Infinite Cleveland

1997 World Series: Game 3
FLORIDA MARLINS @ CLEVELAND INDIANS
OCTOBER 21, 1997
TIMELINE 68
GAME LOG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Florida Marlins 1 0 0 6 0 3 0 6 8 24 38 0
Cleveland Indians 4 0 1 6 0 5 3 0 6 25 27 1
Cleveland Walks Off on Bases-Loaded Walk After 49-Run Madness, 25-24
The final score was 25-24 and if you think that is a typographical error you are not alone. The press box thought so too. Forty-nine runs, sixty-five hits, and every relief pitcher on both staffs leaving the mound with the expression of a man who has just been asked to empty the ocean with a coffee mug. This was not a baseball game. This was a six-alarm fire at a fireworks factory, and Cleveland won it on a bases-loaded walk.

Moises Alou went seven-for-eight. Let that sit. Seven hits in eight at-bats in a World Series game, and his team lost. Alou doubled, singled, singled, singled, singled, homered, singled, and the Marlins still could not hold a lead because there was no lead to hold — only a number on the scoreboard that changed every half-inning like a taxi meter in Manhattan traffic. Florida scored eight runs in the top of the ninth. Eight. Off Michael Jackson and Jaret Wright, back-to-back solo homers from Eisenreich and Alou, then singles falling like confetti until the score read 24-19 and Jacobs Field had gone quiet the way a theater goes quiet before the third act.

The third act was six runs on five hits and four walks, none of them loud, all of them relentless. Matt Williams singled home Justice. Grissom singled home Alomar. Vizquel singled home Ramirez. Bip Roberts doubled to left-center and two more came around, and the game was tied at twenty-four, and Robb Nen — the closer, the man brought in to finish things — intentionally walked David Justice to load the bases and then fell behind Sandy Alomar Jr. three-and-oh, took a called strike back to save face, and threw ball four. Game over. Cleveland 25, Florida 24. The sixty-eighth version of this October night, and the scoreboard has finally stopped making sense entirely.
FLORIDA 1997 BATTING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 BATTING LINESCORE
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
E. Renteria SS 6 4 5 3 2 1 2 .833 0 3
J. Eisenreich LF 8 4 5 3 0 1 4 .625 1 3
M. Alou DH 8 3 7 7 0 0 2 .875 1 7
G. Sheffield RF 7 3 3 0 1 3 6 .429 0 0
B. Bonilla 3B 8 2 5 2 0 2 6 .625 0 2
D. Daulton 1B 8 2 3 1 0 2 9 .375 0 1
C. Johnson C 6 2 4 3 1 2 3 .667 0 3
D. White CF 7 2 4 3 0 3 4 .571 0 3
C. Counsell 2B 7 2 2 1 0 5 8 .286 0 1
Totals 65 24 38 23 4 19 44
BATTING
Doubles: D. White 2 (2, 4th Inning off C. Nagy, 1 on, 1 out; 6th Inning off A. Morman, 3 on, 1 out) G. Sheffield (1, 9th Inning off M. Jackson, 0 on, 0 outs) C. Johnson (1, 8th Inning off J. Mesa, 3 on, 1 out) J. Eisenreich (1, 8th Inning off P. Assenmacher, 2 on, 0 outs) C. Counsell (1, 8th Inning off P. Assenmacher, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Alou (1, 1st Inning off C. Nagy, 1 on, 1 out)
Home Runs: J. Eisenreich (1, 9th Inning off M. Jackson, 0 on, 0 outs) M. Alou (1, 9th Inning off M. Jackson, 0 on, 0 outs)
Total Bases: D. White 6 , G. Sheffield 4 , E. Renteria 5 , C. Johnson 5 , J. Eisenreich 9 , D. Daulton 3 , C. Counsell 3 , B. Bonilla 5 , M. Alou 11
2-out RBI: , E. Renteria 2 , J. Eisenreich , B. Bonilla 2 , M. Alou
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: D. White , E. Renteria , C. Johnson , J. Eisenreich , D. Daulton , B. Bonilla 2 , M. Alou
Team LOB: 18

BASERUNNING
SB: E. Renteria (1)
Player AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG HR RBI
O. Vizquel SS 6 4 5 2 2 0 3 .833 0 2
B. Roberts LF 8 3 5 3 0 2 5 .625 0 3
D. Justice DH 4 4 3 2 4 0 2 .750 0 2
S. Alomar Jr C 6 3 2 2 2 4 10 .333 0 2
J. Thome 1B 5 2 1 2 2 3 9 .200 0 2
M. Ramirez RF 4 2 1 2 3 3 5 .250 0 2
T. Fernandez 2B 7 1 3 5 0 3 6 .429 0 5
M. Williams 3B 6 3 3 5 1 0 4 .500 1 5
M. Grissom CF 6 3 4 2 1 1 2 .667 0 2
Totals 52 25 27 25 15 16 46
BATTING
Doubles: O. Vizquel (1, 6th Inning off J. Powell, 1 on, 0 outs) J. Thome (1, 4th Inning off F. Heredia, 1 on, 0 outs) B. Roberts (1, 9th Inning off R. Nen, 3 on, 2 outs) D. Justice (1, 4th Inning off F. Heredia, 3 on, 1 out) T. Fernandez 2 (2, 4th Inning off F. Heredia, 3 on, 0 outs; 7th Inning off L. Hernandez, 3 on, 2 outs)
Home Runs: M. Williams (1, 3rd Inning off A. Leiter, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: S. Alomar Jr 2 , M. Williams 6 , O. Vizquel 6 , J. Thome 2 , B. Roberts 6 , M. Ramirez , D. Justice 4 , M. Grissom 4 , T. Fernandez 5
2-out RBI: S. Alomar Jr , M. Williams 2 , O. Vizquel , B. Roberts , M. Grissom , T. Fernandez
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: M. Williams , O. Vizquel , J. Thome , M. Ramirez , D. Justice , M. Grissom
Team LOB: 13

BASERUNNING
CS: O. Vizquel (1)

FIELDING
Errors: B. Roberts
PB: S. Alomar Jr
FLORIDA 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE CLEVELAND 1997 PITCHING LINESCORE
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
A. Leiter 3.0 10 6 6 3 5 1 84 46 18.00
F. Heredia 0.1 5 5 5 2 0 0 22 12 135.00
J. Powell 1.2 2 2 2 0 3 0 23 17 10.80
D. Cook 0.1 1 3 3 3 1 0 25 11 81.00
L. Hernandez 1.2 4 3 3 2 3 0 45 28 16.20
T. Saunders 1.1 1 3 3 3 3 0 38 19 20.25
R. Nen L (0-1), BS (1) 0.1 4 3 3 2 1 0 26 15 81.00
PITCHING
Game Score: A. Leiter 15
Batters Faced: A. Leiter 22, F. Heredia 8, J. Powell 7, D. Cook 5, L. Hernandez 11, T. Saunders 7, R. Nen 7
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: A. Leiter 2-2, F. Heredia 0-1, J. Powell 0-2, D. Cook 0-0, L. Hernandez 0-2, T. Saunders 0-0, R. Nen 0-0
Pitches - Strikes: A. Leiter 84-46, F. Heredia 22-12, J. Powell 23-17, D. Cook 25-11, L. Hernandez 45-28, T. Saunders 38-19, R. Nen 26-15
Inherited Runners - Scored: F. Heredia 1-1 , J. Powell 2-0 , D. Cook 2-2 , L. Hernandez 3-2 , R. Nen 3-3
WP: A. Leiter
Player IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Nagy 3.1 11 7 7 0 7 0 88 56 18.90
E. Plunk 1.2 4 1 1 1 4 0 45 27 5.40
A. Morman 1.1 4 2 2 1 3 0 37 26 13.50
P. Assenmacher 0.2 5 5 5 2 2 0 34 18 67.50
J. Mesa 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 20 12 9.00
M. Jackson BS (1) 0.1 5 5 5 0 0 2 23 14 135.00
J. Wright W (1-0) 0.2 6 3 3 0 1 0 37 23 40.50
PITCHING
Game Score: C. Nagy 15
Batters Faced: C. Nagy 21, E. Plunk 10, A. Morman 9, P. Assenmacher 9, J. Mesa 6, M. Jackson 6, J. Wright 8
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Nagy 0-3, E. Plunk 0-1, A. Morman 0-1, P. Assenmacher 0-0, J. Mesa 0-1, M. Jackson 0-1, J. Wright 1-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Nagy 88-56, E. Plunk 45-27, A. Morman 37-26, P. Assenmacher 34-18, J. Mesa 20-12, M. Jackson 23-14, J. Wright 37-23
Inherited Runners - Scored: E. Plunk 2-2 , A. Morman 1-1 , P. Assenmacher 1-0 , J. Mesa 3-3 , J. Wright 2-2
WP: C. Nagy , A. Morman
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Moises Alou
Ballpark: Jacobs Field
Weather: Rainy (47 degrees F), 25 MPH wind (left to right)
Start Time: 8:24 PM EST
Time: 6:15
Attendance: 44,880