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 October blues Indians still waiting for World Series triumph
Posted: Wednesday October 14, 1998 09:12 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fifty years and counting. The Cleveland Indians had hoped this would be the year their World Series title drought would end. This would be the year Willie Mays wouldn't catch Vic Wertz's ball, or Jose Mesa would close out the Florida Marlins in the ninth. But the World Series wait continues in Cleveland for the Indians and their fans. 1948-1998. Fifty years. Only the folks in Chicago and Boston have suffered longer. "We came within two outs of winning one last year," Indians manager Mike Hargrove said Tuesday night. "This year we didn't, either. We will try again next year." Cleveland's season ended Tuesday night in the dampness and din of Yankee Stadium as the Indians watched New York celebrate its 35th pennant with a 9-5 win in Game 6 of the AL championship series. Three Indians errors -- including a crucial one by Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel -- gave the Yankees five unearned runs and Cleveland squandered some early scoring chances against David Cone. "You can't do that with a team like the Yankees," Hargrove said. No doubt. Now what can these Indians do to get to the top? "Well, there are obviously spots that we feel need to be strengthened," Hargrove said. "We feel that our rotation could be improved a little bit. The back end of our bullpen, we'd like to see a little help. Second base has been a problem ... I don't think there has to be a whole lot done with this ballclub. I think this is a good ballclub, just a few tweaks here and there and we'll be OK." Priority No. 1 has to be a dominant No. 1 pitcher. Cleveland has lost the opening game of its past eight postseason series primarily because its Game 1 starter can't match up with its opponent's. In Bartolo Colon and Jaret Wright, Cleveland has two of baseball's most promising young pitchers. Wright will agree Thursday to a long-term contract, Colon is likely to sign a long-term deal this winter and both could develop into aces. But with Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown potential free agents, expect Indians GM John Hart to make a strong run at their services. Cleveland rolled to its fourth straight division crown this season, winning the AL Central wire-to-wire. But that could be part of the Indians' postseason problem. Without many meaningful games from April through September, the ones in October are more pressure-packed and expose any weaknesses. "Coming into the season there were a lot of high expectations, maybe too high," said first baseman Jim Thome, who was having an MVP-caliber year before his hand was broken by a pitch in August, forcing him to miss 35 games. "I thought we responded well. We were in a division we kind of ran away with. I don't think we were pushed, not to take anything away from the other teams." A 10 1/2-game lead at the All-Star break sent the Tribe into cruise control, and although they played only .506-ball in the second half, the only time their lead dipped below double digits was on the season's final day. But while the team coasted down the stretch, Manny Ramirez sizzled. The 26-year-old outfielder hit .294 with a career-high 45 homers and 145 RBIs. He had his first three-homer game in Toronto on September 15 and followed that with two in his next game, tying a major league record with four homers in four at-bats and five in two games. He wasn't done, either. He homered again on September 17 and connected twice more on the 18th, tying a record with eight homers in five games. Ramirez could always hit, that was never a problem. But on the basepaths and in the field he could leave Hargrove scratching his head. Ramirez seemed to have overcome his failings, but in the division series against Boston, he twice broke into a home-run trot on balls that didn't clear the wall. "Manny gets a little lost out there sometimes," Hargrove would say. Then in Game 6 of the ALCS with the Indians trailing 6-5, Ramirez either misjudged, misplayed or mistook Derek Jeter's shot to the gap in right-center for a home run. He seemed to have a shot at the ball, but after realizing he couldn't reach it, Ramirez planted his spikes in the padding and began climbing the wall with his back to the field as the ball bounced at his feet. By the time the Indians tracked it down, Jeter was at third with a two-run triple, Cleveland was down by three runs and the Indians were about to add another year to their World Series dry spell. Vizquel's costly throwing error -- his first error in 46 postseason games -- and Ramirez's comical play were somehow symbolic of Cleveland's '98 season: routine, but just off the mark. "I think it was a learning year," third baseman Travis Fryman said. "A year where our young players got a lot of experience that I think will help the team down the road." The Indians can only hope it won't take another 50 years.
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