There is always more to the story and Cleveland first baseman Jim Thome’s superb play Monday night should be described in greater detail. If not for Thome’s diving stop and his even more remarkable force throw to second while rolling on his stomach, the Indians may not have qualified to meet the Baltimore Orioles in a best-of-seven series beginning Wednesday for the American League pennant.
It occurred in the seventh inning of Monday night’s decisive first-round playoff game in Cleveland. There were no outs with Derek Jeter at first with a single and Paul O’Neill, the Yankees’ best hitter, at the plate. O’Neill welcomed reliever Paul Assenmacher with a hard shot 15 to 18 feet to the right of first base. It appeared to be a certain single.
If the ball had eluded Thome, the Yankees would have had the tying run at third and the winning run at first with their 4-5-6 hitters coming up–Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez and Mike Stanley, who already had three hits. Thome’s play changed the course of the game. When Williams stepped in, the Yankees only had a runner at first with one out.
Ordinarily, Thome, 6-feet-4-inches and 220 pounds, doesn’t move well. He isn’t a slick fielder like Mark Grace or Rafael Palmeiro. Also, he doesn’t have the advantage of being left-handed; a left-handed throwing first baseman could have moved over and scooped up the ball. Not much more than a routine play.
Thome had to make a diving backhanded stop. He rolled over on his left hip, with both feet pointed back toward first base. His upper body was falling backward toward the mound. From this seemingly impossible position–he looked like a beached whale–Thome made a perfect throw to second to force Jeter. Williams, next up, bounced into a double play and Assenmacher was out of the inning, his 4-3 lead intact.
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“It was one of those plays where everyone in the dugout–the managers and the coaches–would be yelling, `Don’t throw it!’ ” said Bob Brenly, a one-time big-league catcher and currently a broadcaster with Fox Sports.
“The most amazing thing was the throw,” said Scott Reid, formerly of the Cubs and now a scout for the Florida Marlins. “I don’t know how he did it.”
Said George Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ owner, “In my opinion, that was the turning point of the game.”
Gracious in defeat, Steinbrenner observed, “They have an excellent team, the Indians. Their players did a beautiful job. If we couldn’t win it, I’m happy for Cleveland.”
Steinbrenner had to be pleased with O’Neill’s performance. Pitchers aside–they can’t be judged with position players–O’Neill had a glorious playoff. He led all hitters with a .421 average, 8 for 19, with seven runs batted in and two home runs, one of them a grand slam.
It was great theater. And, appropriately at the finish, O’Neill was carried from the arena on his shield. With two outs in the ninth and the Yankees one out from elimination, O’Neill doubled to deep right center to put the tying run in scoring position. O’Neill hurt himself sliding into second. Play was stopped as he was helped from the field. Bernie Williams, who had a terrible series, a .118 average, drove to deep left to end the game.
And what did it all prove?
More evidence wasn’t needed, but it was another example that baseball, at the major-league level, can not be predicted. In professional basketball and football, the best team, or teams, win 80-90 percent of their games. In baseball, the ratio is 60 percent.
It also demonstrated that a young pitcher, with stamina, courage and a 96-m.p.h fastball, can win big games. Jaret Wright, only four months removed from Double-A, beat the Yankees twice. As we said, baseball is unpredictable, which is why it is such a good game. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.