ALCS Notebook

Eighth inning in Jacobs Field kinder to Rivera this time

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Posted: Sunday October 11, 1998 11:46 PM

Mariano Rivera got Cleveland's Mark Whiten to hit into a double play to get New York out of an eighth-inning jam AP

CLEVELAND (AP) -- New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera had a better eighth inning at Jacobs Field this time.

Rivera was a goat for the Yankees last year in Game 4 of their divisional series against Cleveland. With New York four outs away from eliminating the Indians, Rivera gave up a home run to Sandy Alomar that tied the game.

Cleveland went on to win both the game and the series.

Things didn't look good for the Yankees in Game 5 of the AL championship series when Rivera entered the game Sunday night with one out in the eighth.

New York led 5-3 but Manny Ramirez and Travis Fryman were on first and second and the potential winning run was at the plate in Mark Whiten.

But Rivera got Whiten to hit into a double play to get New York out of the inning.

"I threw him a cutter," Rivera said. "I wanted it to stay down."

Awesome Omar

Cleveland's Omar Vizquel will soon have his own chapter in the AL championship record book.

The shortstop set two records for fielding in Sunday's Game 5 and tied two others.

With four putouts, Vizquel has 34 in his career, breaking Mark Belanger's mark of 31, which stood for 19 years. He also tied Belanger's record for consecutive errorless games with 17.

Vizquel also tied Dick Schofield's 1986 record for assists by a shortstop in an AL championship series with 23 and extended his own career record for double plays to 18.

The kids are all right

Injuries forced the Indians to go into Game 5 of the AL championship series with three rookies -- Richie Sexson, Enrique Wilson and Einar Diaz -- in their starting lineup.

"I think that says something about our organization that we're able to do that," Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove said. "That's a good sign. Obviously in the postseason it's not an ideal situation, but our people have done a good job putting in place so we have this luxury."

Spasms and stiffness in his back sidelined catcher Sandy Alomar midway through Game 4 and made it impossible for him to start Sunday. So Diaz, who played 17 regular season games for Cleveland, started behind the plate and batted ninth.

David Justice, originally penciled as Cleveland's designated hitter, was a late scratch with a bruised right forearm after being hit there by Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez on Saturday.

However, Justice did wind up pinch hitting in the ninth inning of Cleveland's 5-3 loss to New York. He walked and was stranded.

Hargrove juggled his lineup with Jim Thome as his DH, Sexson at first base and Mark Whiten, who homered in Game 3, in left field.

Blue blues

The AL championship series hasn't been easy on the umpires.

There was the Chuck Knoblauch play in Game 2, and in Game 4 second base umpire Jim McKean missed a call on a catch by Kenny Lofton, then later got hit by Sandy Alomar's throw to second.

Before Game 5 on Sunday, New York manager Joe Torre was more forgiving toward the men in blue than after the Yankees lost Game 2 to Cleveland.

"It's the human element," Torre said. "That's what we're dealing with. Obviously pitchers aren't perfect all the time and hitters aren't perfect and umpires aren't perfect."

Indians manager Mike Hargrove, who defended the umps after the Knoblauch incident, was a little tougher on McKean. Asked before Game 5 if there was any excuse for an umpire getting hit by a throw to second base, Hargrove fumbled for words for a moment.

"No," he said finally. "He shouldn't get hit like that, no."

Phantom stat

Prior to this year, the AL championship series had been tied 2-2 on seven occasions. The winner of Game 5 went on the World Series all seven times.

Now, before you think the Yankees, 5-3 winners of Sunday's Game 5 over the Cleveland Indians have the title sewn up, here's the catch.

All but two of the previous Game 5s were in best-of-5 series.

Red Cross relief

Major League Baseball has come to the aid of victims of Hurricane Georges with a $1 million donation to the America Red Cross' disaster relief fund.

Major League Baseball announced the gift Sunday before Game 5 of the AL championship series.

"Thanks to this contribution, the American Red Cross will continue to be there for people when help can't wait," said Elizabeth Dole, president of the American Red Cross.

Stealing streak

When Cleveland's Omar Vizquel was caught stealing in the third inning of Game 5, it was the first unsuccessful attempt in the series.

Before Vizquel was tagged out trying to swipe second, the Indians and Yankees had combined on 14 successful steals.  

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