in the Jacobs/Progressive Field Era, which began in 1994.

2. By 2016, the season ticket base was only 8,500.

3. At the start of 2017, it was 12,300.

"That's the key," said Barren. "Selling tickets before the season begins."

During the 455-game sellout streak (June 6, 1995 to April 4, 2001) the Indians averaged about 22,000 season tickets. In some of those seasons, they could have sold more, but the team cut it off to make more single-game tickets available.

But that was a time when the Browns had moved to Baltimore, the Cavs were mediocre, the stadium was new and the Indians were going to the World Series for the first time since 1954. It's doubtful we'll ever see anything like that again, because the area's economy also was in high-gear in the 1990s.

As of now, the Indians have sold 12,500 season tickets for 2018, and it should continue to grow during the postseason.

How did the Tribe rank in season tickets sold for 2017? They were 16th, about the middle of the pack of baseball's 30 teams.

BIGGEST INCREASE

Heading into the weekend, the Indians and Atlanta Braves were fighting for what team had the biggest increase in attendance.

According to Baseball Reference, here are the top three:

1. Atlanta up an average of 5,979 fans per game. The Braves have jumped because they moved into a new stadium.

2. Cleveland up 5,648.

3. Colorado up 4,145.

4. Only 10 teams have shown an increase between 2016-17.

5. The three biggest losers: Kansas City (down 4,352), Pittsburgh (down 4,071) and the New York Mets (down 4,061).

A few other aspects of the Tribe's rise:

1. Sunday has been a difficult day for the team to draw for years. This season, the average attendance rose from 21,115 a year ago to 26,464.

2. Fans seem to love day games during the week. The Indians' overall average attendance is 25,145. That includes 13 crowds of at least 30,000 on weekends. In eight day games during the week, the Indians averaged 24,114.

THE MARKET BREAKDOWN

1. It's hard for some veteran fans to realize Cleveland is no longer a top 10 city in market size. I checked various rating services of media markets. The Cleveland/Akron market is No. 18 according to News Generation and Neilsen.

2. Cleveland is the smallest market with MLB, NBA and NFL teams.

3. Here are the rankings of other teams in the Central Division: Chicago (No. 3), Detroit (No. 13), Minneapolis/St. Paul (No. 15) and Kansas City (No. 33).

4. LeBron James is back in town and the Cavs have had an epic run of three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals. A lot of dollars from fans and corporate money is spent at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have sold out every game since James returned in 2014, and are expected to do that again in 2017-18.

5. The Browns are the Browns. Even if attendance is down, the NFL franchise still has a hold on the fan base.

THE HIDDEN NUMBERS

The Indians rank No. 22 in overall attendance. While not impressive in the ranking of the 30 teams, it is significant.

Here's why:

1. The Indians ranked No. 28 in attendance in 2016.

2. From 2012-15, they either ranked No. 28 or No. 29.

3. The last time they ranked as high as No. 22 was 2008, when they also were 22nd.

But there is another number, and it's very significant. It's revenue: How much money is coming in from tickets?

For example, between 2012-13, the Tribe's attendance was nearly the same. But I heard revenue was up about 15 percent in 2013 compared to the year before.

Like nearly every team in the majors, the Indians use "dynamic pricing" where prices change based on demand. It's very hard to even make an educated guess on revenue. Teams guard those numbers. But this much is certain, Tribe attendance is up about 25 percent, and revenues will probably rise at least that much.

THE 'NEW BALLPARK'

For some fans of a certain age, Progressive Field is still "the new ballpark." Built in 1994, Progressive Field is the 11th oldest park in the majors.

That's right, 19 parks are newer! But the Indians made renovations starting with the 2015 season, and it has created a new look. There are fewer seats. But there are more places to stand and watch the game, such as The Corner area in right field -- that has been sold out for every game since July.

"Families like the Kids Clubhouse area," said Barren. "A lot of younger adults like The Corner areas down both foul lines. Some fans still love to sit in their seats and watch the games."

The changes in the park generally have been well-received.

"You have to give (former Tribe president) Mark Shapiro a lot of credit for his vision for the park and his persistence in putting it all together," said Barren. "And ownership really made a big investment, too."

A lot of seats have been taken out. A sellout used to be about 42,000 fans. Now it's about 34,500. The Indians have had 13 sellouts this season, the most since 2001.

"It's been great to see the fans respond," said Barren. "We've had a great summer."