Turns Out Indians Stole Game In 12th

As for the wild ending to Game 3 of the A.L. championship series: When Marquis Grissom scored from third, was it a passed ball? Stolen base? Or a foul tip? A day later there was still debate as to exactly what happened, and how it should be scored.

Scorekeeper Hank Kozlowski, who has been working games in Cleveland for 27 years, called it a passed ball, while the Official Baseball Rules says Grissom should be credited with a stolen base.

Rule 10.08 (a) states: “When a runner starts for the next base before the pitcher delivers the ball and the pitch results in what ordinarily is scored a wild pitch or passed ball, credit the runner with a stolen base and do not charge the misplay.”

“I’ve never seen that play before,” Kozlowski said.

On Sunday, Kozlowski changed the call to a stolen base after A.L. officials were told by the Elias Sports Bureau that it couldn’t be a passed ball.

Sutton a Johnson fan

Former pitcher Don Sutton may be part of the Atlanta Braves broadcast team, but he made a trip to the Florida clubhouse Sunday after the Marlins won Game 5.

Sutton wanted to congratulate Marlins catcher Charles Johnson on his pitch calling with rookie Livan Hernandez on the mound.

“That was one of the best-called games I ever saw,” Sutton told Johnson. “Right now, Dan Marino is the second-best quarterback in Miami.”

Whiff, whiff, whiff

Livan Hernandez wasn’t the only one setting records in Game 5.

Atlanta starter Greg Maddux had nine strikeouts and reliever Mike Cather added one. The teams fanned a total of 25 times to break the mark for an NLCS game.

The previous nine-inning record was 21 strikeouts, set by Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in Game 1 of the 1990 NLCS and matched three years later by Atlanta and Philadelphia in Game 4 of their series. The extra-inning mark was 23, set by Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in Game 5 of the 1975 NLCS.

Chipper’s lump

Atlanta received a scare in batting practice when third baseman Chipper Jones was struck in the head by a fly ball.

Jones was standing in shallow left field shagging flies with a group of players when the ball landed on top of his head. He went to the clubhouse but wasn’t seriously hurt, returning to the field to take his pregame turn in the batting cage.

Miller hearing Tuesday

ESPN’s Gary Miller is scheduled to appear in a Cleveland court Tuesday to face charges of indecency, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Miller, a host for “Baseball Tonight,” was arrested Saturday, spent the night in jail and was released on $1,000 bond before the start of Game 3 of the ALCS.

Miller told reporters after he was released that reports of what happened were not accurate, but he refused to say what took place. Miller disputed the police account that said he also had what was described as “drug paraphernalia.”

Wilson leads Japan

Nigel Wilson, who last played in the majors for the Cleveland Indians, won the Pacific League home run title with 36 as the regular Japanese season ended Sunday.

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PLAYOFF GLANCE ALCS All games on Fox Sunday: Cleveland 8, Baltimore 7 (Indians lead series 3-1) Today: Baltimore (Kamieniecki 10-6) at Cleveland (Ogea 8-9), 5:11 p.m. Wednesday: Cleveland at Baltimore, 1:15 p.m., if necessary Thursday: Cleveland at Baltimore, 5:15 p.m., if nec.

NLCS All games on NBC Sunday: Florida 2, Atlanta 1 (Florida leads series 3-2) Tuesday: Florida (Brown 16-8) at Atlanta (Glavine 14-7), 5:07 p.m. Wednesday: Florida at Atlanta, 5:07 p.m., if necessary

The World Series begins Saturday at 5:05 p.m. at the home of the National League champion.