Bullpens expected to be active in Game 7

Posted: Sun October 26, 1997 at 4:07 PM ET

MIAMI (CNN/SI) -- The last time the World Series went the distance was 1991. In arguably the best single-game performance in baseball history, Jack Morris of the Minnesota Twins pitched 10 shutout innings en route to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

It is highly unlikely that either side will go with its starter more than five innings Sunday night when the Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins decide the baseball champion for 1997.

A pitcher has yet to go the distance in this World Series, and the chances are remote it will happen Sunday night, as both managers will not hesitate to lift a starter at even the slightest hint of trouble.

"It's Johnny Wholestaff," said the Indians' Orel Hershiser when asked who would pitch Sunday night. "Everybody has to be ready. You are not trying to save your bullpen. You might not see a pitcher come to the plate."

The pitching matchup is not one that lends itself to a complete game.

Indians manager Mike Hargrove waited until midnight to confirm what was expected all along. He elected to start rookie Jaret Wright on three days rest rather than Charles Nagy, who warmed up in the bullpen during Game 6.

Wright is 3-0 with a 5.75 ERA in four postseason starts and labored to a 10-3 victory over the Marlins in Game 4 on Wednesday, allowing three runs and five walks in six innings. Nagy worked a night earlier in Game 3 and was reluctant to challenge hitters, allowing five earned runs, four walks and six hits in six innings.

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"The performance we got out of [Wright] in Game 4 led me to believe he will be effective on three days," Hargrove said. "The last time he threw on three days was against the Yankees in the Division Series, and he threw well."

Wright was the winner in the decisive Game 5 against the Yankees, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. But as effective as he has been, Wright has not lasted into the seventh inning in any of his postseason starts. Hargrove even pushed Wright's first start in the World Series to the fourth game, concerned that the 21-year-old might be running out of gas.

"My arm feels good," countered Wright, who becomes the first rookie to start a seventh game of a World Series since Joe Magrane of St. Louis in 1987. "I got a lot of rest before my last start."

Hargrove will likely go to Wright until the middle innings and then move to his talented bullpen. Brian Anderson, who pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Wright in Game 4 and is expected to be part of the starting rotation in 1998, is a likely middle reliever. Even Nagy is a possibility.

"Charlie is a professional and if he's disappointed about not starting Game 7 he won't show it," said Hershiser. "Charlie could be in the game Sunday night."

Using starters in relief in a decisive game is not uncommon. Randy Johnson, for example, pitched in relief for Seattle in the 1995 Division Series win over the New York Yankees.

The Marlins counter with enigmatic Al Leiter, who was 11-9 with a 4.34 ERA during the regular season and did not have a complete game in 27 starts. The left-hander has made three postseason starts and his longest outing has been six innings.

Leiter lasted just 4 2/3 innings in Game 3 against the Indians, allowing seven runs -- four earned -- and six walks. Another quick hook would not be a surprise, even to Leiter.

"Obviously it's the last game of the year and you go about it that way," Leiter said. "It's all out. It's all or nothing."

Florida manager Jim Leyland was forced to go to his bullpen by the sixth inning on Saturday due to the poor outing by Kevin Brown, but stressed that is not a major concern.

"Our bullpen did a great job," Leyland said. "Nobody got overworked. We've still got [Antonio] Alfonseca and [Cook] and [Robb] Nen. I will do whatever it takes to win this game."

Even bringing back Livan Hernandez, the winner in Games 1 and 5?

"I doubt it very much, possibly in a total emergency, but I doubt it," Leyland said.

A seventh game of a World Series should qualify as such an emergency, but the candidate most likely to see an extended stint is Cook, who did not work in Saturday's game and has pitched eight scoreless innings in the playoffs, allowing just one hit.

The Marlins and Indians tied a World Series record for a nine-inning game by combining to use 11 pitchers on Tuesday. Look for them to approach that figure Sunday night, making the performance of Morris a distant memory.