1995 ALCS Game 3: Seattle Mariners 5, Cleveland Indians 2 - game story, boxscore, full game video

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Oct. 13, 2015) - The Indians did what they wanted to do last night in Jacobs Field. If they didn't drive Randy Johnson from the game, at least they escorted him off the mound with Game 3 of the American League Championship Series still undecided.

Yet it didn't matter because the Indians, who have owned the extra innings all year, couldn't handle them when all the elements were in their favor.

(Complete box score below story)

Jay Buhner, who let the Indians back in the game with a bad defensive play in the eighth inning, knocked them out of it with a three-run homer in the 11th to lead Seattle to a 5-2 victory and a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.



Ken Hill, who hasn't started since Sept.27, will face Andy Benes in Game 4 tonight.

When asked if he was glad this victory guaranteed that the Mariners would bring the series back to Seattle next week, manager Lou Piniella said, "We're looking for more than that. When you're up, 2-1, you're not thinking about going back Seattle down, 3-2. We're looking to grab at least one more win."

The homer was Buhner's second of the game. This year he has hit eight against Indians' pitching, but none were bigger than the 11th-inning drive into the right-field seats.

"I came out of this thing smelling like a rose," Buhner said. "I was upset and very frustrated after screwing up that play in the eighth."

Joey Cora started the 11th with a single to center against Julian Tavarez. Lefty Paul Assenmacher relieved and retired Ken Griffey Jr. on a fly ball to center. Eric Plunk came on to deal with Edgar Martinez and Tino Martinez.

Plain Dealer coverage of Game 3 of the 1995 American League Championship Series.


He retired Edgar Martinez on a foul pop to third. The AL batting champion is 0-for-11 in the ALCS.

But Plunk fell behind Tino Martinez, 3-1. When Cora stole second, Plunk intentionally walked Martinez to face Buhner. He threw one strike past him, but Buhner drove the next one deep into the night.

"I was just trying to get a ball and juice it," Buhner said.

Norm Charlton, who had a save in Game 1, started the ninth in place of Johnson. He pitched three innings for the win.

When Johnson left, the setting seemed perfect for the Indians. They were 14-0 in extra innings and had won 28 games in their last at-bat this year before last night. But the Mariners stole their act.

"We've got a very resilient club," said manager Mike Hargrove. "They come to play every day. They'll be back tomorrow."

Johnson, who pitched the playoff game to win the American League West and won two games in the division series victory over New York, lost the lead in the eighth.

Trailing, 2-1, the Indians used a long fly ball to right field by Alvaro Espinoza to get back into the game. It looked like the second out of the inning, but the ball carried over Buhner's head for a two-base error.

Pinch-runner Wayne Kirby replaced Espinoza. Kenny Lofton poked a single into left field - just inches past the reach of a diving Mike Blowers at third - as Kirby sprinted home to tie the score.

The inning still had plenty of juice in it, but Johnson squeezed it dry. After Lofton stole second, his first steal of the postseason after injuring his left hamstring on the last game of the regular season, Omar Vizquel, attempting to bunt, fouled out to the catcher for the second out.

Johnson retired Carlos Baerga on a grounder to short to end the inning.

"Omar was bunting for a base hit on his own there," Hargrove said. "Tino Martinez was playing him deep, and he felt we had a chance to get runners on first and third with Carlos coming up. If he did that again, I wouldn't be uspet."

The loss spoiled a fine effort by Charles Nagy.

Nagy, the forgotten pitcher in the game because of the hype surrounding Johnson, matched The Big Unit pitch for pitch. He struck out six and allowed two runs on five hits.

Tribe starters are 1-1 with a 2.01 earned run average in the ALCS.

In two postseason starts, Nagy is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA (two runs in 15 innings) with 12 strikeouts and five walks.

Johnson allowed two runs on four hits in eight innings. He struck out six and walked two.

"Charles Nagy did a great job," Johnson said. "He pretty much matched me across the board."

The pat on the shoulder did not appease Nagy.

"I'd give everything I did out there for a win," he said.

Jose Mesa, the Tribe's closer, started the ninth. He gave up a one-out single to Tino Martinez, and then saw his life flash before his eyes when Buhner sent a line drive back to the mound. Mesa made the catch and threw to first for the double play.

Johnson dominated the Indians for the first three innings, retiring nine straight. The fact that he was working with a 2-0 lead made things twice as unpleasant for the Indians.

Lofton, however, started the fourth with a triple over Vince Coleman's head on the warning track in left. Vizquel brought Lofton home with a sacrifice fly to center as the sellout crowd finally came to life after being silenced by the Indians' defensive collapse in the third and Johnson's power.

Buhner hit his first homer of the night to start the second for a 1-0 lead. He has hit three of his eight homers against the Tribe against Nagy.

Seattle made it 2-0 in the third when the Tribe's defense went shake, rattle and roll.

With two outs, Griffey blooped a single into right field. He stole second and went to third when Sandy Alomar Jr.'s throw bounced into center field for the first error of the inning.

Edgar Martinez followed with a broken-bat grounder to third. Espinoza, making his first start of the postseason, moved to his left, but bobbled the ball as Griffey scored on the error.

1995 ALCS -- Game 3

Mariners 5, Indians 2

Seattle Marinersab  r  hrbi
Coleman lf 5 0 0 0
  Widger c 0 0 0 0
Cora 2b 4 1 1 0
  Fermin 2b 0 0 0 0
Griffey, Jr. cf 5 1 2 0
Martinez E. dh 5 0 0 0
Martinez T. 1b 4 1 1 0
Buhner rf 5 2 2 4
Blowers 3b 3 0 1 0
  Diaz ph,lf 2 0 0 0
Sojo ss 4 0 2 0
Wilson c 3 0 0 0
  Strange ph,3b 1 0 0 0
Johnson p 0 0 0 0
  Charlton p 0 0 0 0
Totals 41 5 9 4
Cleveland Indiansab  r  hrbi
Lofton cf 5 1 2 1
Vizquel ss 4 0 0 1
Baerga 2b 5 0 1 0
Belle lf 4 0 0 0
Murray dh 4 0 0 0
  Amaro, Jr. pr,dh 1 0 0 0
Ramirez rf 3 0 0 0
Perry 1b 3 0 0 0
Alomar, Jr. c 3 0 0 0
Espinoza 3b 3 0 1 0
  Kirby pr 0 1 0 0
  Thome 3b 1 0 0 0
Nagy p 0 0 0 0
  Mesa p 0 0 0 0
  Tavarez p 0 0 0 0
  Assenmacher p 0 0 0 0
  Plunk p 0 0 0 0
Totals 36 2 4 2
 1234567891011
Seattle 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Cleveland 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
  Seattle MarinersIPHRERBBSO
Johnson   8 4 2 1 2 6
  Charlton  W (1-0) 3 0 0 0 1 2
Totals 11 4 2 1 3 8
  Cleveland IndiansIPHRERBBSO
Nagy   8 5 2 1 0 6
  Mesa   1 1 0 0 0 0
  Tavarez  L (0-1) 1 2 1 1 0 0
  Assenmacher   0.1 0 0 0 0 0
  Plunk   0.2 1 2 2 1 1
Totals 11 9 5 4 1 7

E-Buhner (1), Alomar (1), Espinoza (1).  DP-Cleveland 1.  3B-Cleveland Lofton (2,off Johnson).  HR-Seattle Buhner 2 (3,2nd inning off Nagy 0 on, 0 out,11th inning off Plunk 2 on, 2 out).  HBP-Cora (2,by Nagy); Belle (1,by Charlton).  IBB-T Martinez (1,by Plunk).  Team LOB-5.  SF-Vizquel (1,off Johnson).  Team-6.  SB-Griffey (1,2nd base off Nagy/Alomar); Cora (1,2nd base off Plunk/Alomar); Lofton (1,2nd base off Johnson/Wilson).  CS-E. Martinez (1,2nd base by Nagy/Alomar); Perry (1,2nd base by Johnson/Wilson).  HBP-Charlton (1,Belle); Nagy (1,Cora).  IBB-Plunk (1,T Martinez).  U-Rick Reed, Dale Ford, Tim McClelland, Drew Coble, Derryl Cousins, Dave Phillips.  T-3:18.  A-43,643.

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