The 1995 Cleveland Indians made baseball history by ending a 41-year streak of not making a
playoff appearance. Their record of 100-44 combined with superior playing skills turned what was once a
joke baseball team into a major AL contender. The 1995 team was managed by
Mike Hargrove.
The Roster (in alphabetical order)
Sandy Alomar Jr. C
Ruben Amaro LF
Paul Assenmacher P
Bruce Aven OF
Carlos Baerga 2B
David Bell 2B
Albert Belle OF
Bud Black P
Jeromy Burnitz OF
Mark Clark P
Dennis Cook P
Alan Embree P
Alvaro Espinoza SS
John Farrel P
Brian Giles OF
Jason Grimsley P
Orel Hershiser P
Ken Hill P
Damian Jackson SS
Wayne Kirby OF
Jesse Levis C
Kenny Lofton OF
Albie Lopez P
Dennis Martinez P
Jose Mesa P
Eddie Murray 1B
Charles Nagy P
Chad Ogea P
Gregg Olson P
Tony Pena C
Herbert Perry 3B
Chan Perry OF
Eric Plunk P
Jim Poole P
Manny Ramirez OF
Paul Rigdon P
Billy Ripken 2B
Joe Roa P
Paul Shuey P
Paul Sorrento 1B
Julian Tavarez P
Jim Thome 3B
Eddie Tucker C
Omar Visquel SS
Enrique Wilson 3B
Dave Winfield OF
Jaret Wright P
Starting Rotation
C -- Tony Pena
1B -- Paul Sorrento
2B -- Carlos Baerga
3B -- Jim Thome
SS -- Omar Visquel
LF -- Albert Belle
CF -- Kenny Lofton
RF -- Manny Ramirez
DH -- Eddie Murray
SP -- Charles Nagy
SP -- Dennis Martinez
SP -- Orel Hershiser
SP -- Mark Clark
SP -- Chad Ogea
SP -- Ken Hill
SP -- Bud Black
Bullpen
RP -- Jose Mesa
RP -- Julian Tavarez
RP -- Eric Plunk
RP -- Paul Assenmacher
RP -- Jim Poole
Significant events in 1995
- 6/12: Jacobs Field is sold out, thus beginning the longest streak of sold out games for all of Major League Baseball at 455 games. Every home game between this day and April 4, 2000 would be in front of a full house.
- 6/30: Eddie Murray joins Nap Lajoie and Tris Speaker as the only Cleveland Indians to get 3000 hits. Murray's 3000th came as a single to right field.
- 9/8: In a 3-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles, the Indians clinch the AL Central Division pennant. The Indians would finish at 100-44, 30 games ahead of second place Kansas City.
- 10/3: Tony Pena hits a home run in the bottom of the 13th inning against the Boston Red Sox to grab Cleveland's first post-season win since their appearance in the 1948 World Series. Cleveland would go on to win the division series 3-0.
- 10/17: The Indians rout the Seattle Mariners in six games to win the American League Championship Series. Final score was 4-0. A three-run 8th inning and solid pitching by Dennis Martinez, Julian Tavarez, and Jose Mesa earned the Indians their first trip to the World Series since 1954.
- 10/28: After a hard-fought World Series, the Indians lose 4-2 against the equally tough Atlanta Braves. This won't be the last trip for the Indians to the World Series. In 1997, the Indians will play the Florida Marlins, but yet again, lose the Series.
What made 1995 memorable was the superior offense of the
Tribe was creating tons of magic, whether it be a
landslide victory or a
come-from-behind win late in the game. In close games, closer Jose Mesa would often retire the side in order, including
striking out the side. Kenny Lofton was always a threat to steal whenever he was on base.
The core of this team was the long ball hitters. Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez were known to unload the bases with their long bombs into
Souvenir City or the
Home Run Porch. Belle had 50 homers and 52 doubles for the season, and Ramirez had 37 homers. Not only were long balls vital, a runner on base often equated to a run scored for this team. Jim Thome led the team in walks and on-base percentage. Lofton's ability to steal was already mentioned with his 54 steals that season.
Outstanding defense was key as well. The Indians had
Gold Glover Omar Visquel performing miracles at shortstop. Omar has been known to bare-hand a
line drive and turn that into a
double play. Manny Ramirez and Kenny Lofton had great speed in the outfield, which is critical in chasing down those long
fly balls.
Sources: www.baseball-reference.com, www.indians.com