Cleveland Tops M’S, Closes In Indians Beat Mariners 4-1, Lowering Magic Number To One
Just one more win, and the Cleveland Indians will have formally put an end to four decades of bad baseball.
Symbols of futility since the 1950s, the Indians clinched a tie for the A.L. Central championship Thursday night with a 4-1 victory over the Mariners.
With one more win, or one more Kansas City loss, the Indians will win the division outright. They’ve already secured at least a wild-card berth, guaranteeing their first postseason appearance since they were swept by the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series.
Their 85 wins are their most in any season since 1968, when they won 86. Their magic number stands at one.
“Once it got below 10, every time I came to the ballpark, there were butterflies,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “I’ve thought about it for a month and a half now, off and on, though I haven’t talked about it publicly. A couple of weeks ago I got impatient. I wanted it to happen quickly.”
Charles Nagy won his third straight start, and Carlos Baerga homered for the Indians, winners of 11 straight home games and 13 of 15 overall.
Seattle dropped six games behind California in the A.L. West and one game behind Kansas City in the wild card race. The Mariners and Royals meet in a three-game series beginning tonight in Seattle.
“Yes, this is a big series coming up - Kansas City at home - and we need to win some ballgames,” Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. “I tell everybody, if we do well in the wild card race, it could lead to us doing something in the division race.”
Nagy (13-5) gave up one run and five hits in seven innings, including Jay Buhner’s career-high 28th home run. Nagy, who struck out seven and walked three, has struck out a total of 26 batters in his last three starts, covering 20-2/3 innings.
Alan Embree and Julian Tavarez combined to pitch a scoreless eighth - Tavarez getting Buhner on a groundout to strand runners at second and third - and Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 39th save in 41 chances.
Jim Thome put Cleveland ahead 2-0 in the first with a bases-loaded double off Chris Bosio (9-8). After Buhner’s home run closed it to 2-1 in the fourth, Baerga answered in the fifth with a two-run shot, his 15th of the year but his first since Aug. 5.
“We’re just trying to stay focused. Really, our only goal right now is to go into the playoffs with some momentum,” Thome said. “Let’s face it, this team has played well all year, and we haven’t had to look over our shoulder.”
Baerga’s home run was his second hit of the game, raising his league-leading hit total to 158.
Notes:
Seattle was in Cleveland for one game that was added to the schedule because of the strike. … Ken Griffey Jr. dropped his bat and screamed when he checked his swing on a pitch in the third inning. Griffey, who underwent surgery in May for a broken left wrist, walked around the plate and flexed his left hand before finishing the at-bat - a strikeout. He stayed in the game and lined a single past Nagy his next time up. … The Mariners have homered in 10 straight games, matching a season high. … Seattle has not been shut out in its last 115 games, the longest current streak in the majors. … The Indians’ 22-1/2-game lead is their biggest of the year. They have finished play against the AL West with a 20-10 record.