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October 18, 2007
CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH: Scott Hamilton, Olympic Gold medal figure skater and Bowling Green, OH native…Co-Founder of the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute.
NATIONAL ANTHEM and GOD BLESS AMERICA: Danielle Peck, country music singer & Coshocton, Ohio native
ELIMINATION POSITION: Tonight marks the 66th postseason series in LCS or World Series history to feature a 3-1 series standing in a best-of-seven series…Of the previous 65 3-1 situations, 55 teams holding a 3-1 edge have gone on to win the series…34 teams won the series in five (last, STL over DET in 2006 WS), 17 won the series in six (last, HOU over STL in 2005 NLCS), and 4 won the series in seven (last, ATL over PIT in 1992 NLCS)…10 teams lost the series in 7 (last, BOS over NYY in 2004 ALCS).
LCS ON THE LINE: Five times in LCS history a team has staved off elimination in 3 straight games to win the series…In ALCS play, just three times in 14 such scenarios has a team rallied from a 3-1 deficit…Two of the five rallies belong to the Red Sox: in 2004 Boston over New York and 1986 Boston over California . . . Other clubs to have rallied from a 3-1 deficit are the 1985 Royals over Toronto, the 1996 Braves over the Cardinals and the 2003 Marlins over the Cubs…Boston is 2-1 when trailing an LCS 3-1 (losing in ’99 to NYY in 5)…Cleveland has won its only LCS when hosting a 3-1 lead (1997 over Baltimore in six games).
THREE STRAIGHT WINS: Cleveland has won 3 straight games in this series to take a 3-1 advantage after losing Game One…In ALCS history, only once has a team won 3 straight games in a series and not advanced (2004 ALCS,
Yankees build 3-0 lead before losing in 7 to Boston)…Only four times in LCS history (42 series) has a team won 4 straight after losing at least one game in an LCS (1985 St. Louis over LAD in 6); 2002 Anaheim over Minnesota in 5; 2004 Boston over New York in 7; 2005 Chicago over LAA in 5)…Cleveland has won 3 straight games twice
previously in LCS play (1997 over Baltimore, winning in 6 and 1995 over Seattle, winning in 6).
MOMENTUM DISRUPTION? For the first time in LCS play, the schedule featured an off-day Wednesday, the first time teams have had an off-day in the same city under new scheduling for 2007…Though previous LCS match-ups
have not featured this exact scheduling arrangement (and therefore no off-day before Game 5 in best-of-seven series), on six previous occasions, teams have won 2 or more games to get into a clinching position and have then had an off-day before having a chance to close out the series...New York (1998) and Cleveland (1995) are the only two teams able to maintain momentum following an off-day:
Series/Teams Winning Streak/Status Next Game Result Series Result
2004 NLCS HOU vs. STL 3 wins HOU to go up, 3-2 at STL 6, HOU 4 (12) STL in 7
1998 ALCS CLE vs. NYY 2 wins NYY to go up, 3-2 at NYY 9, CLE 5 NYY in 6
1995 ALCS CLE vs. SEA 2 wins CLE to go up, 3-2 CLE 4, at SEA 0 CLE in 6
1987 NLCS SF vs. STL 2 wins SF to go up, 3-2 at STL 1, SF 0 STL in 7
1982 ALCS CAL vs. MIL 2 wins CAL to go up, 2-0 at MIL 5, CAL 3 MIL in 5
1972 ALCS OAK vs. DET 2 wins OAK to go up, 2-0 at DET 3, OAK 0 DET in 5
CURVEBALL THE KEY? The ghost of CANDY CUMMINGS may be alive and well in tonight’s Game 5, as the key to tonight’s pitching match-up might be found in the ability of JOSH BECKETT or C.C. SABATHIA to throw the curveball effectively…On this date, October 18, 1848, Cummings was born in Ware, Massachusetts…Often referred to as the inventor of the curveball, Cummings pitched for six seasons in the National Association and National Leagues from 1872-’77…In Beckett’s favor, Cummings is believed to have developed the curveball while watching
the flight of clam shells on a New England beach at age 14…For Sabathia, Cummings’ initials (C.C.) match the abbreviated name for “Carsten Charles,” the given namesake of the Indians’ Game 5 starter…Cummings was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
CHASING PETE: MANNY RAMIREZ can match PETE ROSE for the all-time LCS hitting streak with a base hit in tonight’s game…Ramirez hit safely in his 14th straight LCS contest in Game 4, 2nd longest in history…Rose hit safely in 15 straight LCS games from 1973-’83…Ramirez has hit safely in all 7 games this postseason, matching teammate DAVID ORTIZ and Arizona’s STEPHEN DREW for longest hitting streaks this postseason…Ramirez ended his streak of 8 consecutive postseason games with a walk in Game 4.
ALL-TIME LCS HOME RUN KING: Ramirez became the all-time LCS leader in home runs Tuesday with his 10th career home run in LCS play, passing GEORGE BRETT (9) who held the mark…The home run was Ramirez’s 24th
career postseason blast, further extending his own record set earlier this series.
LIVE ANOTHER DAY: On this date in 2004, the Boston Red Sox survived for one more day…In Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, Boston mounded a 5-4 comeback victory in 14 innings to win their 2nd straight from New York, one day after
scoring in the bottom of the 9th inning to force extra innings in their first elimination game…DAVID ORTIZ collected an RBI single to pull Boston to 3-2 in the series, as the Red Sox would go on to win the series in 7 games.
REMAINING RED SOX: From that 2004 ALCS comeback team, the 2007 Red Sox roster features 7 players who were a part of that 0-3 comeback: DOUG MIRABELLI, DAVID ORTIZ, MANNY RAMIREZ, CURT SCHILLING, MIKE
TIMLIN, JASON VARITEK and TIM WAKEFIELD.
OTHER OCTOBER 18 POSTSEASON MEMORIES: Also on October 18 in ALCS history, the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox, 6-1, in Game 5 of the 1999 ALCS at Boston…The Red Sox are 2-1 overall on this date in history, recording a Game One victory in the 1986 World Series at the New York Mets, 1-0, as BRUCE HURST outdueled RON DARLING in taking the series opener…The Indians are 0-1 on this date in postseason play, dropping Game One of the 1997 World Series at Florida, 7-4, to LIVAN HERNANDEZ, as OREL HERSHISER took the loss.
DOZEN FOR DAVID: DAVID ORTIZ has hit safely in 12 consecutive postseason games, dating back to Game 3 of the 2004 World Series (10/26/04), hitting .410 (16-39) during this span…The streak is a career-best for Ortiz,
surpassing his previous 11-game postseason hitting streak...Three players hold the record for longest postseason hitting streak at 17 games: HANK BAUER, DEREK JETER and MANNY RAMIREZ…Ortiz is batting .500 (10-20) this postseason with hits in each of his 7 games.
RED SOX STARTERS: In each of the last 3 games of this series, Red Sox starting pitchers have lasted 4.2 innings each, the 2nd time in Boston postseason history that three consecutive starters failed to pitch 5.0 innings…In 1999,
Boston starters lasted fewer than 5.0 innings in the final two games of the ALDS against Cleveland (Game 4 – 1.2 ip – KENT MERCKER, Game 5 – 1.0 ip – BRET SABERHAGEN) and in Game 1 of the 1999 ALCS against New York
(4.0 ip – KENT MERCKER)…In the 2007 regular season, Red Sox starters never went more than 2 consecutive starts of fewer than 5.0 innings…The trio has combined for a 9.00 ERA (14 ER/14.0 IP) in the last 3 games…Overall this series, Boston starters are 1-2, 7.20 (16 er/20 ip) in 4 games, surrendering 5 home runs.
CLEVELAND PITCHING: The Indians bullpen is 2-0 with two saves and a 2.10 ERA (7 ER/30.0 IP) in eight postseason games in 2007...Cleveland starters have combined to go 4-2, 5.73 (28 ER/44 IP).
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: After going 2-11 in 13 regular-season games against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Indians are 6-2 in 8 games this postseason against the two clubs.
BOMBS AWAY: With 2 more home runs in Game Four, the Indians have hit 7 home runs in this series and have homered in six straight postseason games, matching the club’s 2nd longest streak in history…The Indians also hit
home runs in six straight games in 1997…The club record is eight straight, from 1954-’95.
KENNY PASSES RICKEY: KENNY LOFTON became the postseason’s all-time stolen base leader in Game 4, stealing his 34th career base to move one ahead of RICKEY HENDERSON (33)…In Game 4, Lofton also record his
44th career LCS hit, matching DEREK JETER for 3rd-most all-time…The hit was his 96th career postseason hit, matching CHIPPER JONES for 3rd-most all-time…Lofton scored a run, his 24th in LCS play, matching DAVID JUSTICE for 3rd-most all-time.
TWO-DAY DELAY? With a rainy morning in Cleveland, the possibility exists for poor weather for game time, though the forecast indicates continued clearing…The last rainout to affect the ALCS came in Game Three of the 2004 ALCS in Boston on October 15, scheduled Game Three, at Fenway Park…Game Four of the 2003 ALCS at Fenway Park was also rained out...Every postseason game in MLB history has lasted at least nine innings, despite rain
delays which have often been lengthy…As the postseason schedule features an off-day within one city for the first time in 2007, should the game be rained out, it would mark the 4th time in LCS teams would feature a two-day layoff in the midst of the LCS, with rain in Game Three forcing the postponement in all three earlier cases following a scheduled travel day.
FIRST PITCH: Tonight’s Game Five first pitch time has been moved from 8:21 p.m. to 8:23 p.m.
Posted by Art Martone 
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