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 A blast from Boomer Wells gives Indians -- and their fans -- the business
Posted: Sunday October 11, 1998 11:04 PM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- First David Wells gave it to the Indians. Then he gave it to their fans. Wells doesn't take any guff -- from anyone, not even George Steinbrenner. So when Cleveland fans booed him when he walked off the mound in the eighth inning Sunday, he doffed his cap, waving it at the crowd before greeting his teammates with high-fives in the dugout. "To all those idiots out there, this one's for you," Wells said after leading the Yankees to a 5-3 win and a 3-2 lead in the AL championship series. Wells was rattled by fan remarks about his mother, who died about 1 1/2 years ago. "There was a lot of negative stuff out there ... people talking about your mom," he said. "I don't appreciate stuff like that. I appreciate the fans who appreciate a good game of baseball." Wells didn't need to be perfect -- on or off the field. At times, he leaves the impression he carries all of the New York Yankees' hopes across that burly back -- a rock 'n' roll biker who's not afraid of any challenge, a Terminator who will blast through any barrier. Sometimes, he doesn't need to be a superhero. Sometimes, he struggles. But even then, he's no average pitcher. "He's an animal. He goes at you. Tonight was a really gritty performance on his part," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He fights it, he battles it. I'm probably prouder of this effort tonight than the shutouts or the perfect game for that matter." Wells struck out 11, his highest total in 19 career postseason games, allowing seven hits and one walk in 7 1-3 innings. He improved to 3-0 in the playoffs this year and 7-1 overall in postseason play. This wasn't like Tuesday's series opener, when he got a five-run lead in the first and shut out the Indians until Manny Ramirez's two-run homer in the ninth. "I think it's a real testimony to his ability that he was able to pitch as deep as he did into the game and hold a good-hitting team to three runs," Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove said. Wells got a three-run lead in the first inning Sunday but immediately gave up Kenny Lofton's leadoff home run, singles to Omar Vizquel and Travis Fryman and Ramirez's sacrifice fly. But with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first, he slipped a big curve past Richie Sexson for strike three. That, it turned out, was his most difficult challenge. Wells retired the side in order just twice, but he allowed just one more run, a solo homer by Jim Thome in the sixth. He had volunteered to pitch Game 4, but Torre's response was: "Only if you can pitch tomorrow, too." Wells didn't want to leave Sunday when Torre came out to the mound in the eighth. "I just wouldn't give him the ball," Wells said. "He tried to pry it out." Since that perfect game against Minnesota in May, baseball is paying more attention to Wells. He seems to have raised the standards for himself, too. He didn't have to get every win for the Yankees against Cleveland. Two of the first three was good enough. "He's a loose horse," Torre said. "No question about it."
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