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Nick Soulis · 05-12-2022, 10:38 AM

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #117
1996 Cleveland Indians (99-62) vs 1909 St. Louis Cardinals (54-98)

Still considered among the greatest clubs never to have won it all, the Cleveland Indians of the 90's are a team of unbelievable talent especially when it came to putting runs on the board. The 1996 team won 99 games and scored 952 runs while hitting 218 home runs. Albert Belle was putting together incredible statistical seasons hitting 48 home runs with 148 RBI and a 1.033 OPS. Don't expect Belle to smile much but do expect him to demolish opposing pitching. Another slugger that had an OPS over 1.00 and had a better disposition was Jim Thome. Thome hit 38 home runs and also slugged over 600 with 122 runs scored and a .450 OPB. Who were they driving in? The great Kenny Lofton in his prime was at the top of the order and scored 132 times while stealing an impressive 75 bases for the era. Kenny hit .317 and remains one of the most underrated talents of any era. Then there was Manny Ramirez, who hit .309 with 45 doubles and 33 home runs and 320 total bases giving pitchers no rest. The veteran Eddie Murray was at DH but was well past his best at 40 with a .265 average but Murray was still great in the clutch. Ageless Julio Franco did his thing at first hitting .322 in 112 games while Sandy Alomar was a very good all around catcher where even he was able to drive in 50 runs. Omar Vizquel and Carlos Baegra made up the middle of the defense and played it just about as well as anyone. Vizquel hit .297 even as Baegra had a down year at the plate with a 67 OPS+. Jeff Kent was on the roster as was Jeremy Burnitz and Brian Giles proving just how ridiculous this offensive roster was. The pitching was experienced but in all honestly not very good. Charles Nagy went 17-5 with a 3.41 ERA and gave his club the best chance to win throwing 222 innings. From there the Tribe struggled as Orel Hershiser just got by with a 4.24 ERA and 1.43 WHIP and Jack McDowell was even worse with a 5.11 ERA and a bunch of hard hit balls proving his arm wasn't what it used to be. Chad Ogea just couldn't get back on track after a great 1995 with arm trouble and a questionable 21 starts he was eventually used in relief. Forty two year old Dennis Martinez was just a fill in when needed but was not a long term answer with 20 starts. Jose Mesa was the closer saving 39 games but his confidence wasn't great as his 3.73 ERA showed. Julian Tavarez and Eric Plunk were two good setup options but the Cleveland pen was truly overused too often. A really fun team to watch and it will be fascinating to see what they do again a deadball era team and ballpark; will their power and run scoring ability translate?

From 218 home runs by the Indians to 15 home runs for the 1909 Cardinals. St. Louis was not a very good ballclub anyway you slice the numbers but the opposition they will see in this matchup surely will be a shock. The focus will be on their pitching and six pitchers are in the mix for starts beginning with Fred Beebe who made 34 of them. Beebe lost 21 games but had a 2.82 ERA even as his control for the era wasn't good walking over 100 batters. Johnny Lush lost 18 games from the left side with only an 80 ERA+ while Slim Sallee was much better in his 27 stats with a 2.42 ERA and some good command with a 1.2 WHIP. Sallee may actually be the best option for manager Roger Bresnahan. Bob Harmon and Les Backman were just terrible for the era with ERA+ in the sixties and finally lefty John Raleigh went 1-10 in 10 starts with obviously no luck on his side and a 3.89 ERA. Eddie Higgins and Steve Melter were the main arms in relief both throwing in over 60 innings, but for this club as was the norm, all pitchers could pitch on any given day depending on the matchups and feel of the manager. Charlie Rhodes also started in 10 games but is barely worth mentioning as the 3.41 team ERA is sky high for the deadball era; the Indians should have their way. The Cardinal offense scored about 400 less runs then their opponents and the offense lacked real consistency. The high average and WAR man was Ed Konetchy who hit .284 with 25 steals and 80 RBI. Kontechy is a solid player but there was little to nothing around him. Chappy Charles and Bobby Byrne covered second and third and combined scored under 100 runs. Byrne hit .214 but did steal 21 bases which is close to what outfielder Rube Ellis did. Ellis hit .238 with 21 steals and was a good contributor to the offense while Al Shaw hit .248 in center and Steve Evans was even better in left hitting .259 with 129 hits and 17 doubles making him a valuable left handed bat. Rudy Hullswitt was the shortstop who wouldn't last long as a starter but did have a nice season hitting .280 in only 82 games while Joel Delahanty played a bunch there but was very poor hitting .214 despite is great bloodline and name. Ed Phelps is a good catcher who hit .248 with seven steals and some good defensive work that included the regular blood and sweat for the position. Behind Phelps was manager Roger Bresnahan who inserted himself in 72 games and hit .244, the 30 year old manager was by far not the oldest man on the roster. Two teams that are 87 year apart and even farther apart in style and star power. Two completely polar opposite baseball eras face off in a best of seven.

Game 1 At Jacobs Field
Partly Cloudy 48
1909 Cardinals....................5
1996 Indians.......................10
WP: C. Nagy (1-0) LP: L. Higginbotham (0-1)
HR: R. Ellis (1), K. Lofton (1)
POG: Kenny Lofton
1996 Indians lead series 1-0
Kenny Lofton drove in three runs and scored 4 times while playing an excellent centerfield as the 96 Indians doubled up the Cardinals with 10 runs in game one. Lofton hit a two run home run in the 6th while Jim Thome and Julio Franco also drove in two in a 13 hit effort. Charles Nagy walked five but struck out six in what was a typical Indians win, where offense just takes over.

Game 2 At Jacobs Field
Clear skies 56
1909 Cardinals...................16
1996 Indians........................7
WP: H. Betts (1-0) LP: J. McDowell (0-1)
HR: A. Konetchy (1), B. Byrne (1), A. Shaw (1)
POG: Ed Konetchy
Series tied at 1
A big answer by the Cardinals who embarrass the Indians with 16 runs on their home field nd chase Jack McDowell in the 2nd inning. Jim Thome had 5 RBI on the losing side but on the other side was Ed Knoetchy who had 7 RBI and Steve Evans scored 4 runs for a team that none thought could have this type of offensive output. The two one sided games now take the series to Robinson Field where old time baseball will be on display.

Game 3 At Robinson Field
Clear 62
1996 Indians....................9
1909 Cardinals................1
WP: O. Hershiser (1-0) LP: J. Lush (0-1)
HR: A. Belle (1), J. Thome (1), S. Alomar Jr (1)
POG: Sandy Alomar Jr
1996 Indians lead series 2-1
The home run ball and big bats finally came out for the Indians and put on a power display at Robinson Field. Johnny Lush did not have his good stuff for the home side and allowed three in the first inning and his defense behind him made three errors. A 14 hit effort and a great outing by vintage Orel Hershiser put the Tribe back on top in the series.

Game 4 At Robinson Field
Clear 65
1996 Indians........................5
1909 Cardinals....................4
WP: C. Ogea (1-0) LP: F. More (0-1) S: J Mesa (1)
HR: M. Ramirez (1)
POG: Ed Konetchy
1996 Indians lead series 3-1
Manny Ramirez hit a big two run home run with the Indians down two in the 6th inning and Albert Belle added an RBI triple in the same frame as the come from behind win gets the Indians a win away. The Cardinals knocked on the door in the late innings but Eric Plunk and Jose Mesa closed the door in relief. Ed Konetchu went 3-5 and is hitting .444 in the series, but it could all be in vain if the Cardinals dont win the next one at home.

Game 5
At Robinson Field
Clear 51
1996 Indians.....................12
1909 Cardinals..................8
WP: D. Martinez (1-0) LP: S. Sallee
HR: J. Thome (2), R. Ellis (2), J. Bliss (1)
POG: Manny Ramirez
In a tight back and forth game, once again the Cardinals defense let them down committing 3 errors but also surrendering 17 hits to Cleveland who ended this series in 5. Manny Ramirez went 3-3 and drove in four runs while Jim Thome went deep for the second time in the series as a three run 8th inning put the game away for good. Cleveland just proved to be more resilient and capable of scoring runs when all is said and done and they swept right though the old ball park proving venue can only contain good offense only so much.

1996 Cleveland Indians Win Series 4 Game To 1

Series MVP:
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Name: 1 - 117 MVP.png
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Jim Thome
(.429, 2 HR, 12 RBI, .520 OBP, 7 R, 3 2B, .857 SLG)

05-12-2022, 10:38 AM	#10
Nick Soulis Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago IL Posts: 4,275	Series #117 PRELIMINARY ROUND Series #117 1996 Cleveland Indians (99-62) vs 1909 St. Louis Cardinals (54-98) Still considered among the greatest clubs never to have won it all, the Cleveland Indians of the 90's are a team of unbelievable talent especially when it came to putting runs on the board. The 1996 team won 99 games and scored 952 runs while hitting 218 home runs. Albert Belle was putting together incredible statistical seasons hitting 48 home runs with 148 RBI and a 1.033 OPS. Don't expect Belle to smile much but do expect him to demolish opposing pitching. Another slugger that had an OPS over 1.00 and had a better disposition was Jim Thome. Thome hit 38 home runs and also slugged over 600 with 122 runs scored and a .450 OPB. Who were they driving in? The great Kenny Lofton in his prime was at the top of the order and scored 132 times while stealing an impressive 75 bases for the era. Kenny hit .317 and remains one of the most underrated talents of any era. Then there was Manny Ramirez, who hit .309 with 45 doubles and 33 home runs and 320 total bases giving pitchers no rest. The veteran Eddie Murray was at DH but was well past his best at 40 with a .265 average but Murray was still great in the clutch. Ageless Julio Franco did his thing at first hitting .322 in 112 games while Sandy Alomar was a very good all around catcher where even he was able to drive in 50 runs. Omar Vizquel and Carlos Baegra made up the middle of the defense and played it just about as well as anyone. Vizquel hit .297 even as Baegra had a down year at the plate with a 67 OPS+. Jeff Kent was on the roster as was Jeremy Burnitz and Brian Giles proving just how ridiculous this offensive roster was. The pitching was experienced but in all honestly not very good. Charles Nagy went 17-5 with a 3.41 ERA and gave his club the best chance to win throwing 222 innings. From there the Tribe struggled as Orel Hershiser just got by with a 4.24 ERA and 1.43 WHIP and Jack McDowell was even worse with a 5.11 ERA and a bunch of hard hit balls proving his arm wasn't what it used to be. Chad Ogea just couldn't get back on track after a great 1995 with arm trouble and a questionable 21 starts he was eventually used in relief. Forty two year old Dennis Martinez was just a fill in when needed but was not a long term answer with 20 starts. Jose Mesa was the closer saving 39 games but his confidence wasn't great as his 3.73 ERA showed. Julian Tavarez and Eric Plunk were two good setup options but the Cleveland pen was truly overused too often. A really fun team to watch and it will be fascinating to see what they do again a deadball era team and ballpark; will their power and run scoring ability translate? From 218 home runs by the Indians to 15 home runs for the 1909 Cardinals. St. Louis was not a very good ballclub anyway you slice the numbers but the opposition they will see in this matchup surely will be a shock. The focus will be on their pitching and six pitchers are in the mix for starts beginning with Fred Beebe who made 34 of them. Beebe lost 21 games but had a 2.82 ERA even as his control for the era wasn't good walking over 100 batters. Johnny Lush lost 18 games from the left side with only an 80 ERA+ while Slim Sallee was much better in his 27 stats with a 2.42 ERA and some good command with a 1.2 WHIP. Sallee may actually be the best option for manager Roger Bresnahan. Bob Harmon and Les Backman were just terrible for the era with ERA+ in the sixties and finally lefty John Raleigh went 1-10 in 10 starts with obviously no luck on his side and a 3.89 ERA. Eddie Higgins and Steve Melter were the main arms in relief both throwing in over 60 innings, but for this club as was the norm, all pitchers could pitch on any given day depending on the matchups and feel of the manager. Charlie Rhodes also started in 10 games but is barely worth mentioning as the 3.41 team ERA is sky high for the deadball era; the Indians should have their way. The Cardinal offense scored about 400 less runs then their opponents and the offense lacked real consistency. The high average and WAR man was Ed Konetchy who hit .284 with 25 steals and 80 RBI. Kontechy is a solid player but there was little to nothing around him. Chappy Charles and Bobby Byrne covered second and third and combined scored under 100 runs. Byrne hit .214 but did steal 21 bases which is close to what outfielder Rube Ellis did. Ellis hit .238 with 21 steals and was a good contributor to the offense while Al Shaw hit .248 in center and Steve Evans was even better in left hitting .259 with 129 hits and 17 doubles making him a valuable left handed bat. Rudy Hullswitt was the shortstop who wouldn't last long as a starter but did have a nice season hitting .280 in only 82 games while Joel Delahanty played a bunch there but was very poor hitting .214 despite is great bloodline and name. Ed Phelps is a good catcher who hit .248 with seven steals and some good defensive work that included the regular blood and sweat for the position. Behind Phelps was manager Roger Bresnahan who inserted himself in 72 games and hit .244, the 30 year old manager was by far not the oldest man on the roster. Two teams that are 87 year apart and even farther apart in style and star power. Two completely polar opposite baseball eras face off in a best of seven. Game 1 At Jacobs Field Partly Cloudy 48 1909 Cardinals....................5 1996 Indians.......................10 WP: C. Nagy (1-0) LP: L. Higginbotham (0-1) HR: R. Ellis (1), K. Lofton (1) POG: Kenny Lofton 1996 Indians lead series 1-0 Kenny Lofton drove in three runs and scored 4 times while playing an excellent centerfield as the 96 Indians doubled up the Cardinals with 10 runs in game one. Lofton hit a two run home run in the 6th while Jim Thome and Julio Franco also drove in two in a 13 hit effort. Charles Nagy walked five but struck out six in what was a typical Indians win, where offense just takes over. Game 2 At Jacobs Field Clear skies 56 1909 Cardinals...................16 1996 Indians........................7 WP: H. Betts (1-0) LP: J. McDowell (0-1) HR: A. Konetchy (1), B. Byrne (1), A. Shaw (1) POG: Ed Konetchy Series tied at 1 A big answer by the Cardinals who embarrass the Indians with 16 runs on their home field nd chase Jack McDowell in the 2nd inning. Jim Thome had 5 RBI on the losing side but on the other side was Ed Knoetchy who had 7 RBI and Steve Evans scored 4 runs for a team that none thought could have this type of offensive output. The two one sided games now take the series to Robinson Field where old time baseball will be on display. Game 3 At Robinson Field Clear 62 1996 Indians....................9 1909 Cardinals................1 WP: O. Hershiser (1-0) LP: J. Lush (0-1) HR: A. Belle (1), J. Thome (1), S. Alomar Jr (1) POG: Sandy Alomar Jr 1996 Indians lead series 2-1 The home run ball and big bats finally came out for the Indians and put on a power display at Robinson Field. Johnny Lush did not have his good stuff for the home side and allowed three in the first inning and his defense behind him made three errors. A 14 hit effort and a great outing by vintage Orel Hershiser put the Tribe back on top in the series. Game 4 At Robinson Field Clear 65 1996 Indians........................5 1909 Cardinals....................4 WP: C. Ogea (1-0) LP: F. More (0-1) S: J Mesa (1) HR: M. Ramirez (1) POG: Ed Konetchy 1996 Indians lead series 3-1 Manny Ramirez hit a big two run home run with the Indians down two in the 6th inning and Albert Belle added an RBI triple in the same frame as the come from behind win gets the Indians a win away. The Cardinals knocked on the door in the late innings but Eric Plunk and Jose Mesa closed the door in relief. Ed Konetchu went 3-5 and is hitting .444 in the series, but it could all be in vain if the Cardinals dont win the next one at home. Game 5 At Robinson Field Clear 51 1996 Indians.....................12 1909 Cardinals..................8 WP: D. Martinez (1-0) LP: S. Sallee HR: J. Thome (2), R. Ellis (2), J. Bliss (1) POG: Manny Ramirez In a tight back and forth game, once again the Cardinals defense let them down committing 3 errors but also surrendering 17 hits to Cleveland who ended this series in 5. Manny Ramirez went 3-3 and drove in four runs while Jim Thome went deep for the second time in the series as a three run 8th inning put the game away for good. Cleveland just proved to be more resilient and capable of scoring runs when all is said and done and they swept right though the old ball park proving venue can only contain good offense only so much. 1996 Cleveland Indians Win Series 4 Game To 1 Series MVP: Jim Thome (.429, 2 HR, 12 RBI, .520 OBP, 7 R, 3 2B, .857 SLG) Last edited by Nick Soulis; 05-15-2022 at 02:12 PM.