Infinite Cleveland

1997 World Series: Game 3
FLORIDA MARLINS @ CLEVELAND INDIANS
OCTOBER 21, 1997
TIMELINE 37
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Florida Marlins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 0
Cleveland Indians 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 4 10 0
Leiter Walks In Three in First Inning; Indians Win Game 3 Easily
Al Leiter threw forty-two pitches in the first inning and twenty of them missed. Three walks loaded the bases with one out, Thome struck out looking on three pitches, and then a hit batsman on an 0-2 count forced in the first run — the particular humiliation of issuing a free pass when you already have two strikes and need only one more. Fernandez walked to bring home the second. Williams dribbled an infield single at 65 miles per hour to score the third. Three runs, one hit, and Leiter had lost the game without anyone swinging the bat with any real conviction.

The rest of the evening belonged to Charles Nagy, who scattered six hits across seven innings with the calm of a man reading a book he has read before. Florida put runners on in six of eight innings and scored once — Eisenreich singling through on a 1-2 count in the eighth after fouling off three pitches that should have ended his at-bat, Alou doubling him to third, Sheffield's sacrifice fly completing the sequence. One run from all that traffic. Nagy's line will not make anyone's highlight reel, but a pitcher who allows six hits and one run has performed a kind of magic: he has given opposing hitters exactly what they want and taken everything back.

Fernandez added an insurance run in the third — infield single, stolen base, Grissom's single up the middle — and Jackson closed the ninth with the efficiency of a formality. The final was 4-1, and the game had been decided in the first inning by a man who could not throw strikes.
FLORIDA 1997 BATTING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 BATTING LINESCORE
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
E. Renteria SS 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .333 0 0
J. Eisenreich LF 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 .250 0 0
M. Alou DH 4 0 3 0 0 1 2 .750 0 0
G. Sheffield RF 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 .333 0 1
B. Bonilla 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .250 0 0
D. Daulton 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .000 0 0
C. Johnson C 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 0 0
D. White CF 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .333 0 0
C. Counsell 2B 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000 0 0
Totals 32 1 8 1 3 4 22
BATTING
Doubles: B. Bonilla (1, 2nd Inning off C. Nagy, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Alou (1, 8th Inning off P. Assenmacher, 1 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: D. White , G. Sheffield , E. Renteria , J. Eisenreich , B. Bonilla 2 , M. Alou 4
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: D. White , E. Renteria , C. Johnson , D. Daulton , M. Alou
GIDP: G. Sheffield , C. Counsell
Sac Fly: G. Sheffield
Team LOB: 6

BASERUNNING
SB: D. White (1)

FIELDING
Double Plays: 2 (Renteria-Counsell-Daulton, Renteria-Counsell-Daulton)
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
O. Vizquel SS 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 0 0
B. Roberts LF 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 .250 0 0
D. Justice DH 2 1 2 0 3 0 0 1.000 0 0
S. Alomar Jr C 4 1 1 0 1 1 5 .250 0 0
J. Thome 1B 3 0 0 0 1 3 5 .000 0 0
M. Ramirez RF 3 0 0 1 0 2 2 .000 0 1
T. Fernandez 2B 3 1 3 1 1 0 0 1.000 0 1
M. Williams 3B 4 0 1 1 0 2 3 .250 0 1
M. Grissom CF 4 0 2 1 0 0 4 .500 0 1
Totals 32 4 10 4 7 9 23
BATTING
Doubles: M. Grissom (1, 8th Inning off F. Heredia, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: S. Alomar Jr , M. Williams , B. Roberts , D. Justice 2 , M. Grissom 3 , T. Fernandez 3
2-out RBI: M. Williams , M. Ramirez , M. Grissom , T. Fernandez
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Alomar Jr , O. Vizquel , J. Thome , M. Ramirez , M. Grissom
GIDP: S. Alomar Jr 2
Hit by Pitch: M. Ramirez
Team LOB: 10

BASERUNNING
SB: T. Fernandez (1)

FIELDING
Double Plays: 2 (Vizquel-Fernandez-Thome, 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) 4.0 6 4 4 6 5 0 103 60 9.00
F. Heredia 3.0 3 0 0 1 3 0 39 24 0.00
J. Powell 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 17 14 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: A. Leiter 33
Batters Faced: A. Leiter 24, F. Heredia 12, J. Powell 4
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: A. Leiter 3-3, F. Heredia 3-2, J. Powell 0-2
Pitches - Strikes: A. Leiter 103-60, F. Heredia 39-24, J. Powell 17-14
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Powell 1-0
Hit Batsmen: A. Leiter
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Nagy W (1-0) 7.0 6 1 1 3 3 0 107 70 1.29
P. Assenmacher 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 14 9 0.00
M. Jackson SV (1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 6 0.00
PITCHING
Game Score: C. Nagy 61
Batters Faced: C. Nagy 29, P. Assenmacher 4, M. Jackson 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Nagy 11-6, P. Assenmacher 1-1, M. Jackson 2-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Nagy 107-70, P. Assenmacher 14-9, M. Jackson 10-6
Inherited Runners - Scored: P. Assenmacher 1-1
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Charles Nagy
Ballpark: Jacobs Field
Weather: Rainy (47 degrees F), 25 MPH wind (left to right)
Start Time: 8:24 PM EST
Time: 3:24
Attendance: 44,880