The Angels, last in the league in home runs during the regular season, hit nine home runs during this three game series! Cleveland, at the top in home runs during the regular season, hit zero!
You can imagine the outcome. 86 California treated the Indians like a punching bag, thoroughly bashing any hopes of advancement for the 99 Cleveland team. Game One was close, going to extra innings before Bob Boone belted a home run in the 10th to win it. This was a forerunner of nightmarish sights to come for Cleveland fans.
Game One: “Boone Shot” Cleveland's Bartolo Colon carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Indians were up 2-0, thanks to a Kenny Lofton single in the fifth off Mike Witt and a fielder's choice groundout in the seventh after Witt loaded the bases. But Cleveland's joy in this game and in the series would be short-lived. California scored two in the bottom of the inning off a Jack Howell double after Colon had walked a pair, ending his day. The game remained tied at two apiece going into the 10th. California threatened in the eighth to untie it after singles from Boone and Downing, but Paul Assenmacher retired George Hendrick to end the threat.
However, in the bottom of the 10th, facing Paul Shuey, Bob Boone hit a long solo homer to center, 439 feet away, to win it for the Angels, Final: California 3, Cleveland 2.
Game Two: “Moe-Boone” More Bob Boone, who seems to love playing against Cleveland. Dave Burba was pounded for six runs in five innings as Boone and Doug DeCinces both homered for a commanding 5-1 Angels lead. It would only get worse for Cleveland as California would score five more times. Boonie went 4-for-4 with two homers in the game, while DeCinces bookended Boone's feat by also hitting a second homer. Don Sutton went six solid innings for the Angels, only allowing two runs, and got plenty of relief help from Doug Corbett and Terry Forster. Final: California 10, Cleveland 3.
Game Three: “Rupe-It-Up” Cleveland's hopes to stay in
the series rested on aging veteran pitcher Charlie Nagy, in his ninth season, as the series shifted east to Jacobs Field. But Nagy was not up to the task. In fact, he was downright ugly. California scored five in the second, one in third, and five more in the fourth to put this one away very early. It was bombs away again for California, as Ruppert Jones hit two homers off Nagy and drove in five for the game, while Reggie Jackson also hit a solo drive to right off the battered pitcher.
Any chance Cleveland had to come back after Nagy's departure in the fourth were dashed by the strong pitching of California's Kirk McCaskill, who went eight innings, only giving up five hits and three cheap runs while striking out 10 Indians. The Angels' Wally Joyner added to the victory party by going 3-for-5, hitting two homers of his own and driving in three. At least Boone didn't get another homer in this game....Final: California 11, Cleveland 3.
With the Angels' sweep, they now face the winner of the Toronto-Minnesota series. Thanks to Douglas for an enjoyable afternoon of baseball for his moonshoot-hitting Angels bunch.
Regards,
Joe Pryweller
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