Infinite Cleveland

1997 World Series: Game 3
FLORIDA MARLINS @ CLEVELAND INDIANS
OCTOBER 21, 1997
TIMELINE 33
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Florida Marlins 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 9 11 0
Cleveland Indians 0 3 0 7 2 0 0 0 X 12 16 0
Indians Answer Florida's 5-Run Start With 7-Run Inning, Win Game 3
Florida scored five runs in the first two innings and it was not enough. This is the particular cruelty of a seven-run inning — it does not merely erase a deficit but humiliates it, renders the early work pointless, turns what felt like command into prologue.

Gary Sheffield's three-run home run in the first, 344 feet on a 2-2 count at 106 off the bat, and Daulton's RBI double in the third had given the Marlins a 6-3 lead that still felt generous to Cleveland. Then the fourth inning began, and six consecutive Indians reached base on singles — Ramirez, Fernandez, Williams, Grissom, Vizquel, Roberts — none traveling farther than the shallow outfield grass, each one modest and forgettable on its own. Leiter left after the sixth single. Heredia entered and immediately surrendered David Justice's two-run double at 106, then Sandy Alomar's full-count single that scored two more. Seven runs, eight hits, and somewhere in the middle of it the game crossed over from one story into another without anyone being able to name the exact moment it happened.

Cleveland added two in the fifth on sacrifice flies — the kind of insurance that costs nothing — and carried a 12-6 lead into the late innings with the comfort of a team that has seen this particular October night break its way before. Florida made the eighth uncomfortable: Sheffield singled home a run at 108, Bonilla doubled in two more, and suddenly the margin was three. But Michael Jackson retired the side in the ninth, and the final score of 12-9 suggested a contest far closer than the one Cleveland's fourth inning had actually produced.
FLORIDA 1997 BATTING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 BATTING LINESCORE
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
E. Renteria SS 4 1 1 1 1 2 4 .250 0 1
J. Eisenreich LF 3 2 0 0 2 1 3 .000 0 0
M. Alou DH 4 1 0 0 1 1 5 .000 0 0
G. Sheffield RF 4 2 2 4 1 1 2 .500 1 4
B. Bonilla 3B 4 1 2 2 1 1 0 .500 0 2
D. Daulton 1B 5 0 1 1 0 1 3 .200 0 1
C. Johnson C 3 1 1 0 2 1 2 .333 0 0
D. White CF 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 .400 0 0
C. Counsell 2B 4 0 2 1 1 0 1 .500 0 1
Totals 36 9 11 9 9 9 22
BATTING
Doubles: D. White (1, 2nd Inning off C. Nagy, 1 on, 0 outs) D. Daulton (1, 3rd Inning off C. Nagy, 1 on, 1 out) B. Bonilla (1, 8th Inning off J. Mesa, 2 on, 1 out)
Home Runs: G. Sheffield (1, 1st Inning off C. Nagy, 2 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: D. White 3 , G. Sheffield 5 , E. Renteria , C. Johnson , D. Daulton 2 , C. Counsell 2 , B. Bonilla 3
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: D. White , G. Sheffield , E. Renteria , C. Johnson , D. Daulton
GIDP: C. Counsell
Sac Fly: E. Renteria
Team LOB: 8

FIELDING
Double Plays: 2 (Renteria-Counsell-Daulton, Renteria-Counsell-Daulton)
OF assists: 1 (Eisenreich (Williams at 3rd base))
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
O. Vizquel SS 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .250 0 1
B. Roberts LF 5 1 3 1 0 2 0 .600 0 1
D. Justice DH 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 .333 0 3
S. Alomar Jr C 5 0 2 2 0 1 3 .400 0 2
J. Thome 1B 3 1 0 0 2 1 4 .000 0 0
M. Ramirez RF 3 2 3 0 2 0 0 1.000 0 0
T. Fernandez 2B 4 2 1 0 1 0 5 .250 0 0
M. Williams 3B 5 2 3 3 0 0 4 .600 0 3
M. Grissom CF 3 2 2 2 0 1 2 .667 0 2
Totals 35 12 16 12 6 6 21
BATTING
Doubles: S. Alomar Jr (1, 8th Inning off J. Powell, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Williams (1, 2nd Inning off A. Leiter, 3 on, 1 out) B. Roberts (1, 5th Inning off F. Heredia, 1 on, 1 out) M. Ramirez 2 (2, 2nd Inning off A. Leiter, 1 on, 1 out; 6th Inning off J. Powell, 1 on, 0 outs) D. Justice (1, 4th Inning off F. Heredia, 3 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: S. Alomar Jr 3 , M. Williams 4 , O. Vizquel , B. Roberts 4 , M. Ramirez 5 , D. Justice 2 , M. Grissom 2 , T. Fernandez
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Alomar Jr , M. Williams , M. Grissom
GIDP: J. Thome 2
Sac Fly: O. Vizquel , D. Justice
Hit by Pitch: M. Grissom
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Fernandez-Vizquel-Thome)
FLORIDA 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
A. Leiter L (0-1) 3.0 9 9 9 3 3 0 67 39 27.00
F. Heredia 1.2 5 3 3 1 0 0 39 26 16.20
J. Powell 2.1 2 0 0 1 2 0 32 20 0.00
D. Cook 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 13 6 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: A. Leiter 3
Batters Faced: A. Leiter 20, F. Heredia 10, J. Powell 10, D. Cook 4
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: A. Leiter 2-2, F. Heredia 2-2, J. Powell 1-4, D. Cook 1-1
Pitches - Strikes: A. Leiter 67-39, F. Heredia 39-26, J. Powell 32-20, D. Cook 13-6
Inherited Runners - Scored: F. Heredia 3-3 , J. Powell 1-0 , D. Cook 1-0
Hit Batsmen: A. Leiter
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Nagy 2.1 6 6 6 2 0 1 59 36 23.14
E. Plunk W (1-0) 2.1 3 0 0 2 3 0 48 30 0.00
A. Morman H (1) 1.2 0 0 0 3 4 0 35 16 0.00
P. Assenmacher 1.0 1 3 3 2 0 0 24 14 27.00
J. Mesa 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 7 6 0.00
M. Jackson SV (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 6 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: C. Nagy 15
Batters Faced: C. Nagy 15, E. Plunk 12, A. Morman 8, P. Assenmacher 5, J. Mesa 3, M. Jackson 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Nagy 1-6, E. Plunk 0-4, A. Morman 0-1, P. Assenmacher 1-1, J. Mesa 1-0, M. Jackson 0-2
Pitches - Strikes: C. Nagy 59-36, E. Plunk 48-30, A. Morman 35-16, P. Assenmacher 24-14, J. Mesa 7-6, M. Jackson 10-6
Inherited Runners - Scored: E. Plunk 1-0 , A. Morman 3-0 , P. Assenmacher 1-0 , J. Mesa 2-2
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Matt D Williams
Ballpark: Jacobs Field
Weather: Rainy (47 degrees F), 25 MPH wind (left to right)
Start Time: 8:24 PM EST
Time: 4:02
Attendance: 44,880