Sunday, April 22, 2001
Jim Thome's two-run blast in the last of the 11th inning lifted the Indians to a 5-4 win over the Tigers.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- Mired in the worst slump of his major league career, Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome had a vision Saturday that he would contribute a big hit.
Thome's vision became reality in the bottom of the 11th inning at Jacobs Field, when he connected for a two-run homer against Detroit Tigers closer Todd Jones for a 5-4 victory, extending the Indians' winning streak to five games.
After answering a curtain call, the 30-year-old slugger who hit 70 homers the past two seasons said, "When you're hitting .125 and you get a big hit like that, you get excited. It's a great feeling to homer and win the game, but it's even better when you do it during a slump."
Thome's second home run of the season produced Cleveland's second consecutive win in the Tribe's final at-bat and rescued his team's bullpen.
"I was really glad to see Jimmy do that," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "He needed that. He's been struggling, but working hard, and it paid off for him."
Breaks tie: In the top of the 11th inning, Detroit's Jose Macias connected for an RBI single off Indians reliever Ricardo Rincon to break a 3-3 tie.
Ellis Burks walked to lead off the Tribe's final at-bat. Pinch-runner Jolbert Cabrera took second on Wil Cordero's sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for Thome's heroics on the day the Indians gave away Thome Bobblehead dolls.
"[Jones] throws real hard and the first pitch was a fastball that I fouled off," Thome said. Following two cutters that were inside, Thome said he was looking for a fastball and Jones threw a change-up "that stayed up in the [strike] zone. Fortunately, I hit it well."
Thome, who struggles against left-handers, began the game on the bench because Detroit started southpaw Matt Perisho.
In the seventh inning, Thome said he was on the way back from the hitting cage under the stands "when I had a vision in my mind that I was going to have a big hit."
Ground out: In the ninth inning of a 3-3 game, Thome pinch-hit for Marty Cordova but grounded out against Tigers reliever Danny Patterson.
Perisho and Indians starter Tim Drew threw well, but were lifted long before the game was decided.
Both are their team's fifth starters, both were pitching on 10 days rest after last Sunday's rain-out in Detroit and both surrendered two-run homers.
Drew threw 102 pitches over seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits.
"He was aggressive inside," Manuel said of the 22-year-old right-hander who was making his second career start. "He had a good breaking ball and was moving batters off the plate. He wasn't just aiming the ball."
Control: In his first outing in Chicago, Drew didn't last through the fourth inning. He credited his control inside for Saturday's success.
"Any time a pitcher can get inside on a guy, to show them that you are going to come in, it's an advantage and it's something that I have to do. I'm not going to blow people away," said Drew, who reduced his earned run average from 7.36 to 4.22.
The Indians jumped ahead 1-0 in the second inning when Cordero beat out an infield single, took third on Russell Branyan's double off the left-center field wall and scored on Einar Diaz's ground-out.
The Tigers tied the game in the third inning with two bunts, a throwing error and a sacrifice fly.
The Indians fell behind for the first time in the fourth inning when Drew walked Tony Clark and Bob Fick hammered a change-up 411 feet into the Indians' center-field bullpen for a 3-1 lead.