The Greatest Summer Ever: Omar Vizquel

This story originally ran on July 14, 2012, but in honor of Omar Vizquel’s birthday today, we re-posted it from our vault.

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #12 Omar Vizquel.

The trade history between the Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Indians has been a bit one sided in recent years.  On June 30, 2006, the Indians sent old man first baseman Eduardo Perez to Seattle in exchange for shortstop and future All-Star Asdrubal Cabrera.  A month later, the Tribe shipped Ben Broussard to the Mariners in exchange for Shin-Soo Choo and a player to be named later.  Choo emerged as the Indians best position player for the next few years and Broussard…well…Broussard plays a mean acoustic guitar.  In a “not quite as big of a steal” trade in June 2010, the Tribe sent another old man, Russell Branyan, to Seattle for Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz.  Carrera and Diaz may or may not be solid contributors to the Indians one day, but at the time of the trade, everyone in Cleveland was pretty stoked that the Tribe got anything for Russell Branyan.

Those trades were all great and they all helped the Indians incredibly, but they were nothing compared to heist that GM John Hart pulled off prior to the 1994 season.

When the Indians finalized the trade for shortstop Omar Vizquel on December 20, 1993, they pulled off one of the biggest lopsided trades in franchise history.  The Mariners had a young shortstop with power named Alex Rodriguez on the way, so it seemed okay for the M’s to trade the all-glove/no-bat Vizquel for peanuts.

Oops.

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Memories of The Greatest Summer Ever

I’ll never forget the summer of 1995.

I was 13 years old, just about to enter the eighth grade and in love with the Cleveland Indians.  But I wasn’t just some fair-weather fan.  In my mind, I had dealt with the hardships of the bad years, having lived through the late 80’s and early 90’s teams that lost almost all of the time.  I couldn’t stand that it was suddenly so popular to root for the Indians.  The words “fair weather fans” became a part of my regular vocabulary during the summer of ’95.  Where were all of you when the rest of us were all rooting for a losing team?  It wasn’t until I was in college and the glory years were almost over that I realized that I hadn’t really “dealt” with anything.

“Kids growing up (in the 90’s) and that’s all they knew…they’re in trouble,” former Indian and TV color man Rick Manning said.  “Now look at it…it’s not even close.  (The way it is now) is how Indians baseball was when I played (1975-1983) and even before me.”

People my age are spoiled.  Forget that the Indians are extremely difficult to root for at this moment and realize that I’m only 30 years old and have seen the best, most exciting stretch of baseball that Cleveland has ever had.  Sure, I haven’t seen my Tribe win the ultimate prize, but heck, my father just turned 60 and has seen the exact same amount of World Series titles that I have.  We’ve seen the same amount of pennants as well, unless you count the one in 1954 when he was two (even with as big of a baseball fan as my dad is, I doubt that he was paying attention at two).

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Albert Belle

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #1 Albert Belle.

November 19, 1996 was a black eye kind of day for Cleveland fans.  It was a punch in the gut, kick in the nuts, stab in the back kind of day.  It was the day that the Indians best player, Albert Belle, skipped out of town and signed with the Chicago White Sox for a record-breaking contract that paid him $10 million each year.  Albert became the first player in Major League history to make eight figures in his yearly salary.

When Belle left, it was a terrible blow to the city of Cleveland.  Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome both bolted Cleveland for greener pastures (and greener wallets) in the years that followed, but the Indians weren’t nearly as good then.  When Belle left, the Indians were coming off of back to back 100 and 99 win seasons.  They were in the World Series only a year prior and were still considered by most to be the best team in baseball.  When Ramirez and Thome left the town hurt, but nothing stung as bad as Belle leaving until LeBron James left the Cavaliers over a dozen years later.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Jose Mesa

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #2 Jose Mesa.

WARNING:  The following few paragraphs may cause extreme sadness and/or anger that may lead to depression.  In some extreme cases, physical illness may arise and vomiting may occur.  ­Did the Tribe Win Last Night? takes no responsibility for any holes that may be punched in a wall, pillows that get torn in half, or computers/smartphones that may get smashed as well as loss of tears and/or food that was previously consumed.

The Indians held a two run lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning during game seven of the 1997 World Series.  Tribe rookie starter Jaret Wright had pitched brilliantly, as had relievers Paul Assenmacher, Mike Jackson and Brian Anderson.  Between them, the Florida Marlins had only recorded two hits, the biggest being a solo homerun by Bobby Bonilla.  The Indians scored their two runs early in the game; a two run single by Tony Fernandez in the third.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Manny Ramirez

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #3 Manny Ramirez.

One word completely sums up the 1995 Cleveland Indians.

The Tribe won 100 times in only a 144 game season.  They won their division by 30 games.  They clinched a playoff spot earlier than any other team in history.  They had 48 come from behind wins.  27 wins came in their last at bat.  Nine of those wins came on walk-off homeruns.

The Tribe boasted the best lineup and the best pitching staff.  They had the league’s best hitter and the best pitcher.  They had potential Hall of Famers batting first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh in their order.

It seriously just takes one word…wow.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Kenny Lofton

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #4 Kenny Lofton.

Thank God for Craig Biggio.

If it wasn’t for Biggio, the 1995 Indians would not have been what they turned out to be.  The Tribe would not have won 100 games.  They would not have made the playoffs with such ease.  They probably would not have made their run to the World Series.  They certainly would not have articles being written about them almost 20 years later.  Without Craig Biggio, the city of Cleveland surely wouldn’t have had their most exciting sports run in recent memory and we wouldn’t have seen the greatest leadoff hitter of the 90’s flourish right under our noses.

Seriously…thank you Craig Biggio.

So what does Craig Biggio, a Hall of Famer who never played a game for the Indians (or for any other team besides the Houston Astros), have to do with the Indians famous run of success?  Indirectly, he played a huge role.

From the beginning of his career in 1988 through 1991, Biggio was the Astros everyday catcher.  His sweet swing kept him in the Houston lineup daily, only getting a break from the rigors behind the plate with an occasional game played on the Astrodome’s turf outfield.  The hardship that comes along with the catcher’s position took its toll on Biggio’s knees, and the Astros organization knew that a position change was necessary if their best hitter was going to last for the long haul.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Carlos Baerga

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #5 Carlos Baerga.

By 1995, Carlos Baerga was an accomplished Major League hitter, a two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, and perhaps the most popular athlete in Cleveland.  He was only 26 years old, but he had already seen a lifetime’s worth of personal highs and, unfortunately, also team lows.

Baerga came to Cleveland in the 1989 offseason trade with San Diego that brought himself, Sandy Alomar and Chris James to the Tribe in exchange for Joe Carter.  Alomar was thought to be the gem of the Indians haul, but five years after the deal, it was the surprising Baerga that was the best find.

“It’s not that he wasn’t supposed to be very good, (it’s that) he wasn’t fully developed yet,” Alomar said of his longtime teammate Baerga.  “When Carlos got traded here, he was still in the developing process.  He was always a good hitter.  Carlos always could hit.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t a good Major League player; it’s that he wasn’t a good Major League player yet.  When Carlos got traded with me I was like, ‘wow, Carlos Baerga is coming with me and they don’t know how good of a player they’re getting.’  We were excited.”

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Dennis Martinez

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #6 Dennis Martinez.

In 1976, Baltimore pitcher Wayne Garland won 20 games out of nowhere for the Orioles, and the Indians made their first big free agent splash that offseason by offering Garland a 10-year contract worth $2.3 million.  This contract was over 12 times the money that Garland had made the previous season.  The Tribe’s big splash turned out to be a big crash as injuries and bad pitching made Garland last only five years in Cleveland, winning just 28 games total, and losing a league high 19 in 1977.

In 1987, the Indians signed another player from the Orioles, catcher Rick Dempsey.  Dempsey won a World Series MVP award with Baltimore in 1983 and was coming off three seasons where he averaged a dozen homeruns.  Less than a year after signing Dempsey, the Tribe released him when he batted a disappointing .177 with one homerun.

On December 2, 1993, the Indians ignored their terrible track record and signed two more former Orioles; first baseman Eddie Murray and starting pitcher Dennis Martinez.  These former O’s didn’t turn out to be quite as brutal as the previous two.

“We had said all along that we were going to try to develop our core players and when we felt like we had a chance to contend, we would try to trade for or sign a couple big time free agents that would help us to get over the top and contend,” Indians manager Mike Hargrove said.  “We did that when we signed Dennis Martinez and Eddie Murray.”

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Jim Thome

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #7 Jim Thome.

Jim Thome was not supposed to be this good.

The Indians drafted the tall, skinny third baseman from Peoria, Illinois in the 13^th round of the 1989 MLB Amateur Draft with a hope that Thome might one day develop into a Major League player.  That same year, Thome laced up his spikes for his first taste of professional baseball and hit a very unimpressive .237 for the Gulf Coast League Indians rookie team.  In 292 plate appearances that summer, Thome hit zero homeruns.  Initially, it seemed that Thome might be a swing and a miss as a Tribe prospect.

The following season, Thome started showing his potential and flexing his batting muscle.  Jimmy batted .340 between Burlington and Kinston in 1990 and followed that up by batting .319 between Canton-Akron and Colorado Springs in ’91.  Thome’s power still remained somewhat human, as he slugged a respectable 16 homeruns in ’90 but his total dropped to a subpar seven for the ’91 campaign.  Still, with his batting average soaring, Thome was called up to Cleveland to show the 105-loss Indians what he could do for 27 games as a September call-up in 1991.

Thome hit .255 with nine RBIs in 98 at bats for the Tribe in his first Major League experience.  Jimmy knocked his first career homerun, a clutch, game-winning blast into the right field stands at Yankee Stadium in the top of the ninth inning off of Steve Farr, on October 4.  It was the first of what the Indians hoped was many clutch homeruns that the young man would hit, but even they never could have dreamed of how good and clutch Jim Thome was about to become.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Eddie Murray

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #8 Eddie Murray.

When Eddie Murray signed with Cleveland as a free agent on December 2, 1993 (the same day that the Indians signed Dennis Martinez), it was clear that the future Hall of Famer was on the down side of his career.  Questions came pouring in on how much the 38 year old first baseman could help a young team that already had Paul Sorrento returning with two years of starting experience under his belt.  Was Murray durable enough to handle the rigors of a 162 game schedule?  Could he still provide the thunder in the middle of a lineup that was expected to be good?  Would Eddie take a back seat to the other budding superstars that the Indians had on their team?  Would the all-time leader in games played at first base be comfortable becoming a full time designated hitter?  Could a guy who was not outspoken provide the kind of leadership that the young Tribe sorely needed?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Julian Tavarez

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #9 Julian Tavarez.

The Cleveland Indians have had four Rookie of the Year Award winners in their franchise history.  Herb Score was the first Indian to win the award in 1955, Chris Chambliss won it in 1971, Joe Charboneau in 1980 and Sandy Alomar most recently in 1990.  Chambliss, Charboneau and Alomar were all bright spots on some pretty bad teams their first seasons, with Chambliss and the ’71 squad losing over 100 games.  Score, on the other hand, helped to lead the ’55 Tribe to a strong 93-61 record.  The southpaw was fantastic, winning 16 games with a 2.85 ERA and striking out 245 batters which was tops in baseball.  The Indians finished in second place, three games behind Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and the New York Yankees, but Score’s impact was certainly felt in the AL pennant race.

It had been since Score’s ’55 season that an Indians rookie had a big impact on a contending team.  The real problem was that the Indians didn’t have many contenders from the 50’s through the mid 90’s, but a rookie presence like Score’s had not been felt in Cleveland in four decades.

That string stopped in 1995.

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The Greatest Summer Ever: Orel Hershiser

Each week through the 26 weeks of the 2012 regular season, DTTWLN  will profile and break down the roster of arguably the most exciting sports team that Cleveland has ever seen; the 1995 Cleveland Indians. The ’95 Tribe won 100 games in a strike-shortened 144 game schedule, won their first Central Division title and made the playoffs and World Series for the first time since 1954.  Six players made the American League All-Star team, eight players batted .300 or better, and the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in the American League.  The players have been ranked from the most important to the Tribe’s success to the 26^th.  This week breaks down #10 Orel Hershiser.

Orel Hershiser will forever be remembered in baseball lore as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and his trademark will be his magical 1988 season. In ’88, Hershiser tossed a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings, won the National League Cy Young Award and a Gold Glove, led the league in wins and won the NLCS and World Series MVP Awards as his Dodgers beat the heavily favored Oakland A’s in the Fall Classic.  Baseball lore is correct for remembering “The Bulldog” as a Dodger and for throwing one of the best pitching seasons in history.

In Cleveland, however, fans have their own memories of Hershiser.  Orel officially signed on with the Indians as a free agent on April 8, 1995, but in the minds of Cleveland fans, Hershiser became an Indian for life later that year on October 26.

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