The following is the seventh part of a 10-part series chronicling the Cleveland Indians’ championship history.
Offseason
Following a heartbreaking loss in Game Seven of the 1997 World Series, the Cleveland Indians looked to finally chase down the World Championship in the 1998 season. Multiple moves were made in the offseason to improve the Tribe’s roster, including trading Matt Williams to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Travis Fryman, Tom Martin, and cash; trading Marquis Grissom to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Fetters, Ben McDonald, and Ron Villone; and acquiring free agents Kenny Lofton and Dwight “Doc” Gooden.
1998 Season
During the season, the Indians acquired infielder David Bell, outfielder Mike Whiten, and infielder Cecil Fielder. Perhaps the most important midseason transaction was the drafting of pitcher C. C. Sabathia with the 20th overall pick of the 1998 draft.
The Indians began the 1998 season by going 6-0, including sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and Anaheim Angels. This excellent start to the season propelled the Tribe into first place in the American League Central Division, where they would remain for the entire season. Cleveland finished the season nine game ahead of second-place Chicago, clinching their fourth-straight Central Division Championship.
The Tribe’s offense was anchored by Jim Thome, who hit 30 home runs and 85 RBIs, Manny Ramirez, who hit 45 home runs and 145 RBIs, and newly acquired Travis Fryman who hit 28 homers and 96 RBIs. Offseason addition Kenny Lofton contributed 54 stolen bases and shortstop Omar Vizquel added 37 steals of his own.
Cleveland’s pitching staff featured four ten-game winners: Charlie Nagy, Bartolo Colon, Dave Burba, and Jaret Wright. Colon had a team-best ERA of 3.71 and recorded two complete game shutouts. Doc Gooden rounded out the Indians’ rotation, posting an ERA of 3.76. Mike Jackson replaced Jose Mesa as the Tribe’s closer, earning 40 saves in 69 appearances.
1998 American League Division Series
Having produced the second-best record in the American League, the Indians earned home field advantage in the American League Division Series against the Wild Card Boston Red Sox.
Game One
Game One of the 1998 ALDS featured Cleveland starter Jaret Wright against Boston’s Pedro Martinez. The Red Sox jumped on Wright early when Mo Vaughn hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. Boston added three more runs in the fifth when Nomar Garciaparra’s home run scored John Valentin and Damon Buford.
The Red Sox took an 8-0 lead in the sixth when Vaughn hit his second home run of the night, a two-run shot off of reliever Doug Jones. The Indians attempted to chip away at Boston’s lead, scoring two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh. However, the Red Sox continued their assault on the Cleveland bullpen in the eighth, eventually winning 11-3 and taking a 1-0 lead in the 1998 ALDS.
Game Two
After taking a beating in Game One, the Indians’ offense responded in Game Two in front of a sold out Jacobs Field crowd. Doc Gooden took the mound for Cleveland and walked the first two batters before striking out Mo Vaughan. Gooden then surrendered a two-run double to Nomar Garciaparra. Third baseman John Valentin was called safe at home even though replays showed he was tagged out by catcher Sandy Alomar.
Gooden argued the call and was ejected from the game, forcing Cleveland’s Dave Burba to enter the game with one out in the first. Burba retired the next two batters and Cleveland cut Boston’s lead in half with a David Justice sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
Burba held the Red Sox scoreless in the top half of the second and the Indians’ bats exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the inning. The inning started with a Travis Fryman single, followed by a Sandy Alomar RBI double, a walk to Joey Cora, and an RBI double by Kenny Lofton, forcing Boston starter Tim Wakefield out of the game.
Wakefield’s replacement, John Wasdin, didn’t fare much better, surrendering a three-run homer to David Justice to give Cleveland a 6-2 lead after two innings. Both teams would add a run in the third and the Red Sox would attempt to start a comeback in the sixth. Trailing 7-3, Boston loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk to start the inning. Thankfully for the Tribe, Burba was able to pitch his way out of danger, forcing right fielder Darren Bragg to hit into a double play.
Burba and the Cleveland bullpen escaped the sixth allowing only two runs, maintaining a 7-5 Indians’ lead. Cleveland responded with a Manny Ramirez RBI double in the bottom of the sixth and a Cora run on a wild pitch in the eighth to secure a 9-5 victory, evening the series at one game apiece.
Game Three
Two days after the Tribe tied the series, the 1998 ALDS moved to Boston, featuring starters Charlie Nagy and Bret Saberhagen. After three scoreless innings, the Red Sox broke through in the fourth thanks to singles by Mo Vaughn and Darren Lewis, who scored on a Nomar Garciaparra groundout.
The Indians responded gradually with a Jim Thome home run in the fifth, a Kenny Lofton homer in the sixth, and home runs by Manny Ramirez in the seventh and ninth innings. Cleveland closer Mike Jackson ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth when Garciaparra hit a two-run homer to make it 4-3, but Jackson forced the next two batters to groundout, giving the Indians a 2-1 series lead.
Game Four
Facing elimination in Game Four, the Red Sox were hoping to force a return to Cleveland for Game Five. Game Four proved to be a pitching duel, with Indians’ starter Bartolo Colon facing Boston’s Pete Schourek. Colon held the Red Sox scoreless until the fourth inning, when Nomar Garciaparra hit a lead-off home run to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Boston tried to take a 2-0 lead in the sixth, but John Valentin was thrown out at home plate.
Colon exited the game in the sixth, leaving Cleveland’s bullpen with a one run deficit. Schourek surrendered only two hits in five and one-third innings of work and was replaced by Derek Lowe, who pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings.
After being shutout for seven innings, the Tribe finally broke through in the top of the eighth when Kenny Lofton and Omar Vizquel scored on a double by David Justice. Cleveland’s bullpen held onto the 2-1 lead, allowing the Indians to advance to the American League Championship Series for the third time in four seasons.
1998 American League Championship Series
The Indians faced the top-seeded New York Yankees, who swept the West Division Champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS, in Cleveland’s third American League Championship Series appearance in franchise history. With the Yankees earning home field advantage based on regular season records, Game One opened at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Tuesday, October 6.
Game One
Cleveland starter Jaret Wright was forced to leave the game right after it began. Wright allowed four consecutive singles to start the game, including RBIs by Paul O’Neill and Bernie Williams. After retiring the next two Yankees, Wright threw a wild pitch which allowed O’Neill to score. He followed with a walk and an RBI single to Jorge Posada before being replaced by Chad Ogea. Ogea gave up an RBI single to third baseman Scott Brosius before finally getting out of the inning, trailing 5-0.
New York added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 7-0 lead. Yankees starter David Wells dominated Indians’ hitters, allowing only three hits in eight scoreless innings. The Tribe attempted to rally in the ninth inning when second baseman Joey Cora hit a leadoff single and scored on a Manny Ramirez home run. However, Jeff Nelson would relieve Wells and retire the next two Indians to give the Yankees a 7-2 victory.
Game Two
Game Two of the 1998 ALCS remained in New York, and the Indians’ offense continued to struggle. Yankees’ starter David Cone allowed only one run, a David Justice solo homer in the fourth, in eight innings of work. Fortunately for the Indians, starter Charlie Nagy and the Cleveland bullpen were just as dominant. The only run Nagy gave up was an RBI double to Scott Brosius in the seventh inning. Nagy exited the game following the Brosius RBI with Game Two deadlocked at 1-1.
Outstanding performances from both bullpens followed, with the teams using a combined 10 relievers. The game remained tied until the top of the twelfth inning, when pinch-runner Enrique Wilson scored on a throwing error by first baseman Tino Martinez. Sandy Alomar was hit by a pitch and Joey Cora earned a walk to load the bases for Kenny Lofton. Always a clutch performer, Lofton delivered in a big way, hitting a two-run single to give the Indians a 4-1 lead. Closer Mike Jackson pitched a hitless bottom of the twelfth to tie the series at 1-1.
Game Three
Having already won on the road, the Indians could now clinch the American League pennant in front of their home crowd by winning the next three games, all of which were held in Cleveland. Game Three featured Bartolo Colon against Andy Pettitte. Colon continued his postseason success, allowing only one run and four hits while pitching a complete game.
Colon received offensive support courtesy of home runs by Manny Ramirez, Mark Whiten, and two from Jim Thome. Cleveland won easily with a final score of 6-1, giving the Indians the series lead for the first time.
Game Four
Cleveland’s series lead would be short-lived however, as the Tribe offense failed to show up for Game Four. Starter Doc Gooden fell behind in the first after giving up a solo home run to Paul O’Neill. The Yankees would get two more runs from Gooden in the fourth, thanks to a Chili Davis RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Tino Martinez. New York added one more run in the ninth to seal a 4-0 victory, evening the 1998 ALCS at 2-2.
Game Five
The Yankees reclaimed ALCS home field advantage in Game Four and looked to steal another game on the road in Game Five. Both Cleveland starter Chad Ogea and New York’s David Wells gave up runs in the first inning. Ogea allowed a two-run single to Chili Davis and an RBI groundout by Tim Raines to give New York a 3-0 lead.
Wells fell victim to a leadoff home run by Kenny Lofton and a sacrifice by Manny Ramirez to cut the Yankees’ lead to 3-2. Ogea was forced out of the game in the top of the second after allowing a walk and back-to-back singles to give New York a 4-2 lead. Ogea’s replacement, Jaret Wright, allowed only one run in six innings of relief, but the deficit was too great for the Indians to overcome, losing by a final of 5-3.
Game Six
Cleveland’s hopes of a third American League pennant in four years grew dim entering Game Six. The Indians needed to win both games in New York in order to return to the Fall Classic.
Starter Charlie Nagy was attacked by the Yankees’ offense, allowing two runs in the first and one in the second to give New York a 3-0 lead. The Bronx Bombers continued their attack in the third, when they added three unearned runs on a Scott Brosius home run.
Cleveland fought back in the fifth when New York pitcher David Cone started the inning by giving up singles to Enrique Wilson, Kenny Lofton, and Omar Vizquel. Cone followed that up by walking David Justice with the bases loaded and giving up a grand slam to Jim Thome, reducing New York’s lead to 6-5.
Cone left the game after the fifth and the New York bullpen held strong, refusing to allow another Indians’ run. The Yankees added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it did not matter as New York won 9-5 and captured the American League pennant for the second time in three seasons.
The Yankees won their second World Championship in three years and took the title of “Team of the Decade” away from Cleveland and Atlanta. Heartbreak again resonated throughout Cleveland, with the realization that as the talent on the Tribe’s roster continued to grow older, the chance of winning a World Series continued to decrease.
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Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_ALDS “1998 American League Division Series” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_American_League_Championship_Series “1998 American League Championship Series” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cleveland_Indians_season “1998 Cleveland Indians Season” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
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http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199810110.shtml “October 11, 1998 American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 5, Yankees at Indians” Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199810060.shtml “October 6, 1998 American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 1, Indians at Yankees” Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
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http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1998-schedule-scores.shtml “1998 Cleveland Indians Schedule, Box Scores and Splits” Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ANGRY+INDIANS+FIND+JUSTICE+IN+BIG+VICTORY%3B+EJECTIONS+LIGHT+FIRE,…-a083841234 “Angry Indians Find Justice in Big Victory; Ejections Light Fire, Cleveland Ties Up Series: Cleveland 9, Boston 5” David A. Markiewicz, Fort-Worth Star Telegram. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
