This week in 1995: Dennis Martinez pitched a gem as Indians crush Orioles 11-0

With the short trip to Milwaukee out of the way, the Tribe returned home to face the Orioles and Yankees as they started another long home stand. Also, we review how right field fared against the rest of the AL.

June 12-June 14, 1995

June 12: Orioles 3, Indians 4

June 13: Orioles 0, Indians 11

June 14: Orioles 2, Indians 5

Charles Nagy got the task of trying to tame Kevin Brown in the opener. The Tribe defense erred first, as Omar Vizquel threw one away, scoring Curtis Goodwin and Brady Anderson. Omar atoned in the bottom of the third with an RBI grounder, scoring Wayne Kirby who led off with a triple. The Indians tacked on three more in the fourth. Eddie Murray doubled in Albert Belle. Kirby singled in Murray and a bases loaded walk to Omar made it 4-2. Harold Baines hit a solo shot in the sixth to shrink the lead by one. But Nagy pitched a solid seven before Paul Assenmacher and Jose Mesa got the final six batters in order to secure the victory.

Dennis Martinez pitched a gem on Tuesday, scattering eight hits in a shutout. He walked just one, struck out three and threw 124 pitches, with just one Oriole reaching third. The Tribe offense made mincemeat of Mike Mussina. Belle led off the second innocently enough with a solo shot. But Jim Thome slammed a three run shot in the fourth. Three singles by Omar, Carlos Baerga and Murray ended the night for Mussina, and Paul Sorrento tacked on two more of Jamie Moyer with a single of his own. They also scored four more in the seventh off Alan Mills and Jesse Orosco.

Chad Ogea finished off the sweep as the Tribe offense got to Soctt Kingenbeck fairly early. Murray singled in Omar in the first and Manny Ramirez scored on a wild pitch in the second. Belle's solo shot in the third made it 3-0. A sacrifice fly by Brady Anderson in the fifth and a Rafael Palmeiro homer in the sixth made it 3-2. The Tribe got both runs back in the sixth on a Sorrento sacrifice fly and a Kenny Lofton single. Julian Taverez pitched the seventh and eighth and Mesa got his sixteenth save.

June 16-18, 1995

June 16: Yankees 4, Indians 2

June 17: Yankees 4, Indians 7

June 18: Yankees 9, Indians 5

Omar opened the scoring in the opener with a solo shot in the first. Wade Boggs doubled in a pair off Orel Hershiser in the third. And the game stayed 2-1 until Omar tied in the bottom of the eight, singling in pinch runner Wayne Kirby. But for once, the stellar bullpen of the Indians faltered. Jim Poole, Eric Plunk, Assenmacher and Tavarez gave up two runs on just one hit, two walks and a hit batter. John Wetteland pitched a perfect ninth.

Bud Black didn't have a great beginning on Saturday, giving up two in the first. Belle's triple and an Murray grounder got half of it back in the second, with Bernie Williams getting right back in the third on a solo homer. The offense finally took the lead off And Pettitte in the fourth as Murray singled in Baerga and Manny and Herb Perry hit back to back dingers. The Yankees got one back in the sixth, but Perry homered again and Belle added another solo shot in the seventh.

The Yankees became just the second team to win a series against the Tribe on Sunday as Nagy was hit hard. Two runs in the first and second, with a Paul O'Neill homer in the second the big damage, and one more in the third chased Nagy. Jason Grimsley gave up two more in the fifth, which made it 7-2. A pair of RBI singles by Omar and Baerga were the only blemishes of Jack McDowell until Thome hit a two run job in the sixth and a solo shot by Paul Sorrento in the seventh narrowed it 7-5.  The Yankees added a pair in the ninth off Eric Plunk for the final score.

Right Field Splits Review

Manny Ramirez was jus 23 years old in 1995 and a main cog in the lineup. Wayne Kirby gave him a breather now and then, getting fourteen starts, with five of them in one week in July. Kirby was often a late inning defensive replacement; usually pinch running initially, then taking over in right.

Manny had a superb season, with the bulk of those numbers coming from the #7 spot in the lineup. His 29 homers were seven above the league average of 22. He even displayed a great eye, walking 73 times while the league average was just 60. As it was, the youngster Ramirez had a wRC+ of 145 in 1995, which was ahead of both veterans Paul O'Neill and Jay Buhner. The only AL right fielder who was better was Tim Salmon, who had 163.

Summary

The Indians lost their first series in almost a month, finishing the week and 3-3. But they only lost a half game off their massive lead. Next week they finish off the home stand with a visit from the Boston red Sox and then head on a three city road trip, with the White Sox first up.