Game 147

September 14, 2017 – Lindor Keeps the Streak Alive with 2-out Single Off the Wall

The Indians entered this Thursday night game riding a twenty-one game winning streak. Sports talk radio was abuzz with debate about whether a win would place the Tribe in sole possession of the longest winning streak. Either they would pass up the 21 win streak of the 1935 Cubs. Or they would still be chasing the 1916 Giants, who went 26 games without losing. The Giant’s streak included a tie. 

Josh Tomlin was matched up with Jacob Junis for this run at history. The Tribe got behind early as the Royals got to Tomin in the top of the second inning. He walked Eric Hosmer to lead off the inning, and then Salvador Perez lined a single into right field that advanced Hosmer to third. Mike Moustakis grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Hosmer came home to score. 

Abe Almonte lead off the Indians’ half of the third with a line drive double down the right field line. With two outs, Lonnie Chisenhall looped a double into right. Almonte dug for home and came around to score. Chisenhall attempted to stretch the play into a double, but was thrown out at second to end the inning. 

In the top of the sixth, Tomlin gave up a double to Whit Merrifield. Lorenzo Cain hit into a fielders choice that put Merrifield out at third. Melky Cabrera grounded one weakly down the first base line. Carlos Santana charged the ball and flipped it to second to get Cain at second. Eric Hosmer slapped a double down the left field line that scored Melky from first. 

Andrew Miller returned from the injured list to pitch the top of the seventh. He allowed two hits, but got Alex Gordon to hit into an inning-ending double play to get out of trouble. One of the more incredible facts about the streak is that the Tribe won 21 games straight without their best relief pitcher. 

The Indians offense could not get anything going against Royals reliever Mike Minor in the seventh. They loaded the bases against Ryan Butcher in the bottom of the eighth, but consecutive pop-foul outs by Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana ended the threat. 

Kelvin Herrera got Yandy Diaz to ground out to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Tyler Naquin slapped a single through the left side of the infield. Francisco Mejia grounded to second and Naquin was forced out. Erik Gonzalez came on to pinch run for Mejia. The Indians were down to their final out, and Francisco Lindor was hitless on the day so far. Lindor came to the plate looking to keep the Indians’ hopes–and the streak–alive. 

Lindor worked Herrera into a 2-2 count. Down to his final strike, Lindor laced one into deep left field. Alex Gordon raced to the base of the 19-foot wall and made a leaping attempt, but was unable to make the catch. Gonzalez raced around to score the tying run, and Lindor ended up on second. Austin Jackson grounded out to end the inning and send the game to extras tied at 2-2. 

Cody Allen needed only eighteen pitches to retire the Royals in the top of the tenth. Over the course of the streak Cody Allen did not allow a single run. His ERA was perfect from August 12th through this game. 

Jose Ramirez lined Brandon Maurer’s 1-1 pitch into right-center and never hesitated in pushing for second. He narrowly beat the throw and was safe with a double to get things started in the bottom of the tenth. Maurer had Edwin Encarnacion behind in the count 0-2, but EE hung in and drew a seven-pitch walk.

Jay Bruce stepped to the plate and laced one into the right field corner. Ramirez raced around from second to score the winning run and give the 2017 Indians a place in history. 

During the streak, the Tribe outscored their opponents by a combined score of 140–36 in an unprecedented run of dominance. 

Baseball Reference Box Score 

Game 102

July 29, 2017 – Brandon Guyer Scores Go-Ahead Run with Clutch Hit-by-Pitch

Brandon Guyer became somewhat mythical for crowding the plate and sacrificing his body in clutch situations. Guyer led the league in Hit by Pitches in 2016 with 31, seven more than his nearest plate-crowding competition. FanGraphs August Fagerstrom even anointed him the Hit-by-Pitch King, given that he was hit more frequently (normalized for appearances) than any other player in modern history.  

On this day, Corey Kluber was on the hill against the White Sox’ Miguel Gonzales for this Saturday night contest on the south side of Chicago with some sweet 1917 throwback unis. Kluber gave up a seeing eye single to start the game, but then struck out the next three Sox. 

In the top of the second, Carlos Santana walked and then reached second on a fly ball to right field that was mishandled by Alan Hansen. Yan Gomes drove in Santana with a sacrifice fly. 

Kluber retired the Sox in order in the bottom of the second. He used only 10 pitches in the inning. 

Bradley Zimmer and Francisco Lindor notched consecutive singles to lead off the top of the third. Michael Brantley drove in Zimmer with a sac fly to deep center field. An Edwin Encarnacion single brought Lindor in to score. With two outs, Austin Jackson bounced one over the wall in left-center for a ground rule double that scored Encarnacion and made the game 4-0 Indians. 

Jose Abreu cut the deficit drastically in the Chicago half of the third when he cracked a three-run homer to deep left field. In the bottom of the sixth, Kluber got both Matt Davidson and Omar Narvaez to strike out swinging, but with two outs Alan Hansen lined Kluber’s first pitch down the right field line. Tim Anderson followed with a bloop double to short right, which allowed Hansen to score from second and tie the game. 

Andrew Miller held the game in a tie by recording the last two outs of the seventh and all of the eighth. 

In the top of the ninth, Carlos Santana drew a two-out walk from Aaron Bummer. Austin Jackson sent a line drive single into right field, advancing Santana to second. Greg Infante came on to relieve Bummer and hit Yan Gomes with his very first pitch to load the bases. 

Terry Francona brought Brandon Guyer off the bench to pinch hit for Erik Gonzales. On a 1-2 count, Infante hit Guyer sharply in the elbow, sending Guyer to his knees in the batter’s box. Guyer was awarded first base, forcing in Santana for the go-ahead run. In this case, Guyer was hit on the elbow, rather than in the thigh or calf as he took his stride out over the plate. 

Cody Allen retired the Sox in order for the save and the Indians cashed in on Guyer’s willingness to sacrifice his forearm for the win. In a postgame interview Guyer explained, “The goal going up to the plate is to get a run. That’s not how I want to do it, but at the end of the day, it helped our team win a game. I’ll take it.”

Andrew Miller quipped, ” Fortunately, if anybody’s used to it, it’s got to be him.”

Guyer led the league in HBP in both 2015 and 2016, but Shin-Soo Choo currently leads all active players with 143 HBP for his career to date. He is unlikely to catch all-time leader Hughie Jennings with 287 or modern-day leader Craig Biggio with 285. 

Baseball Reference Box Score

Honorable Mention: August 4, 1932 (Game 1) – First Win in Municipal Stadium 

The Indians played their first game at the Stadium on July 31, 1932, but did not notch a win on the lakefront until August 4th, with 8-2 Victory over the Red Sox. The Tribe hit five triples in their spacious new home. However; fans complained about the massive outfield and after the 1933 season the Indians moved back to League Park until they brought Sunday and Holiday games back to the lakefront in 1937.

Baseball Reference Box Score

Game 84

July 3, 2018 – Game-Winning Grand Slam Second Day in a Row

On July 2nd 2018, Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth to break a 2-2 tie against the Royals. These would go on to be the game-winning runs. 

On the next night in Kansas City, the Indians got out to an early lead, scoring two runs off Danny Duffy in the top of the first. 

The Royals answered in the bottom of the first when Lucas Duda sent a home run over bullpen in right field to tie the game at 2-2. 

In the bottom of the second with Adalberto Mondesi on second, Whit Merrifield blooped a hit just out of reach for Rajai Davis who was charging in from center. Mondesi scored after the ball dropped and rolled past Davis. Then, Merrifield scores from first on line drive over third base by Rosell Herrera putting KC up 4-2. 

Edwin Encarnacion walked to lead off the top of the sixth. Brandon Guyer was hit by Danny Duffy’s fourth pitch. Yonder Alonso loaded the bases with a single. Catcher Yan Gomes stepped in and took Duffy’s 1-0 pitch into the Indians bullpen in left field. This put the Tribe ahead 6-4, but the lead was far from safe. 

Royals had tying run at second in both the 8th and 9th. In the 8th, Royals catcher Salvador Perez was on second with Hunter Dozier at the plate. Dozier sent a ground ball through the left side of the Infield, which was run down by Rajai Davis. Perez hesitated rounding third base as Davis threw to the cutoff man Francisco Lindor. Lindor spun and threw a strike to Gomes at the plate. Perez was initially called safe, but the play was reviewed and the out was confirmed. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Mondesi and Merrifield were aboard for the Royals with only one out. Cody Allen struck out Rosell Herrera and got Salvador Perez to fly out to deep left to end the game and record the four-out save. 

Baseball Reference Box Score

Game 59

June 23, 1950 – Luke Easter Hits the Longest Home Run in Municipal Stadium History

In 1949, the Indians signed a contract with Luscious “Luke” Easter, one of the most prolific stars of the American Negro League. Playing in 1948 for the Homestead Greys against the New York Cubans, he hit a home run into the center field bleachers at the Polo Grounds– 475 feet from home plate.

At the beginning of 1949, only the Dodgers (Jackie Robinson),  Indians (Larry Doby), and St. Louis Browns (Hank Thompson) were integrated. Easter was send to AAA San Diego to get ready for the majors. He was only the second black player in the Pacific Coast League. When asked his opinion on integrating the PCL he told San Diego president Bill Starr, “Everybody likes me when I hit the ball.” Easter certainly hit the ball, recording several record-setting home runs in PCL stadiums.

Easter joined the Indians August 11, 1949 and became the 11th black player in the MLB. On June 23rd, 1950 Bob Lemon was pitching for the Indians against the Senators Bob Ross. Tribe shortstop Ray Boone opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd. Washington tied it up in the top of the third Eddie Yost scored Sam Dente on a fielder’s choice.

In the bottom of the third with Dale Mitchell on second and Lemon on third, Easter hit a three-run home run off Senators starter Bob Ross making the score 4-1. Easter had another RBI in the bottom of the fourth when he scored Jim Hegan on a powerful line-out to left field.

In the bottom of the 6th, facing Joe Haynes, Luke Easter hit the most prodigious blast in the 61-year tenure of Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Ball traveled well past the 470 mark in center, and cleared the auxiliary scoreboard. The distance traveled was estimated at 505 feet. The only other home run ever hit over the auxiliary scoreboard was by Mickey Mantle in 1960.

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The Indians rode Easter’s 6-RBI day to a 13-4 victory.  He would go on to finish the 1950 season with a .280 batting average, 28 home runs, and 107 RBIs. Easter turned 35 in what was technically his rookie season in MLB.

After playing for the Rochester Red Wings and Buffalo Bisons in the International League well into his 50s, Luke Easter returned to Cleveland and was working as the chief union steward for the Aircraft Workers Alliance at the TRW plant in Euclid. One of his functions as steward was to cash paychecks for the union membership. On March 29, 1979, he was held up by robbers after cashing the checks. During the robbery, Easter was shot and was pronounced dead on arrival at Euclid Hospital. In 1980, the city park in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood was named after him and a bust was erected in the park.

Baseball Reference Box Score

Honorable Mention – June 5, 2018 – Cody Allen Becomes Indians All-Time Saves Leader

Baseball Reference Box Score