Now it's time for Game 3 of the 1996 World Series from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The date is Friday, October 18:
Lineup Changes:
Indians- Kevin Seitzer will start at first base. Manny Ramirez moves up to fifth, while Jeff Kent starts at second base and will bat sixth.
Weather: 47 degrees, fair skies, west-northwest wind at 5 MPH.
Cardinals- Ozzie Smith starts at shortstop and will lead off. Willie McGee moves from right field to center and will bat second. In the absence of the designated hitter, Ron Gant, Brian Jordan, and Gary Gaetti will all move up one spot, and Jordan will move from center to right. Finally, John Mabry will start at first base and bat sixth.
Indians 1st: Kenny Lofton lined the first pitch of the game into right center for a base hit. Seitzer's single to right put runners at the corners, and Lofton came home when Jim Thome grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Albert Belle kept the inning going with a single to left, but Cardinals starter Todd Stottlemyre struck Manny Ramirez out swinging to end the inning. The Tribe has scored first thanks to three hits and a double-play ball; now let's see about the Redbirds.
Cardinals 1st: With one out, McGee lined a base hit to right center. That brought Gant to the plate against Indians starter Albie Lopez. Here's Joe Buck with the count two balls and no strikes:
"In case you're wondering why Dennis Martinez isn't starting this game, he's not on the World Series roster. He was allowed to be added briefly to the ALCS roster when Jack McDowell was sent home from Arlington with the flu and finished Game 4, but he was taken off when McDowell officially returned at the start of this series. Chad Ogea will start tomorrow night, while Charles Nagy will go on Sunday. Next pitch to Gant...….HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP LEFT CENTER, BACK GOES LOFTON, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE! CARDINALS TAKE THE LEAD, AS RON GANT HOMERS IN THE FIRST FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT GAME!"
Tim McCarver: "Lopez tries a cutter here, but it doesn't cut; it just sort of lays there in the strike zone, and that's nice fresh meat for a hitter like Gant. That's where the Indians miss Dennis Martinez, who's a much more experienced pitcher and wouldn't have made a mistake like that. Of course, he could have made an entirely different mistake, but that's just speculation."
Jordan lined to Kent at second for the second out, but Gaetti's double to left kept the inning going. Mabry took a called third strike to end the inning with Gaetti still at second, but Gant's second homer of the series has given the Cards a 2-1 lead after one.
Indians 2nd: A one-two-three inning for Stottlemyre. After an inning and a half, the Cardinals still lead 2-1.
Cardinals 2nd: Lopez returned the favor. After two, it's Cards 2, Tribe 1.
Indians 3rd: Lopez struck out swinging, Kenny Lofton bounced to second, and Seitzer grounded to short. Stottlemyre's retired eight in a row, and his Cardinals still lead 2-1 after two and a half.
Cardinals 3rd: Smith grounded to second, McGee bounced to third, and Gant was caught looking to end the inning. That's seven in a row retired for Lopez, but after three it's still NL Champs 2, AL Champs 1.
Indians 4th: Thome went down swinging, Belle grounded to Mike Gallego at second, and Manny took a called third strike. Stottlemyre's run is up to eleven in a row, and the Cards still lead by one after three and a half.
Cardinals 4th: Jordan flew to Lofton is shallow left center, and Gaetti and Mabry both went down swinging. That's ten in a row for Lopez, but the Cardinals still lead 2-1 after four.
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Indians 5th: Kent and Vizquel each took called third strikes, while Alomar grounded to second in between. Stottlemyre has now set down the last fourteen Indians he's faced, and halfway through Game 3, it's St. Louis 2, Cleveland 1.
Cardinals 5th: Lopez got the first two outs to run his skein to twelve in a row, but Stottlemyre ended it there with a single to right. The Wizard of Oz followed with a single past a diving Lopez and up the middle to move Todd to third, and McGee used his speed to beat out a grounder to second for an infield hit to bring him home and put the Redbirds up 3-1. Runners were still at first and second for Gant, but he was caught looking to strand the runners and end the inning. The Cardinals add a run thanks to a string of three hits, and they now lead the Indians 3-1 after five.
Indians 6th: Lopez went down swinging to extend Stottlemyre's streak to fifteen in a row, but Lofton ended it with a base hit to right center, then stole second. Seitzer's single to left brought Lofton home, and the Tribe was back to within 3-2. Thome followed with a single to right to put two men on, but Belle took a called third strike and Ramirez went down swinging to end the inning. The Tribe settles for a run on three hits while leaving runners at first and second, and as we head to the bottom of the sixth the Cardinal lead is down to 3-2.
Cardinals 6th: Another one-two-three inning for Lopez: Jordan bounced to third, Gaetti went down swinging, and Mabry flew to left center for the final out. Here's how Joe called our Defensive Play of the Night:
"Fly ball to left center, not deep. Lofton playing deep, has to come in, dives and CATCHES IT!...….If he'd missed that ball, it would have been trouble. As it is, the Cardinals are down in order in the sixth, but lead 3-2 as we go to the seventh. Back with more after these messages and a word from your local Fox station."
Indians 7th: Kent led off with a base hit to right center. Alomar's base hit up the middle put two on, but Vizquel bounced into a 4-6-3 double play. Kent moved to third with the tying run, and Julio Franco came out of the dugout to bat for Lopez. Stottlemyre walked him on five pitches, and there were runners at the corners for Lofton, but he bounced to Gallego at second to end the inning. The Indians leave runners at first and third, and as we stretch at Busch the homestanding Redbirds still lead 3-2.
Cardinals 7th: Stottlemyre singled to right with two out against new Indians pitcher Eric Plunk, but Smith's liner was speared by Seitzer to end the inning, It's still 3-2 Redbirds after seven.
Indians 8th: With one out, Thome hit a fly ball deep to left. Gant thought he'd made the catch, only for the ball to tumble out of his glove before he could get it back into the infield. Thome ended up at second thanks to the error, and Belle smacked a single to left to bring him home and tie the game at three. He was forced by Manny for the second out, and Kent went down swinging to end the inning. The Tribe has tied the game thanks to Gant's miscue, a hit, and a force play, and after seven and a half we're tied at three.
Cardinals 8th: McGee drew a leadoff walk against new Indians pitcher Paul Assenmacher, but Gant and Jordan each struck out swinging and Gaetti flew to Manny in right to retire the side. We head to the ninth still tied at three.
Indians 9th: New Cardinals pitcher Rick Honeycutt had a one-two-three inning: Alomar flew to left, Vizquel's fly was caught by Lofton on the warning track in right center, and Brian Giles (batting for Assenmacher) struck out swinging. We're still tied at three as we head to the bottom of the ninth.
Cardinals 9th: Even though the game was still tied, Indians manager Mike Hargrove went to his closer, Jose Mesa, in the hopes that his team would score in the top of the tenth and that Mesa could then get a two-inning save. First up was Mabry, who hit the first pitch he saw to new second baseman Jose Vizcaino. Jose muffed it, and the Cards had a baserunner. Tom Pagnozzi's bouncer to third moved Mabry to second, and at that point Miguel Meija went in to run for him. Gallego struck out swinging on three pitches, and then it was time for Ray Lankford, batting for Honeycutt. Lankford hit Mesa's second pitch to left center, but it was an easy play for Lofton, and we were headed for extra innings with Meijja still at second. After nine, it's Indians 3, Cardinals 3.
Indians 10th: New Cardinals pitcher T.J. Matthews retired the Tribe in order: Lofton tapped to first, Seitzer bounced to short, and Thome went down swinging. After nine and a half, we're still even at three.
Cardinals 10th: Gant whacked a two-out double down the left field line, but Jordan's grounder to third stranded him at second and ended the inning. We've played ten, and it's AL Champs 3, NL Champs 3.
Indians 11th: Belle tapped to new Cardinals first baseman Mark Sweeney, and Ramirez and Vizcaino each went down swinging. Matthews has retired all six Indians he's faced, and the Cardinals bullpen has retired the last eleven Cleveland hitters in a row, We're still tied at three after ten and a half.
Cardinals 11th: New Indians pitcher Kent Mercker had a three-up, three-down inning, as Gaetti flew to left and both Sweeney and Pagnozzi flew to right. We're heading to the twelfth with the game still tied at three.
Indians 12th: The Indians went down one-two-three again: Alomar grounded to short, Vizquel went down swinging, and pinch hitter Casey Candaele (batting for Mercker) flew to McGee on the warning track in left center. Matthews' night is over after three perfect innings, and St. Louis relievers have now retired the last fourteen Indians they've faced. It's still a 3-3 tie after eleven and a half.
Cardinals 12th: New Indians pitcher Paul Shuey caught Gallego looking for out number one, but Royce Clayton batted for Matthews and hit a bloop that fell fair on the right field line for a double. Smith walked to put two on, and Shuey now faced McGee. Here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:
"Clayton's got speed at second, and his is the only run that matters. Tony Fossas warming up in the Cardinal bullpen should there be a thirteenth, and that's up to Shuey and McGee right now. The infield's at double-play depth for the Indians, but anything hit to the outfield ends the game barring a miraculous play. Shuey checks the runners, and here's the one-one to McGee...……..LINE DIRVE INTO RIGHT CENTER, BASE HIT! LOFTON COMES UP THROWING, TO VIZCAINO, NOW HOME AND...….SAFE! CARDINALS WIN GAME 3!......Lofton and Vizcaino each made perfect throws, but Clayton touched the plate with his hand a half-second before Alomar got him on the back pocket with the tag, and this one's over."
Our final in twelve innings: Cardinals 4, Indians 3, and the Cardinals lead the series two games to one.
McGee's game-winning hit earned him Player of the Game honors from Fox. He finished three for five with a run scored and two more driven in. The Indians' offense was led by Lofton, who was one of three Cleveland hitters with two hits and also scored twice. But the big story was the Cardinals' pitching staff; Stottlemyre retired fifteen in a row at one point, and the bullpen almost matched him with a second run of fourteen in a row retired to end the game, the last nine by winning pitcher Matthews.
Final score: Cardinals 4-10-1, Indians 3-9-1.
W- Matthews (1-0)
L- Shuey (0-1)
HR- STL: Gant (2)
The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow night here at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Chad Ogea starting for the Indians and Alan Benes going to the hill for the Cardinals.
Next: We look at Game 4.
Thoughts?
Lineup Changes:
Indians- Kevin Seitzer will start at first base. Manny Ramirez moves up to fifth, while Jeff Kent starts at second base and will bat sixth.
Weather: 47 degrees, fair skies, west-northwest wind at 5 MPH.
Cardinals- Ozzie Smith starts at shortstop and will lead off. Willie McGee moves from right field to center and will bat second. In the absence of the designated hitter, Ron Gant, Brian Jordan, and Gary Gaetti will all move up one spot, and Jordan will move from center to right. Finally, John Mabry will start at first base and bat sixth.
Indians 1st: Kenny Lofton lined the first pitch of the game into right center for a base hit. Seitzer's single to right put runners at the corners, and Lofton came home when Jim Thome grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Albert Belle kept the inning going with a single to left, but Cardinals starter Todd Stottlemyre struck Manny Ramirez out swinging to end the inning. The Tribe has scored first thanks to three hits and a double-play ball; now let's see about the Redbirds.
Cardinals 1st: With one out, McGee lined a base hit to right center. That brought Gant to the plate against Indians starter Albie Lopez. Here's Joe Buck with the count two balls and no strikes:
"In case you're wondering why Dennis Martinez isn't starting this game, he's not on the World Series roster. He was allowed to be added briefly to the ALCS roster when Jack McDowell was sent home from Arlington with the flu and finished Game 4, but he was taken off when McDowell officially returned at the start of this series. Chad Ogea will start tomorrow night, while Charles Nagy will go on Sunday. Next pitch to Gant...….HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP LEFT CENTER, BACK GOES LOFTON, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE! CARDINALS TAKE THE LEAD, AS RON GANT HOMERS IN THE FIRST FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT GAME!"
Tim McCarver: "Lopez tries a cutter here, but it doesn't cut; it just sort of lays there in the strike zone, and that's nice fresh meat for a hitter like Gant. That's where the Indians miss Dennis Martinez, who's a much more experienced pitcher and wouldn't have made a mistake like that. Of course, he could have made an entirely different mistake, but that's just speculation."
Jordan lined to Kent at second for the second out, but Gaetti's double to left kept the inning going. Mabry took a called third strike to end the inning with Gaetti still at second, but Gant's second homer of the series has given the Cards a 2-1 lead after one.
Indians 2nd: A one-two-three inning for Stottlemyre. After an inning and a half, the Cardinals still lead 2-1.
Cardinals 2nd: Lopez returned the favor. After two, it's Cards 2, Tribe 1.
Indians 3rd: Lopez struck out swinging, Kenny Lofton bounced to second, and Seitzer grounded to short. Stottlemyre's retired eight in a row, and his Cardinals still lead 2-1 after two and a half.
Cardinals 3rd: Smith grounded to second, McGee bounced to third, and Gant was caught looking to end the inning. That's seven in a row retired for Lopez, but after three it's still NL Champs 2, AL Champs 1.
Indians 4th: Thome went down swinging, Belle grounded to Mike Gallego at second, and Manny took a called third strike. Stottlemyre's run is up to eleven in a row, and the Cards still lead by one after three and a half.
Cardinals 4th: Jordan flew to Lofton is shallow left center, and Gaetti and Mabry both went down swinging. That's ten in a row for Lopez, but the Cardinals still lead 2-1 after four.
,
Indians 5th: Kent and Vizquel each took called third strikes, while Alomar grounded to second in between. Stottlemyre has now set down the last fourteen Indians he's faced, and halfway through Game 3, it's St. Louis 2, Cleveland 1.
Cardinals 5th: Lopez got the first two outs to run his skein to twelve in a row, but Stottlemyre ended it there with a single to right. The Wizard of Oz followed with a single past a diving Lopez and up the middle to move Todd to third, and McGee used his speed to beat out a grounder to second for an infield hit to bring him home and put the Redbirds up 3-1. Runners were still at first and second for Gant, but he was caught looking to strand the runners and end the inning. The Cardinals add a run thanks to a string of three hits, and they now lead the Indians 3-1 after five.
Indians 6th: Lopez went down swinging to extend Stottlemyre's streak to fifteen in a row, but Lofton ended it with a base hit to right center, then stole second. Seitzer's single to left brought Lofton home, and the Tribe was back to within 3-2. Thome followed with a single to right to put two men on, but Belle took a called third strike and Ramirez went down swinging to end the inning. The Tribe settles for a run on three hits while leaving runners at first and second, and as we head to the bottom of the sixth the Cardinal lead is down to 3-2.
Cardinals 6th: Another one-two-three inning for Lopez: Jordan bounced to third, Gaetti went down swinging, and Mabry flew to left center for the final out. Here's how Joe called our Defensive Play of the Night:
"Fly ball to left center, not deep. Lofton playing deep, has to come in, dives and CATCHES IT!...….If he'd missed that ball, it would have been trouble. As it is, the Cardinals are down in order in the sixth, but lead 3-2 as we go to the seventh. Back with more after these messages and a word from your local Fox station."
Indians 7th: Kent led off with a base hit to right center. Alomar's base hit up the middle put two on, but Vizquel bounced into a 4-6-3 double play. Kent moved to third with the tying run, and Julio Franco came out of the dugout to bat for Lopez. Stottlemyre walked him on five pitches, and there were runners at the corners for Lofton, but he bounced to Gallego at second to end the inning. The Indians leave runners at first and third, and as we stretch at Busch the homestanding Redbirds still lead 3-2.
Cardinals 7th: Stottlemyre singled to right with two out against new Indians pitcher Eric Plunk, but Smith's liner was speared by Seitzer to end the inning, It's still 3-2 Redbirds after seven.
Indians 8th: With one out, Thome hit a fly ball deep to left. Gant thought he'd made the catch, only for the ball to tumble out of his glove before he could get it back into the infield. Thome ended up at second thanks to the error, and Belle smacked a single to left to bring him home and tie the game at three. He was forced by Manny for the second out, and Kent went down swinging to end the inning. The Tribe has tied the game thanks to Gant's miscue, a hit, and a force play, and after seven and a half we're tied at three.
Cardinals 8th: McGee drew a leadoff walk against new Indians pitcher Paul Assenmacher, but Gant and Jordan each struck out swinging and Gaetti flew to Manny in right to retire the side. We head to the ninth still tied at three.
Indians 9th: New Cardinals pitcher Rick Honeycutt had a one-two-three inning: Alomar flew to left, Vizquel's fly was caught by Lofton on the warning track in right center, and Brian Giles (batting for Assenmacher) struck out swinging. We're still tied at three as we head to the bottom of the ninth.
Cardinals 9th: Even though the game was still tied, Indians manager Mike Hargrove went to his closer, Jose Mesa, in the hopes that his team would score in the top of the tenth and that Mesa could then get a two-inning save. First up was Mabry, who hit the first pitch he saw to new second baseman Jose Vizcaino. Jose muffed it, and the Cards had a baserunner. Tom Pagnozzi's bouncer to third moved Mabry to second, and at that point Miguel Meija went in to run for him. Gallego struck out swinging on three pitches, and then it was time for Ray Lankford, batting for Honeycutt. Lankford hit Mesa's second pitch to left center, but it was an easy play for Lofton, and we were headed for extra innings with Meijja still at second. After nine, it's Indians 3, Cardinals 3.
Indians 10th: New Cardinals pitcher T.J. Matthews retired the Tribe in order: Lofton tapped to first, Seitzer bounced to short, and Thome went down swinging. After nine and a half, we're still even at three.
Cardinals 10th: Gant whacked a two-out double down the left field line, but Jordan's grounder to third stranded him at second and ended the inning. We've played ten, and it's AL Champs 3, NL Champs 3.
Indians 11th: Belle tapped to new Cardinals first baseman Mark Sweeney, and Ramirez and Vizcaino each went down swinging. Matthews has retired all six Indians he's faced, and the Cardinals bullpen has retired the last eleven Cleveland hitters in a row, We're still tied at three after ten and a half.
Cardinals 11th: New Indians pitcher Kent Mercker had a three-up, three-down inning, as Gaetti flew to left and both Sweeney and Pagnozzi flew to right. We're heading to the twelfth with the game still tied at three.
Indians 12th: The Indians went down one-two-three again: Alomar grounded to short, Vizquel went down swinging, and pinch hitter Casey Candaele (batting for Mercker) flew to McGee on the warning track in left center. Matthews' night is over after three perfect innings, and St. Louis relievers have now retired the last fourteen Indians they've faced. It's still a 3-3 tie after eleven and a half.
Cardinals 12th: New Indians pitcher Paul Shuey caught Gallego looking for out number one, but Royce Clayton batted for Matthews and hit a bloop that fell fair on the right field line for a double. Smith walked to put two on, and Shuey now faced McGee. Here's Joe with the count one ball and one strike:
"Clayton's got speed at second, and his is the only run that matters. Tony Fossas warming up in the Cardinal bullpen should there be a thirteenth, and that's up to Shuey and McGee right now. The infield's at double-play depth for the Indians, but anything hit to the outfield ends the game barring a miraculous play. Shuey checks the runners, and here's the one-one to McGee...……..LINE DIRVE INTO RIGHT CENTER, BASE HIT! LOFTON COMES UP THROWING, TO VIZCAINO, NOW HOME AND...….SAFE! CARDINALS WIN GAME 3!......Lofton and Vizcaino each made perfect throws, but Clayton touched the plate with his hand a half-second before Alomar got him on the back pocket with the tag, and this one's over."
Our final in twelve innings: Cardinals 4, Indians 3, and the Cardinals lead the series two games to one.
McGee's game-winning hit earned him Player of the Game honors from Fox. He finished three for five with a run scored and two more driven in. The Indians' offense was led by Lofton, who was one of three Cleveland hitters with two hits and also scored twice. But the big story was the Cardinals' pitching staff; Stottlemyre retired fifteen in a row at one point, and the bullpen almost matched him with a second run of fourteen in a row retired to end the game, the last nine by winning pitcher Matthews.
Final score: Cardinals 4-10-1, Indians 3-9-1.
W- Matthews (1-0)
L- Shuey (0-1)
HR- STL: Gant (2)
The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow night here at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Chad Ogea starting for the Indians and Alan Benes going to the hill for the Cardinals.
Next: We look at Game 4.
Thoughts?
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