1997 World Series
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Dates | October 18, 1997 – October 26, 1997 | |||||||||
MVP | Liván Hernández (Florida) | |||||||||
Television network | NBC | |||||||||
Announcers | Bob Costas, Joe Morgan and Bob Uecker | |||||||||
Umpires | Ed Montague (NL), Dale Ford (AL), Joe West (NL), Greg Kosc (AL), Randy Marsh (NL), Ken Kaiser (AL) |
The 1997 World Series is regarded as one of the more exciting Series in recent memory. It featured the Cleveland Indians, who were playing in their second World Series in three years. Their opponents were the Florida Marlins, who had set a record by reaching the Series in only their fifth season. The Marlins were underdogs, but they capped a stunning season by beating the Indians in seven games, becoming the first ever wild card team to win the Series. The final of Game 7 was decided in extra innings on an Edgar Rentería single. It is sometimes called "The Latino Series," "The Hispanic Series" and "The Latin Series" because of the many players of Latin-American descent that figured prominently in this World Series.
Contents |
Game 1
October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
Florida | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 7 | 7 | 1 |
W: Livan Hernandez (1-0) L: Orel Hershiser (0-1) S: Robb Nen (1) | ||||||||||||
HR: CLE – Manny Ramirez (1), Jim Thome (1) FLA – Moises Alou (1), Charles Johnson (1) |
The First World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound. Fresh off his NCLS MVP performance, Livan Hernandez took the hill for the Marlins and quickly gave up a run in the 1st thanks to a double by leadoff man Bip Roberts and an RBI single by David Justice. Indian starter Orel Hershiser got by the first two innings unscathed. However, after the Marlins tied the game in the 3rd, they scored 4 runs in the 4th. The inning climaxed when Moises Alou and Charles Johnson hit back-to-back homers (Alou's was a three-run shot off the left field foul pole). The Marlins added two in the 5th to knock Orel out of the game. The Indians crept back in the game slowly thanks to solo shots by Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome and entered the 9th inning down only 7-4. Florida closer Robb Nen came in and was able to get out of a jam by striking out Sandy Alomar and Thome with two men aboard.
Game 2
October 19, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 |
Florida | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
W: Chad Ogea (1-0) L: Kevin Brown (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HR: CLE – Sandy Alomar Jr. (1) |
Game 2 matched up Florida ace Kevin Brown against little known Chad Ogea, who had lost 2 games in the ALCS. Both teams scored in the first, thanks to RBI singles by Justice for the Indians and Jeff Conine for the Marlins. Ogea barely escaped further damage when Alou got under a hanging curveball, but merely flied out to the warning track, missing his second three-run homer in as many nights by inches. After that, Ogea settled in and did not allow any more runs. Brown pitched well until the 5th when the Indians strung together three straight singles by Matt Williams, Sandy Alomar, and Marquis Grissom. Later in the inning, with runners on second and third, Bip Roberts drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle giving the Tribe a 4-1 lead. The three-run lead ballooned to five when Alomar hit a laser into the left field stands for a two run homer in the 6th.
Game 3
October 21, 1997 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 3 |
Cleveland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 3 |
W: Dennis Cook (1-0) L: Eric Plunk (0-1) S: Robb Nen (2) | ||||||||||||
HR: FLA – Gary Sheffield (1), Darren Daulton (1), Jim Eisenreich (1) CLE – Jim Thome (2) |
Game 3 was a wild affair that ended with the Marlins grabbing a 2-1 series lead. In the top of the 1st, Gary Sheffield started the scoring with a solo shot to left. In the bottom half, the Indians retaliated with two runs thanks to two broken bat RBI singles by Matt Williams and Sandy Alomar. Florida took the lead 3-2 on a Darren Daulton homer in the 3rd and four walks allowed by Indians starter Charles Nagy in the 4th. However, the Indians got a gift in the bottom of the 4th, when they drew four consecutive free passes from Marlins starter , and then a throwing error by third baseman Bobby Bonilla allowed two more runs to score. The Tribe went up 7-3 on Jim Thome's 2-run blast to right in the 5th inning. His home run was nullified in the 6th by Jim Eisenreich's 2 run homer that cut the lead to 7-5. In the 8th, the Marlins finished their comeback with Edgar Renteria and [[Gary Sheffield}Sheffield]] each driving in a run, making the score 7-7. In the 9th, it all fell apart for Cleveland thanks to three errors and seemingly one hit after another by the Marlins, with Bonilla and Sheffield driving in a pair of runs each. When the carnage was over the Marlins led 14-7. Even though the Indians came back with 4 runs of their own in the 9th, it was not enough.
Game 4
October 22, 1997 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
Cleveland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | X | 10 | 15 | 0 |
W: Jaret Wright (1-0) L: Tony Saunders (0-1) | ||||||||||||
HR: FLA – Moises Alou (2) CLE – Manny Ramirez (2), Matt Williams (1) |
This back-and-forth World Series continued that way in Game 4. Both teams were greeted by snow during batting practice and freezing temperatures throughout this contest. The official gametime temperature of 38°F (3.3°C) remains as of 2006 the coldest recorded in World Series history, while as the game progressed media outlets reported wind chill readings as low as 15°F (-9.5°C). Two rookies opposed each other on the mound this night; Jaret Wright for the Indians and Tony Saunders for the Marlins. The Indians stormed out of the gate with three runs in the 1st, highlighted by Manny Ramirez's opposite field two run homer. The Indians got three runs in the third inning as well and never looked back. Matt Williams turned out to be the offensive hero by reaching base six times, which included a two run blast in the 8th to close the scoring.
Game 5
October 23, 1997 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Florida | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 2 |
Cleveland | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
W: Livan Hernandez (2-0) L: Orel Hershiser (0-2) S: Robb Nen (3) | ||||||||||||
HR: FLA – Moises Alou (3) CLE – Sandy Alomar Jr. (2) |
Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1's starting pitchers Livan Hernandez and Orel Hershiser. The Marlins jumped out to a quick 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd. Indians catcher Sandy Alomar then turned the game around by launching a towering 3-run bomb. It remained 4-2 until the 6th, when Moises Alou hit his second 3-run homer off Hershiser in as many games and his 3rd home run of the series. Livan pitched terrifically in the middle innings, not allowing any runs until the 9th. Florida scored what seemed at the time to be two meaningless runs late in the game to extend their lead to 8-4 (Alou scored one and drove in the other). However, the 9th inning was a nailbiter with Livan and Robb Nen struggling to hold the lead. Omar Vizquel drove in one run with a hit, then Justice drove in two with a single up the middle. Jim Thome smashed a double in the left- center field gap to drive in Justice and make the score 8-7. With Thome at second, Alomar came up, having already driven in 20 RBIs throughout the playoffs and 4 in the game. Sandy flied out to right field to end the game thus giving the Fish a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6
October 25, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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Cleveland | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
W: Chad Ogea (2-0) L: Kevin Brown (0-2) S: Jose Mesa (1) |
The series returned to the warmer climate of Miami for Game 6. Kevin Brown opposed Chad Ogea again and again Brown inexplicably struggled while Ogea flourished. Chad himself drove in the first two runs with a bases loaded single in the 2nd, and Manny Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly in the 4th and the 6th. With the Tribe leading 4-1 in the 6th, Ogea ran into serious trouble. The Marlins put runners on second and third with two out as reliever Mike Jackson replaced Ogea. Marlins catcher Charles Johnson stepped to the plate and proceeded to hit a sharp grounder that was headed for left field. Indians gold glove shortstop Omar Vizquel dove for the ball, grabbed it, sprung to his feet, and hurled a perfect strike to 1st base just before Johnson arrived. The play ended the threat and broke the Marlins spirits. In the 9th, closer Jose Mesa wrapped up the win, tying the series at 3-3.
Game 7
October 26, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
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Cleveland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
W: Jay Powell (1-0) L: Charles Nagy (0-1) | ||||||||||||||
HR – FLA: Bobby Bonilla (1) |
Game 7 turned out to be a classic World Series seventh game with the Marlins capturing the Crown. Cleveland drew first blood in this game when in the third inning, starter Al Leiter allowed a walk to Jim Thome and a hit by Marquis Grissom. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third and with two outs Tony Fernandez laced a 2-run single to center. Indians starter Jaret Wright was dominant for 6 innings, holding the 2-0 lead. But in the 7th, Bobby Bonilla blasted a titanic home run from Wright cutting the lead to 2-1. The Indians blew a golden chance for insurance in the top of the 9th, when with 1 out and Alomar on third, Grissom grounded to short. With the infield drawn in, shortstop Edgar Renteria fired home to catcher Charles Johnson who tagged out Alomar trying to score. In the 9th, Jose Mesa was brought in to close out the series and bring Cleveland its first title since 1948. Moises Alou led off the inning with a single. With one out, Charles Johnson lined a single to right that advanced Alou to third base. Then Craig Counsell hit a sacrifice fly to right that tied the score at 2, sending the contest into extra frames. The bottom of the 11th started with a one out single by Bobby Bonilla off Game 3 starter Charles Nagy. Counsell then hit a roller toward second. Fernandez moved in and to his left to field the ball but it skipped under his glove for an error. As the ball headed for right field, Bonilla scampered to third. A necessary intentional walk filled the bases with one out. Devon White then hit into a force play (second baseman to catcher) for out number two of the inning. But the next batter, Edgar Renteria, who had come through all season long for Florida in clutch situations, bounced a Nagy slider over the pitcher's head. The ball skipped off Nagy's glove, up the middle and into center field for a hit. Counsell charged to home plate with both fists raised in the air as the Marlins took the series and the Championship.
After Game 7, the trophy presentation, usually taking place in the winning team's locker room regardless of venue, took place on the field before the crowd of 67,204. This is now a standard procedure whenever the Champions are the home team of the deciding game (the only exception being 1999, when the New York Yankees chose to celebrate in their locker room).
Quotes
“ | Thome hits it into deep right field, Gary Sheffield is back, at the wall, leaps, he got it!!....it's the play of the series, it's the play of the 1997 World Series.
- Bob Costas (NBC Sports) commentating on Marlins right fielder Gary Sheffield robbing a home run from Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome. |
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“ | A liner off Nagy's glove, into center-field. The Florida Marlins have won...the World Series!!!
- NBC Sports announcer Bob Costas calling Edgar Rentería's series winning hit. |
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“ | The Men in Teal are for real!!!
-Bob Costas after Edgar Rentería's hit, while Jim Leyland is being carried by his players on the field. |
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“ | I love you Miami!!!
- Liván Hernández while lifting the 1997 World Series MVP Award. |
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“ | A five-year old child becomes king!
- Marlins radio announcer Joe Angel, as Craig Counsell scored the winning run of the World Series |
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External links
- 1997 World Series by Baseball Almanac
- History of the World Series - 1997
- 1997 Florida Marlins
- 1997 Cleveland Indians
- Did the 1989 film Back to the Future II predict that the Florida Marlins would win the 1997 World Series?
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