1996 Cleveland Indians: Built For A Crown, Undone By October
The Cleveland Indians came into 1996 looking to take the final step. The long-suffering franchise became a contender in the strike-shortened year of 1994. In 1995, they broke through and won their first American League pennant in over forty years. The 1996 edition was poised to go all the way—until an October disappointment did them in.
A DOMINANT LINEUP
Even in an age defined by offense, Cleveland’s was elite and Albert Belle led the way. Known for his temperamental personality and his big bat, Belle posted a stat line of .410 on-base percentage/.623 slugging percentage, hit 48 homers, and led the league with 148 RBIs. Belle finished third in the American League MVP voting.
Jim Thome, a future Hall of Famer, was a rising star at the age of 25. Playing third base, Thome’s stat line was .450/.612, with 38 homers and 116 ribbies. Another emerging force was 24-year-old rightfielder Manny Ramirez. Manny’s line was .399/.582 with 33 bombs and 112 RBIs.
The trio of Belle, Thome and Ramirez by itself would have made the Tribe lineup feared. They could also run. Omar Vizquel, one of the game’s top defensive shortstops, also acquitted himself at the plate with a .362 OBP and 35 stolen bases. And no one ran more effectively than centerfielder Kenny Lofton, whose .372 OBP was accompanied by a league-leading 75 steals.
Still not enough? Cleveland swung an offseason trade to bring in 37-year-old Julio Franco, who delivered a .407/.470 stat line at first base. When DH Eddie Murray showed his age, the Indians moved him out, acquired Kevin Seitzer, and got a .480/.542 stat line from Seitzer over 22 games.
Even without a good year from Sandy Alomar behind the plate, this lineup still ranked second in the American League for runs scored.
PITCHING IN THE SHADOW OF THE STEROID AGE
The fact that an offense as good as the Indians didn’t lead the league in runs scored underscores the offense-heavy nature of the era. So does the pitching.
Charles Nagy was the staff anchor, winning 17 games and finishing with a 3.41 ERA. Orel Hershiser was 37-years-old, but the great veteran could still get it done, winning 15 games with a 4.24 ERA. Jack McDowell, a former Cy Young Award winner acquired in the offseason had a high ERA of 5.11, but he took his turn regularly and went 13-9. The rotation was rounded out with a mix of Chad Ogea, Dennis Martinez, and trade deadline acquisition Brian Anderson.
Manager Mike Hargrove had some good options in the bullpen. Jose Mesa was at the back end and saved 39 games. Just as notable is the work Paul Shuey and Eric Plunk did in the middle, each with ERAs in the 2s.
So, what makes this staff notable as an era benchmark? On the surface, you see some decent numbers, but nothing that really stands out. Except the fact that as balls flew out of parks around the major leagues, it was this group of arms that had the best composite ERA in the American League.
They aren’t remembered for pitching, but relative to the competition—the only thing that really matters—the 1996 Cleveland Indians had a big edge here.
AN EARLY STATEMENT
The Tribe stumbled out of the gate and lost five of their first seven. They went up to Fenway Park to play Boston in a rematch of the previous year’s Division Series. Cleveland spoiled Marathon Weekend for their hosts, winning four straight over the Red Sox and finding their sea legs.
On April 30, they hosted the Chicago White Sox, emerging as a key challenger in the AL Central. In Tuesday’s opener, Lofton set the table with three hits, Thome homered and drove in three runs, Martinez gave seven strong innings and the Indians won 5-3. McDowell ground his way through seven tough innings against the team he had won a Cy Young Award with, and Cleveland completed a two-game sweep with a 9-5 win.
The Indians were off and running. They went to Seattle for a rematch of the ’95 ALCS and won three of four. A series loss in Oakland temporarily broke momentum, but Cleveland ripped off 12 wins in their next 15 games. By Memorial Day, they were 33-14 and had the best record in the American League. The White Sox were in hot pursuit, with the AL’s second-best overall record and four games back.
A SLUGGISH JUNE
The Indians came out of the holiday weekend and swept the playoff-bound Texas Rangers. In mid-June, they hosted the Red Sox and that potent offense rang up 25 runs over three games in another sweep.
But the momentum also started to crest. The Tribue split four games in New York. When the Yankees, bound for a World Series title, made their return trip to Cleveland, they handed the Indians four straight losses.
The good news is that Chicago wasn’t making a lot of headway. The lead remained at four games. Until the last series before the All-Star break when the White Sox came to town, took three of four and cut the lead down to two games.
Cleveland was 52-35, still in first place, and they still had a five-game cushion for what was then just one wild-card spot. They weren’t in a tailspin. But they were in a sluggish rut.
PIVOT POINT IN BALTIMORE
A pair of four-game sets with the mediocre Minnesota Twins that were on the far side of the break was the right tonic. The Indians won six of those eight games. That set the stage for four games in Baltimore in late July. The Orioles were the team seeking to displace the AL Central runner-up as the wild-card and thereby represented Cleveland’s playoff cushion. This was an opportunity to get some breathing room.
In Thursday’s opener, Lofton did his work setting the table, with three hits and a pair of stolen bases. Belle did his work cleaning up the table, homering twice, and driving in five runs. The bats carried the Indians to a 10-7 win.
They kept pounding away on Friday night. Belle had four more hits, homered again, and drove in three runs. He keyed a balanced lineup that pounded out 20 hits and hammered Oriole ace Mike Mussina in a 14-9 win.
Hershiser got pounded on Saturday afternoon and Cleveland was on the wrong side of a 14-2 beating. Sunday afternoon’s finale was tied 3-3 after six innings. Both teams got great work from their bullpen. Plunk and Shuey combined to work 4 2/3 of shutout ball. But the 3-3 score held and the game stretched into the 13th inning. With two on and two outs, Thome came through with a three-run blast. Mesa closed out a 6-3 win and a satisfying weekend.
CLINCHING ON THE SOUTH SIDE
The series in Baltimore set the tone for the rest of the regular season. The Indians built momentum through August, including a sweep of the Mariners. The White Sox started to stumble. By Labor Day, Cleveland was plus-eight on in the AL Central race and nine games clear for the wild-card.
September was a time to coast home. In 1996, homefield advantage for the playoffs was still settled with a pre-determined rotation system rather than record, so the Indians had little to play for. On September 17, the Tuesday of the season’s penultimate week, they were on the South Side of Chicago with a chance to clinch.
Cleveland scored three in the first, keyed by a two-run single from Manny. Seitzer unloaded a grand slam in the second inning. The clinching night was symbolic of September—an easy party. When Vizquel fielded a ground ball in the bottom of the ninth and stepped on second for a forceout, the Indians had their second straight AL Central title.
They went on to finish with a 99-62 record, seven games clear of the rest of the American League and three games better than the National League’s best, the defending champion Atlanta Braves.
THE CRUELTY OF OCTOBER
Cleveland seemed to be on a collision course for a Fall Classic rematch with Atlanta. But the postseason can be cruel to favorites and that’s what happened here. Baltimore had momentum from their second half surge to get the wild-card spot.
Moreover, the homefield format of the time was 2-3, where the favorite opened on the road before playing the balance of the series at home (as opposed to today’s 2-2-1 format, where the favorite can open and close a series at home). Meaning Cleveland had to go into Baltimore and play a hot team. They lost the first two games and put themselves in a hole.
The Tribe won Game 3 and held the lead in the ninth inning of Game 4. But just one out from forcing a deciding game, Mesa gave up the tying run. The closer stayed in the game through the 12th inning. But this one didn’t have the same happy ending as the long extra-innings battle with the Orioles back in July. This time it was Baltimore getting the big blast and a 4-3 loss ended the Indians’ dream. Jacobs Field, which had rocked all season long, fell into a late afternoon silence.
It was a painful loss, but Cleveland wasn’t going anywhere. In 1997, they would get some sweet revenge, winning another American League pennant—and beating the Orioles in the process. The Indians continued to be the AL Central’s pre-eminent force through 2001, with this team being one part of a stretch where they won six division crowns in seven years. But they never did win the World Series and 1996 was one of their best shots.