Eighteen Crazy Nights—Looking back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians

Each week during the 2012-13 offseason DTTWLN will take a look back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians season—specifically the 18 thrilling games of the postseason as the Indians made an improbable run to game seven of the World Series.

PART TWENTY-ONE:  WORLD SERIES GAME 6—THE OMAR AND OGEA SHOW

By Steve Eby

Sometimes in sports unexpected things happen.

Moments occur that just couldn’t have been imagined; they make your jaw drop and hit the floor.  You compose yourself long enough to mutter out the words, “I can’t believe that just happened.”

Then there are other moments that aren’t really surprising at all…just incredible.

They happen over and over so often that they become routine…but still your jaw hits the ground because of how incredible the moment was.  Your jaw once again hits the floor and you compose yourself for long enough to say, “I can’t believe that Omar just did that again.”

Both of these scenarios played out perfectly for the Indians in Game Six of the 1997 World Series. Read More

Eighteen Crazy Nights—Looking back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians

Each week during the 2012-13 offseason DTTWLN will take a look back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians season—specifically the 18 thrilling games of the postseason as the Indians made an improbable run to game seven of the World Series.

PART SEVENTEEN:  WORLD SERIES GAME 2—IT’S PRONOUNCED “OH-JAY”

By Steve Eby

Twice in the 1997 playoffs the Indians had lost Game One of a series, and twice they had come back to win Game Two.  If they were going to make it three in a row, however, they certainly had their work cut out for them.

The Indians were set to face right handed ace Kevin Brown in the second matchup of the World Series, and they could only counter with Chad Ogea…a pitcher left out of the playoff starting rotation originally.

Brown was in the prime of a fantastic career, was at the end of an All-Star season, and was only a year removed from a season where he finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting.  Ogea, meanwhile, struggled to a 8-9 record with a 4.99 ERA during the regular season and had lost his only two starts of the playoffs.  Ogea was only known nationally for having a funny last name that nobody was really sure how to pronounce and for giving up a grand slam to the first batter he faced in the postseason in his lone ALDS relief appearance against the Yankees. Read More

Eighteen Crazy Nights—Looking back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians

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Each week during the 2012-13 offseason DTTWLN will take a look back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians season—specifically the 18 thrilling games of the postseason as the Indians made an improbable run to game seven of the World Series.

PART FOURTEEN:  ALCS GAME 5—BALTIMORE’S SPECIAL K’S

By Steve Eby

Game Five of the 1997 American League Championship Series was played on the evening of October 13 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.  Baltimore’s starter for the evening, Scott Kamieniecki, had become a solid number four starter for the Orioles over the course of the regular season, but was left out of the starting rotation for their postseason run and had not made a start since a September 24^th victory in Toronto.  Due to the large number of quality, veteran starters in Baltimore, Kamieniecki was put in the bullpen and his only appearance had been his three shutout innings in relief of Jimmy Key against the Indians in Game Two.

After Key struggled through his first couple starts of the playoffs, Baltimore Manager Davey Johnson decided to go with Kamieniecki rather than Key to start Game Five, a game that Baltimore needed to win.  The decision turned out to be a brilliant one for the Orioles, who were down three games to one and facing elimination for the first time all postseason. Read More

Eighteen Crazy Nights—Looking back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians

Each week during the 2012-13 offseason DTTWLN will take a look back at the 1997 Cleveland Indians season—specifically the 18 thrilling games of the postseason as the Indians made an improbable run to game seven of the World Series.

PART TEN:  ALCS GAME 1—THE BRADY BUNCH

By Steve Eby

Just two days after the upstart and underdog Indians defeated the hated New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, they turned their attention to another foe from the American League East—the division champion Baltimore Orioles.

The O’s had worked over the American League all season en route to the league’s best record (98-64) and the second best record in all of baseball.  For the entire season and certainly heading into the playoffs, the Orioles were the heavy favorite to win the American League pennant.  Read More