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1980 - PRESENT
1981 Barker Perfect game The shortened season sees the Indians play
only 103 games, but one is among the most memorable ever. Large
Lenny Barker retires 27 consecutive batters on May 15, 1981, to
become the first Cleveland player to do so since Addie Joss. He
beat Toronto 3-0 at Cleveland Stadium.
1994 Opener at Jacobs Field A new era in Indians History begins
on April 4, 1994 when the Tribe plays its first regular season game
at Jacobs Field - a 4-3 win in 11 innings vs. Seattle before 41,459
fans.
1995 Murray's 3000th Eddie Murray makes history on June 30, 1995
at Minnesota, when he bounces a single throught the right side for
his 3000th hit. Eddie Murray joins Nap Lajoie and Tris Speaker as
the 3rd player to enter the 3000 hit club while with Cleveland.
1995 Clinch A drought of 41 years ends on September 8, 1995 at Jacobs
Field when the Tribe's 3-2 victory vs. Baltimore clinches the AL
Central Division. A season of memorable comebacks along with hefty
poundings sees the Indians go 100-44, winning the Division by 30
games, the largest margin ever.
Pena home run 10/3/95 In the wee hours of the morning, Tony Pena
delivers Cleveland its first post-season victory since 1948 with
his 13th inning HR on October 3, 1995 in game one of the ALDS. Most
of the Indians faithful remains in chilly Jacobs Field to watch
and celebrate.
1995 ALCS Hero Kenny Lofton scores from second base on a passed
ball in game six of the 1995 ALCS in Seattle. The rattled pitcher,
Randy Johnson, gives up a home run to the ensuing batter, Carlos
Baerga and the Indians burst into the World Series for the first
time since 1954.
1997 On To The World Series Tony Fernandez lifts a laser over the
right field wall in Camden Yards in the top of the 12th to give
the Indians the only run of the game. In the bottom half, Jose Mesa
strikes out Roberto Alomar clinching victory over Baltimore in the
sixth game of the 1997 ALCS.
2000 Fielding Record For so many years the defense of the Indians
has dazzled the league, and 2000 was no different. Gold Glovers
R. Alomar, Vizquel, and Fryman, lead the 2000 Indians to set AL
season fielding records in percentage(.988)& fewest errors(72).
2001 Comeback Tribe The Indians won their sixth American League
Central Division crown in seven years in 2001. After missing the
playoffs by one game in 2000, the Indians did what they were unable
to do in 2000--win games within their division.
The Indians finished 91-71 with a 47-29 record in the Central.
In 2001, Manager Charlie Manuel used a great mix of veterans and
rookies to earn his first postseason appearance as manager. The
good mix should bode well for the Tribe in 2002 as they try to repeat.
Here's a look back at some of the key points from the 2001 season:
January 9, 2001...Tribe signs Juan Gonzalez After home grown slugger
Manny Ramirez signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Red Sox,
the Indians needed someone to fill the clean up spot and play right
field. The Tribe signed two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez to a one-year
contract with a mutual club and player option for '02.
"We needed a guy to take Manny's spot, and Juan (Gonzalez)
did a better than expected job, both offensively and defensively,"
Shapiro said.
February 28, 2001...Indians signs Omar Vizquel to contract extension
The Indians inked the best fielding shortstop in baseball history
to a two-year contract extension. The signing likely insures that
Vizquel will finish is career as an Indian.
"Omar is a very special player -- on the field and off it for
the Indians,'' said General manager John Hart about the eight-time
gold glove winner.
March 12, 2001...Indians signs Einar Diaz to a four-year contract.
After deciding not to re-sign fan favorite Sandy Alomar, Jr., the
Indians decided to sign Diaz to a long-term contract. The 28-year-old
turned out to be a solid force behind the plate, not to mention
offensively.
March 17, 2001... Travis Fryman out 2-4 weeks with elbow injury
In what turned out to be an injury that plagued him the entire year,
Fryman missed the rest of Spring Training and the first two months
of the season with an elbow injury. The injury hurt the Tribe defensively
and offensive.
Fryman had high hopes for the 2001 season as he was coming off a
career year. He batted a career high .321 in 2000, drove in 106
RBI and won is first Gold Glove.
March 25, 2001... Jaret Wright and Charles Nagy start season on
DL Two links to the Tribe's success in the past were placed on the
disabled list to start the season. Wright and Nagy will eventually
rejoin the Indians in the middle of the season, but neither could
finish the season without being placed back on the DL.
April 2, 2001...Opening Day Juan Gonzalez hits two homers against
the Chicago White Sox, but the Tribe still loses. Marty Cordova
makes the 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training and plays
a big role in the season.
April 4, 2001 Sellout streak comes to an end The sellout streak
that began on June 12, 1995 ended on April 4. The 455 sellouts is
a Major League record.
April 8, 2001...Rookie C.C. Sabathia makes Major League debut 20-year-old
left-handed pitcher, Sabathia makes his first career start against
the Baltimore Orioles. After giving up three runs in the first inning,
Sabathia settled down and allowed just one hit the rest of the way.
April 13, 2001...Sabathia picks up his first win The rookie gives
up five runs in five innings, but the Tribe defeats the Tigers,
9-8. The win marks the first of 17 wins for the young southpaw.
April 21, 2001...Jim Thome homers on bobble head doll day Struggling
to start the season, Thome didn't even start the game against the
Tigers. But in the 11th inning on his bobble head doll day, Thome
homered off closer Todd Jones to give the Tribe a 5-4 victory.
April 28, 2001...Indians start longest winning streak of the season
In a 7-3 win over the Rangers, the Tribe embarked on season-high
10-game winning streak.
May 10, 2001...Streak ends The Tribe's 10-game winning streak comes
to an end with an 8-3 loss to the Royals. During the streak, the
Indians swept two teams and outscored their opponents 86-33. More
importantly, they crept to within one game of the first-place Twins.
Jim Thome passed Albert Belle to become the Indians All-Time Home
Run King.
May 19, 2001...Jaret Wright makes first start Wright makes his first
start of the season against the Angels. The right-hander goes five
innings giving up two runs on four hits, but allowed six walks in
the no-decision. He would go on to make six more starts before being
sent down to Triple-A Buffalo.
May 29, 2001...Thome passes Belle Jim Thome hit his 243rd career
homer as an Indian in a 6-4 win over the Tigers. The homer passes
Albert Belle for No. 1 on the Indians all-time home run list.
"It's grveat honor," Thome said. "There's a lot of
great names on that list: Albert (Belle), Manny (Ramirez) and all
the way down ...More importantly, I did it with the Indians."
June 3, 2001...Charles Nagy makes first start Nagy makes an impressive
debut in his first start of the season. The veteran picks up the
win as he shut down the Yankees at Yankee stadium. Nagy goes seven
innings and allows just one run.
June 4-7, 2001...Indians kick off four-game series with Twins
John Rocker was traded to the Indians for Steve Karsay and Steve
Reed.
The Indians roll into Minnesota just 1⁄2 game behind the first-place
Twins. The Indians take three of four games and leave Minnesota
with a 1 1⁄2 game lead over the Twins. The Indians outscore
the Twins, 26-15 in the four games.
June 14-19, 2001... Longest losing streak of the season After taking
first place from the Twins, the Indians drop out of first place
due to a losing streak. Making the losing streak worse is the fact
that four of the five loses come against the Brewers and the Pirates,
including a sweep by the Bucs.
June 22, 2001...John Rocker gets dealt to Tribe In a move to shore
up the bullpen, the Tribe dealt Steve Karsay and Steve Reed to the
Braves for left-handed closer John Rocker.
July 3, 2001...Jaret Wright done for season Wright experienced a
dead arm pitching in a minor league rehab start. After future examinations,
he was diagnosed with shoulder problems--done for season. Wright
was originally set down to Triple A-Buffalo on June 22 to strengthen
his arm.
July 7, 2001...Thome homers three times against the Cardinals Jim
Thome hits three homers and has six RBI as the Tribe routes the
Cardinals, 14-2.
August 5, 2001...Tribe makes greatest comeback in 76 years
Ed Taubensee lifts Kenny Lofton over his shoulders after Lofton
scores the winning run to overcome a 12-run deficit against Seattle.
The Indians came back from an early 14-2 deficit to defeat the Mariners,
15-14, in 11 innings. It was the greatest comeback in 76 years and
as manager Charlie Manuel put it,
"It was the greatest game I ever managed, because I had no
moves to make."
What Manuel meant was he had taken out almost all his regular players,
all but conceding the game. The Tribe scored 12 runs between the
seventh and ninth innings just to send the game into extra innings.
Omar Vizquel's two-out bases clearing triple in the ninth tied the
score at 14, which then set up Jolbert Cabrera's game-winning RBI
single in the 11th.
August 8, 2001...C.C. Sabathia gets win and Tribe takes first place
from Twins Sabathia pitched one of his best games of the season.
He worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits in the win.
It was his 11th win of the season. Juan Gonzalez and Jim Thome each
homered as the Tribe retook first place from the Twins. From this
point on, the Indians stayed in first place.
August 24, 2001...Charles Nagy done for season Nagy was placed on
the disabled list, affectively ending his '01 season. Since returning
in early June, the veteran couldn't take the pain in his elbow.
It was the same arm injury that sidelined him for much of the '00
season.
September 8, 2001...Juan Gonzalez homers twice; sends Sox packing
Gonzalez homers twice, including a grand slam, as the Tribe pulled
out an 8-7 come-from-behind win over the White Sox. Thome also homered
in the win, but it was Kenny Lofton's two-out RBI double in the
bottom of the ninth that ended the White Sox playoffs hopes.
September 18, 2001...Fryman hits grand slam in win In the first
game back since the terrible tragedies in New York and Washington,
the Indians coasted to an 11-2 win over the Royals. Kenny Lofton
hit two homers and Travis Fryman hit a grand slam in the win.
September 30, 2001...Indians clinch With a 9-1 win over the Twins,
the Indians clinched their sixth division title in seven years.
Fittingly, the win came against the Twins, who for most of the season
were in first place. The Indians ended up winning every series against
the Twins posting a 14-5 record while outscoring them 115-73.
October 7, 2001...C.C. another win Move over Herb Score. Rookie
C.C. Sabathia picked up his 17th win of the season against the Blue
Jays. Sabathia past Score -- who won 16 in 1955 -- for the most
wins by an Indians' rookie.
October 9, 2001...Indians take Game 1 against M's To the amazement
of everyone except Cleveland, the Indians defeated the Mariners,
5-0, in Game 1 of the ALDS from SAFECO Field. Bartolo Colon was
outstanding, pitching eight shutout innings and recording 10 strikeouts
in the win. Ellis Burks homered leading the offense.
October 13, 2001... Indians pounds M's take 2-1 lead in series The
Indians set a franchise record for the playoff by scoring 17 runs
and belting out 19 hits in route to a 17-2 win over the Mariners
in Game 3 of the ALDS. C.C. Sabathia pitched six strong innings
as he picked up his first career postseason win.
October 15, 2001...M's eliminate Indians from playoffs In a classic
Game 5, Jamie Moyer pitched great over six innings as the Mariners
defeated the Indians, 3-1, thus eliminating the Tribe from the playoffs.
Moyer was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts against the Indians.
Overall, he was 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA against the Tribe this season
(26IP, 3R, 3ER, 21SO).
October 24, 2001...Charlie Manuel's contract extended Indians manager
Charlie Manuel, who led the Indians to their sixth AL Central Division
crown in seven years, will be back on the bench for the 2002 season.
The Indians decided to pickup Manuel's option after finishing with
his second consecutive 90-plus winning season.
November 1, 2001...General manager steps down John Hart's 10-year
reign of Indians GM comes to an end. Largely responsible for the
winningest era in Tribe baseball, Hart brought six postseason appearances
and two World Series berths to Cleveland. Assistant general manager
Mark Shapiro will take over as general manager.
November 5, 2001...Bob Wickman signed The Tribe signed closer Bob
Wickman to a three-year deal, which includes a club option for a
fourth year. Wickman anchored the Indians' strong bullpen in 2001
and saved 32 games in 35 chances. His save percentage of 91.4 ranked
him fourth among American League closers. He appeared in 70 games
and compiled a 5-0 record with a 2.39 ERA.
December 11, 2001...Roberto Alomar traded to New York Mets The New
York Mets acquired 12-time All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar
from Cleveland Tuesday in an eight-player deal that sent outfielder
Matt Lawton, top prospect Alex Escobar and right-handed reliever
Jerrod Riggan to the Indians.
The Indians also received two players from Rule 5 draft. The Mets
also get left-hander Mike Bacsik and outfielder-first baseman Danny
Peoples from the Indians.
December 17, 2001...Matt Lawton signs four-year contract and Ricky
Gutierrez signed to replace Roberto Alomar. The Cleveland Indians
short search to replace 12-time All-Star second baseman Roberto
Alomar ended, as the Indians inked Ricky Gutierrez to a three-year
contract with a club options for a fourth year.
Matt Lawton, who was part of the Roberto Alomar deal on December
11, signed a four-year contract with the Indians.
1960 - 1979
1963 Wynn's 300th Win On July 13, 1963, Early Wynn beat the White
Sox at Cleveland Stadium to become the only pitcher to win his 300th
game with the Tribe. Nine years later, Wynn finds a home in the
Baseball Hall of Fame.
1975 Frank Robinson Player-Manager Debut April 8, 1975 marks a great
stride for not only baseball, but America. Frank Robinson becomes
the first African-American manager in MLB history, and he enters
the ranks in grand style, hitting a homer in his first at bat.
1977 Dennis Eckersley Throws a No-Hitter On May 30, 1977, Dennis
Eckersley hurls a 1-0 no-hitter. Eckersley ended up now known for
his great achievements as a closer with the Oakland A's, winning
the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992.
1940 - 1959
1940 Feller opening day no-hitter Bob Feller's Opening Day no-hitter
on April 16, 1940 at Comiskey Park was the first of three no-hitters
he pitched for the Indians. No one has ever opened the season with
a no-no.
1948 Star In the pivotal Game 4 of the 1948 World Series, Larry
Doby's home run makes the difference in a 2-1 Tribe victory. Steve
Gromek goes the distance, shutting the Braves offense down to a
single run. The Indians take a 3-1 Series lead and take home the
crown 2 games later.
1954 Indians set AL win record in 1954 Led by the stellar pitching
of Lemon, Wynn and Garcia, the 1954 Indians set American League
records for wins (111) and winning percentage (.721). Feller, Mossi,
Narleski and Newhouser were also notable in the dominating pitching
staff. Doby, Rosen and Avila shined with the bats.
1959 Colavito's Four Homer Game Fan favorite Rocky Colavito ties
the MLB record for home runs in a game with four (in consecutive
at bats) at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium on June 10, 1959. He goes
on to lead the league in homers with 42.
1920 - 1939
1920 World Series First Game 5 of the 1920 World Series sees many
firsts. Elmer Smith belts the first ever Grand Slam in the first
inning. In the 4th, Jim "Sarge" Bagby becomes the first
pitcher to ever hit a home run in the Series. And lastly, the most
improbable firsts happens in the 5th when Bill Wambsganss' turns
an unassisted triple-play, a feat that may never be duplicated.
1925 Speaker's 3000th hit (1925) Indians player-manager Tris Speaker
got his 3000th hit on May 17, 1925 at League Park - the second player
to do so for Cleveland. Speaker was a shoe in for the Hall of Fame
and was elected in 1937.
1932 Opener at Cleveland Stadium The first game at the new Stadium
in 1932 was one of Cleveland's great sporting events with a reported
total attendance of 80,184. Initially, Municipal Stadium split time
with League Park as home to the Indians, but took over full duties
in the 1947 season. 1993 is its final season.
1900 - 1919
1908 Joss Perfect Game Addie Joss pitches a 74-pitch perfect game
at League Park on October 2, 1908. Joss' fantastic career comes
to an abrupt end two and a half years later when he contracts tubercular
meningitis and passes away. Joss is elected to the Hall of Fame
via the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee in 1978.
1910 Opener at New League Park League Park's old, wooden, facility
is replaced with concrete and steel and opens April 21, 1910, seating
about 21,000. Almost 19,000 fans pour into the new park at E. 66th
and Lexington and watch the Detroit Tigers defeat the Cleveland
Naps 5-0. For the next 36 years, League Park hosts Cleveland baseball.
1911 Joss Benefit Game In a forerunner of today's All-Star Game,
stars gathered at League Park for an exhibition against the Naps
to benefit the family of the late Addie Joss on July 24, 1911. The
All-Stars cruise to a 5-3 victory, but the goal of the event is
accomplished - $12,931.60 is raised for the Joss family.
1914 Lajoie's 3,000th hit On September 27, 1914, Nap Lajoie becomes
the first player to reach the exclusive 3,000 hit mark in a Cleveland
uniform. Nap Lojoie is the reason that Cleveland is called the Naps,
showing what honor and respect his team and city had for him.
1915 Louis Sockalexis Cleveland took on the name "Indians"
in 1915, reviving a nickname of its old NL club upon the arrival
of this Native American in 1897. Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward
referred to Sockalexis as "a marvel".
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