On this date in 1977, Star Wars was released.
On that day, Dennis Eckersley pitched a 12-inning compete game and Bruce Bochte hit a walk-off single to give the Indians a 2-1 win over the Mariners.
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Steven Kwan is the 47th player in franchise history to bat .350 or higher through 40 team games with enough PA to qualify for the batting title. The record is .450 by Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1913.
The most recent players over .350 through 40 games:
- 2024 – Kwan
- 2009 – Victor Martinez
- 2006 – Casey Blake
- 2004 – Ronnie Belliard
- 2001 – Roberto Alomar
- 2001 – Juan Gonzalez
- 1997 – Julio Franco
- 1997 – David Justice
Kyle Manzardo hit ninth in the order as the DH last night.
It’s the 29th time in franchise history the DH has been in the ninth spot in the order. Oscar Gonzalez also did it last year.
The first was Otis Nixon in 1985. Lonnie Chisenhall did it seven times in his career. Jason Dubois also did it four times, in just 14 games with the club.
Brayan Rocchio’s walk-off hit was the 29th by a rookie since Jacobs Field opened in 1994.
The first was Jacob Cruz in 1999.
Kyle Manzardo went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts in his MLB debut.
He’s the 31st player (excluding pitchers) to strike out in every plate appearance in his MLB debut (min. 3 PA).
The others for Cleveland:
- Bradley Zimmer, 2017
- Josh Billings, 1913
- Jack Hardy, 1903
- Ed Cermak, 1901
Cermak went 0-4 with four strikeouts in the only game he ever played at the age of 19. He was born in Cleveland and had never played in a major or minor league game before. He played for something called the O’Connor baseball team in Cleveland, and was given a one-day trial with the big league team that did not go well. He later become a minor league umpire and was hit in the throat by a foul ball which caused him to lose his ability to speak.
Shohei Ohtani just wrapped up a series in which he collected 8 hits, 6 RBI, 3 HR and 2 SB against the Braves.
He’s the fifth player since 1920 to post those numbers in a series:
- 2024 – Shohei Ohtani, LAD vs ATL
- 2010 – Shin-Soo Choo, CLE vs KC
- 1990 – Barry Bonds, PIT vs SD
- 1987 – Andre Dawson, CHC vs HOU
- 1922 – George Sisler, SLB vs PHI
Steven Kwan collected his 45th hit of the season in the team’s 30th game of the year.
Fastest to 45 hits over last 50 seasons:
- Victor Martinez, 28 games in 2009
- Kwan, 30 games in 2024
- Manny Ramirez, 30 games in 1999
- Ronnie Belliard, 31 games in 2004
- Juan Gonzalez, 31 games in 2001
- Ramirez, 31 games in 1995
- Toby Harrah, 31 games in 1982
Josh Naylor has six homers and a .329 BA through his first 20 games of the season.
Most recent Cleveland hitters with at least 6 HR and a .325 BA through 20 games:
- Jose Ramirez, 2022
- Travis Hafner, 2006
- Juan Gonzalez, 2001
- Manny Ramirez, 1999
- Sandy Alomar Jr, 1997
- Ramirez, 1995
- Albert Belle, 1994
- Belle, 1991
Carlos Carrasco picked up the win, his first since returning to Cleveland this offseason.
Carrasco’s first win with Cleveland came in 2010 (he debuted in 2009 but did not win any games).
The 13 years, 9 months between his first win and most recent win is the longest span since Jim Perry (15 years, 9 months).
Perry picked up his first win in 1959 as a rookie with Cleveland, where he pitched for for 4.5 years. He then spent a decade in Minnesota and Detroit before returning to Cleveland picking up his final victory for the Indians in 1975.
The next longest span since Perry belongs to Tom Candiotti, who won his first game with Cleveland in 1986 and then picked up the final victory of his career at the age of 42 in 1999.
Cade Smith has allowed zero runs with at least one strikeout in each of his first eight career appearances, tied for the second longest streak in franchise history.
Only Joba Chamberlain (2007 Yankees) and Ryan Dull (2015 Athletics) produced longer streaks.