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Indians-Mariners at a Glance
Pitchers | Hitters | Matchup Breakdown | Big Picture
| Cleveland Indians |
W-L: 14-12
ERA: 4.09
Vs. SEA: 0-2, 3.31 |
W-L: 8-7
ERA: 5.54
Vs. SEA: 0-0, 0.00 |
W-L: 17-5
ERA: 4.39
Vs. SEA: -- |
W-L: 10-10
ERA: 6.21
Vs. SEA: 0-0, 31.50 |
| Team pitching statistics |
| Seattle Mariners |
W-L: 18-6
ERA: 3.05
Vs. CLE: 1-0, 3.07 |
W-L: 20-6
ERA: 3.43
Vs. CLE: 2-0, 0.64 |
W-L: 15-5
ERA: 3.60
Vs. CLE: 0-0, 3.95 |
W-L: 17-4
ERA: 4.25
Vs. CLE: 1-0, 7.71 |
| Team pitching statistics |
Pitchers | Hitters | Matchup Breakdown | Big Picture
Pitchers | Hitters | Matchup Breakdown | Big Picture
| Matchups |
Indians:
Tribe was the only AL team to catch the Mariners this
season -- even if for just one game. Trailing 12-0 after three
innings and 14-2 after seven at home on Aug. 5, Indians rallied for
15-14 win in 11 innings. The comeback was baseball's biggest in 76
years and may have been turning point in Cleveland's season.
May be some bad blood lingering between teams stemming from Aug. 25
game when Vizquel complained to umpires that Rhodes' diamond
earrings were distracting him at the plate. Both benches emptied
and Rhodes was ejected before throwing a pitch.
Four of seven
games vs. Mariners were decided by one run and two went to extras.
Batted .263 with eight homers and scored 34 runs in seven games
vs. M's.
Vizquel hit team-high .344 (11-for-32) and Lofton
batted .357 (10-for-28) with eight runs.
Burks batted just .136
(3-for-22) with 0 RBIs and Thome hit .160 (4-for-25) and struck out
11 times.
Colon lost two matchups with Moyer, but pitched his
only complete game in a 2-1 loss on Aug. 3. Indians scored just one
run in Colon's other loss. Indians ace entered the season 2-0 with
1.46 ERA at Safeco.
Made a season-high four errors in 8-6 loss
to M's on Aug. 6.
Sabathia, who didn't face Mariners, had never
pitched more than 146 innings before his 180 1/3 this season.
Mariners:
Suzuki makes the Mariners' offense go and Cleveland had
trouble dealing with him this season. Batted .407 with 7 RBIs in
six games against Indians.
After blowing 12-run lead in August,
came back to win next three games showing strong resolve.
Nelson, a key to the Yankees' four World Series titles in five
years, struggled this season against Cleveland, allowing five runs
in one inning. A key matchup could be between Nelson, a side-arming
righty, and Gonzalez, Cleveland's most lethal righty slugger.
Gonzalez is 8-for-23 in his career against Nelson.
Moyer was
outstanding in two starts vs. Indians, winning both and allowing
only one run in 14 innings.
Martinez is a .354 career hitter
against Cleveland with 23 homers and 77 RBIs in 404 at-bats.
Three of Boone's six hits this season against the Indians were home
runs.
In only other postseason matchup, Cleveland beat Seattle
4-2 in '95 ALCS.
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Pitchers | Hitters | Matchup Breakdown | Big Picture
| Indians |
After injuries led to missing the playoffs in 2000 for
the first time since '94 strike, Cleveland celebrated its 100th
anniversary season by reclaiming the AL Central. Division title was
club's sixth in seven years.
Tribe overcame a five-game deficit
in the second half to catch Minnesota.
Posted 44-36 record at
home, winning 14 of their final 21 at Jacobs Field.
Veteran
club brings a wealth of postseason experience into October led by
core group -- Lofton, Vizquel, Thome -- who have been with team since
early 90s.
Manager Charlie Manuel rejoined the club over the
weekend in Toronto after his third stint in the hospital this
season. Manuel, 57, is wildly popular with his players who missed
having him around during the division-clinching celebration and
plan to give him another party.
Gonzalez signed a one-year deal
in the offseason and made the Indians and fans forget about Manny
Ramirez. He played more like the Gonzalez who won two AL MVPs in
Texas and not the injury-plagued malcontent of last year in
Detroit.
Alomar had an MVP-type season, doing whatever
necessary to win.
Wickman grumbled when Rocker appeared to take
away his closer's job, but was steady down the stretch.
After
being a long shot to make the roster during spring training, the
21-year-old Sabathia emerged as club's steadiest starter.
|
| Mariners |
Tied the major league record with 116 wins with a game
to spare, but will revert to 0-0 once playoffs begin.
Eighth
major league team to lead from wire to wire, the first from the AL
West.
Led the AL in pitching, scoring, and fielding.
Broke
franchise record of 91 wins set last season when they made it to
the ALCS and lost to the Yankees in six games as the wild card
team.
Fourth playoff appearance in seven years, all under
manager Lou Piniella, who led the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to the World
Series title.
Set an AL record for road wins in a season (59).
Suzuki and Boone more than made up for the departure of
All-Star SS Alex Rodriguez to Texas, where he got a record $252
million contract. Boone set AL records for most homers and RBIs by
a second baseman. Suzuki won the batting title in his first year in
the majors after winning seven in Japan.
Had only one four-game
losing streak.
Despite losing Ken Griffey Jr. and A-Rod in
recent years and moving out of the cozy Kingdome, the Mariners led
the majors in runs scored.
Piniella doesn't wait for the homer.
Mariners led majors with 173 steals.
Lack dominant starter,
such as former ace Randy Johnson, but they have a deep starting
rotation led by Garcia, the AL ERA champion at 3.05. Also have deep
and talented bullpen headed by closer Sasaki, Rhodes and Nelson.
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| Things To Look For |
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Ichiromania. All of Japan will be watching Suzuki's first
postseason in the majors. Pitchers haven't adapted to his unique
slap-hitting style. He won the AL batting title, led the majors in
hits, multihit games, and steals. He also led the majors with a
.449 batting average with runners in scoring position, hit .363
against right-handers and played Gold Glove defense in right field.
Rhodes vs. Vizquel. Major flap in the regular season when
Vizquel asked the umpires to have Rhodes take his diamond earrings
off. Almost led to a brawl and also unnerved Rhodes, who gave up
the game-winning hit the next day.
Colon or semi-Colon? Indians' fireballer seems to lose
interest at times, but has historically come through in big games.
None will be as important as Game 1.
Another Indians' comeback. Both of Cleveland's regular-season
wins over Seattle came in games it trailed entering the ninth. The
Comeback convinced Cleveland players that anything's possible.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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