CLEVELAND, OH – 92.3 The Fan: The Indians wasted little time in racing out ahead of Texas in the series finale, and despite a couple of threats from the Rangers, Cleveland took the series finale 10-6 on Thursday evening.
A hot, sticky summer night at the ballpark couldn’t have started any better for Cleveland. Myles Straw blasted his first career leadoff homer, which was remarkably the team’s 7th such home run this season. After Jose Ramirez walked with one out, Franmil Reyes doubled him home.
One batter later, Bradley Zimmer hit one of the longest home runs you’ll ever see in this ballpark. Even if you didn’t see the homer, it just sounded different. Zimmer’s tape measure shot to Pronkville in right field went 465 feet and left the bat at 114 mph. It was the second longest dinger for the team this season, behind his August 9th shot that went 471 feet.
When asked which one of those two homers felt better, Zimmer couldn’t decide. But he attributed his success to a more consistent routine of late.
“I know that I’m going to be playing, so I can just show up every day and prepare to go out and do what I can do to help this team win,” he said. “There’s a lot to be said about playing every day. You can make those, in game, in at bat adjustments … that’s ultimately what makes you better and helps create good players that helps teams win.”
“I turned and looked at some of the coaches that have been here,” acting manager DeMarlo Hale said after the game. “We thought, maybe that hit up on the concourse … his last at bat, where he’s taking the ball the other way for a tack-on run, that’s pretty impressive too … by-and large, he’s been playing pretty good.”
The Tribe led 4-0 after five batters and the 44-82 Texas Rangers looked dead in the water – especially after 6-pitch top of the first.
But Sam Hentges struggled a bit in the second and third frames, allowing four runs on five hits during those two innings. Texas tied the game at 4-4 on a botched play by Ramirez at third that allowed two baserunners to score. Ramirez mishandled a tough play ranging to his left and the ball squirted toward center field. He recovered to actually throw out Nathaniel Lowe trying to sneak to second base, but not before the tying runs had come home.
The team had Hentges’ back though. They erupted for four more runs in the fourth inning, thanks to three straight hits to open the inning. Andres Gimenez had an RBI double, Amed Rosario brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, and Ramirez and Reyes each singled home runs.
“It’s awesome, you love to see the guys come out and put up a crooked number,” Hentges said postgame. “It would’ve been nice on my part to come out and not give up a run the next frame. But we put up 10 runs tonight.
It’s hard to go home unhappy with that.”
The Tribe added runs in the fifth and eighth. Owen Miller hit his third home run of the season, while Zimmer drove home his third run of the night with a sizzler past the shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
RUNNING WILD
Whatever the Indians saw in a pre-game scouting report, they very clearly were ready to run all night long. Ramirez stole three bases in the first four innings, tying a career-high and becoming the first Tribe player to steal at least three times in a game since Rajai Davis stole three bases against Milwaukee on June 6, 2021.
“He’s a phenomenal player, he can get on base and steal a bunch of bags. That’s just the player that he is, Hentges said of Ramirez aggressive night. “He’s the rock of our order, he’s the rock of our team and he went out there tonight and showed that.”
“He’s multi-talented, his skillset from power, RBI’s - I think he’s got 80 now,” Hale said. “And then just instinctively on the bases, tip your hand to Sandy (Alomar Jr.) over there. They saw something for sure. … he’s a very good player, not a lot like him for sure.”
Back on August 12, 2016, the Indians set the franchise record with eight steals in a game against the LA Angels. The team’s five stolen bases on Thursday tied a season-high.
Zimmer and Austin Hedges each stole a base on Thursday evening as well.
COMING UP NEXT
After taking two of the first three games in the series, the Indians welcome the surging Boston Red Sox to town for a 3-game weekend series.
First pitch on Friday evening is at 7:10. The Indians have not yet decided who will pitch for Cleveland, but that person will face Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez in the series opener.