In the fourth inning on Saturday night, Gavin Williams loaded the bases against the Padres, then walked Luis Arraez and two batters later hit Jake Cronenworth.
It was just the ninth time in the last 100 years a Cleveland pitcher walked a batter and hit a batter with the bases loaded.
Everyone on the list except Williams and Feller did it to consecutive batters.
Eckersley’s meltdown was a historically embarrassing moment for the team. In the bottom of the 9th, with the Indians leading 2-1 at Chicago, rookie manager Frank Robinson called up Eck – a rookie reliever making just his ninth career appearance. Eck promptly hit the first batter, tying the game, then issued a walk-off-walk to the next batter.
Their one run allowed is the fewest combined runs allowed by rookie starting pitchers in three consecutive games in franchise history, breaking a record set by Bibee, Allen and Xzavion Curry earlier this year.
On a more depressing note, it was just the third time in franchise history the team won just one game in a three-game span in which its starting pitchers allowed one or fewer runs. The other instances:
Of this group, only Quantrill helped the team to the playoffs, although it was the modified version in 2020 and Quantrill was moved to the bullpen for the playoffs.
The last time Cleveland acquired a starting pitcher at the deadline and made the postseason in a full season was 1997, when they trade for John Smiley (from Cincinnati) and Jeff Juden (from Montreal). Smiley suffered a career-ending injury and didn’t pitch in the postseason, while Juden was moved to the pen.
Hill
The last midseason trade acquisition to actually start a playoff game for Cleveland was Ken Hill in 1995. Hill was acquired at the deadline from the Cardinals for David Bell and two other minor leaguers.
Hill pitched 13.2 consecutive scoreless to open the ’95 postseason, including seven shutout innings in a critical Game 4 of the ’95 ALCS while Cleveland training 2-1 in the series. He allowed his first run in the 6th inning of Game 4 of the ’95 World Series on a home run to Ryan Klesko, and ultimately took the loss in the game. He finished the ’95 postseason with a 2-1 record and a 1.84 ERA.
