Infinite Cleveland

1997 World Series: Game 3
FLORIDA MARLINS @ CLEVELAND INDIANS
OCTOBER 21, 1997
TIMELINE 34
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Florida Marlins 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 7 11 1
Cleveland Indians 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 10 0
Florida Scores Six in Eighth to Erase 6-1 Deficit, Stuns Cleveland in Game 3
Cleveland led 6-1 entering the eighth inning, and Charles Nagy had departed with the satisfied economy of a pitcher whose work is finished. What followed was not a collapse but a detonation — six runs on five hits in a single half-inning, the kind of damage that happens too fast to understand while it is occurring and too completely to explain afterward.

Eric Plunk began it by surrendering a double to Eisenreich on an 0-2 count, the pitch a batter should not have been able to reach. Alou flied to center. Sheffield followed with a two-run home run on a full count, 378 feet, a ball that left the yard with the unhurried arc of something that knows exactly where it is going. Two walks put runners on first and second, and Devon White — first pitch, no hesitation, 361 feet to right — hit a three-run home run that tied the game and silenced 44,880 people mid-exhale. Mesa inherited the wreckage and promptly allowed consecutive doubles to Counsell and Renteria, and suddenly Florida led 7-6 in a game they had spent seven innings losing.

The bottom of the eighth offered Cleveland a final breath: Thome walked, but Ramirez flied out and Fernandez was forced at second. Williams singled, sending Fernandez to third — runners on first and third with two outs. Grissom watched a 1-2 fastball catch the corner and walked back to the dugout. In the ninth, Robb Nen needed ten pitches to retire the side — ground out, pop out, fly out — and Florida had won a game they had spent seven innings losing.
FLORIDA 1997 BATTING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 BATTING LINESCORE
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
E. Renteria SS 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 .400 0 1
J. Eisenreich LF 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 .400 0 0
M. Alou DH 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000 0 0
G. Sheffield RF 4 2 3 2 1 0 0 .750 1 2
a- K. Abbott 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
B. Bonilla 3B, RF 5 0 1 1 0 1 2 .200 0 1
D. Daulton 1B 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 .333 0 0
C. Johnson C 3 1 0 0 1 1 4 .000 0 0
D. White CF 4 1 1 3 0 1 1 .250 1 3
C. Counsell 2B 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .333 0 0
Totals 37 7 11 7 4 4 16
a - K. Abbott substituted for G. Sheffield in the 9th

BATTING
Doubles: E. Renteria (1, 8th Inning off J. Mesa, 1 on, 2 outs) J. Eisenreich (1, 8th Inning off E. Plunk, 0 on, 0 outs) C. Counsell (1, 8th Inning off J. Mesa, 0 on, 2 outs) B. Bonilla (1, 2nd Inning off C. Nagy, 1 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: D. White (1, 8th Inning off E. Plunk, 2 on, 2 outs) G. Sheffield (1, 8th Inning off E. Plunk, 1 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: D. White 4 , G. Sheffield 6 , E. Renteria 3 , J. Eisenreich 3 , D. Daulton , C. Counsell 2 , B. Bonilla 2
2-out RBI: D. White , E. Renteria
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: D. White , C. Johnson , J. Eisenreich , M. Alou
GIDP: C. Johnson
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING
SB: G. Sheffield (1)

FIELDING
Errors: B. Bonilla
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
O. Vizquel SS 5 2 2 0 0 0 1 .400 0 0
B. Roberts LF 5 0 1 1 0 0 2 .200 0 1
D. Justice DH 4 1 1 1 1 0 3 .250 0 1
S. Alomar Jr C 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 .250 0 1
J. Thome 1B 3 0 1 1 1 2 0 .333 0 1
M. Ramirez RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000 0 0
T. Fernandez 2B 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .250 0 1
M. Williams 3B 4 1 2 1 0 1 2 .500 1 1
M. Grissom CF 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 .250 0 0
Totals 37 6 10 6 2 7 17
BATTING
Doubles: O. Vizquel (1, 7th Inning off F. Heredia, 0 on, 1 out) B. Roberts (1, 2nd Inning off A. Leiter, 1 on, 1 out)
Home Runs: M. Williams (1, 7th Inning off F. Heredia, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: S. Alomar Jr , M. Williams 5 , O. Vizquel 3 , J. Thome , B. Roberts 2 , D. Justice , M. Grissom , T. Fernandez
2-out RBI: D. Justice , T. Fernandez
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Alomar Jr , M. Williams , M. Grissom
Team LOB: 5

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Vizquel-Fernandez-Thome)
FLORIDA 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
A. Leiter 6.0 6 4 3 1 6 0 98 61 4.50
F. Heredia W (1-0) 1.0 3 2 2 1 0 1 21 14 18.00
J. Powell H (1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 9 6 0.00
R. Nen SV (1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 8 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: A. Leiter 51
Batters Faced: A. Leiter 25, F. Heredia 7, J. Powell 4, R. Nen 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: A. Leiter 6-5, F. Heredia 1-2, J. Powell 1-1, R. Nen 1-2
Pitches - Strikes: A. Leiter 98-61, F. Heredia 21-14, J. Powell 9-6, R. Nen 10-8
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Powell 1-0
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Nagy 7.0 6 1 1 2 4 0 99 60 1.29
E. Plunk 0.2 3 5 5 2 0 2 25 13 67.50
J. Mesa L (0-1) 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 0 10 9 27.00
M. Jackson 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 9 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: C. Nagy 63
Batters Faced: C. Nagy 28, E. Plunk 7, J. Mesa 3, M. Jackson 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Nagy 5-11, E. Plunk 1-1, J. Mesa 0-1, M. Jackson 0-3
Pitches - Strikes: C. Nagy 99-60, E. Plunk 25-13, J. Mesa 10-9, M. Jackson 16-9
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Gary Sheffield
Ballpark: Jacobs Field
Weather: Rainy (47 degrees F), 25 MPH wind (left to right)
Start Time: 8:24 PM EST
Time: 3:25
Attendance: 44,880