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| 2000 |
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2000 Fielding Record
For so many years the defense of the Indians has dazzled the league, and 2000 was no different. Gold Glovers R. Alomar, Vizquel, and Fryman, lead the 2000 Indians to set AL season fielding records in percentage(.988)& fewest errors(72). |
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| 2001 |
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Comeback Tribe
The Indians won their sixth American League Central Division crown in seven years in 2001. After missing the playoffs by one game in 2000, the Indians did what they were unable to do in 2000--win games within their division.
The Indians finished 91-71 with a 47-29 record in the Central.
In 2001, Manager Charlie Manuel used a great mix of veterans and rookies to earn his first postseason appearance as manager. The good mix should bode well for the Tribe in 2002 as they try to repeat.
Here's a look back at some of the key points from the 2001 season:
January 9, 2001...Tribe signs Juan Gonzalez After home grown slugger Manny Ramirez signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Red Sox, the Indians needed someone to fill the clean up spot and play right field. The Tribe signed two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez to a one-year contract with a mutual club and player option for '02.
"We needed a guy to take Manny's spot, and Juan (Gonzalez) did a better than expected job, both offensively and defensively," Shapiro said.
February 28, 2001...Indians signs Omar Vizquel to contract extension The Indians inked the best fielding shortstop in baseball history to a two-year contract extension. The signing likely insures that Vizquel will finish is career as an Indian.
"Omar is a very special player -- on the field and off it for the Indians,'' said General manager John Hart about the eight-time gold glove winner.
March 12, 2001...Indians signs Einar Diaz to a four-year contract. After deciding not to re-sign fan favorite Sandy Alomar, Jr., the Indians decided to sign Diaz to a long-term contract. The 28-year-old turned out to be a solid force behind the plate, not to mention offensively.
March 17, 2001... Travis Fryman out 2-4 weeks with elbow injury In what turned out to be an injury that plagued him the entire year, Fryman missed the rest of Spring Training and the first two months of the season with an elbow injury. The injury hurt the Tribe defensively and offensive.
Fryman had high hopes for the 2001 season as he was coming off a career year. He batted a career high .321 in 2000, drove in 106 RBI and won is first Gold Glove.
March 25, 2001... Jaret Wright and Charles Nagy start season on DL Two links to the Tribe's success in the past were placed on the disabled list to start the season. Wright and Nagy will eventually rejoin the Indians in the middle of the season, but neither could finish the season without being placed back on the DL.
April 2, 2001...Opening Day Juan Gonzalez hits two homers against the Chicago White Sox, but the Tribe still loses. Marty Cordova makes the 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training and plays a big role in the season.
April 4, 2001 Sellout streak comes to an end The sellout streak that began on June 12, 1995 ended on April 4. The 455 sellouts is a Major League record.
April 8, 2001...Rookie C.C. Sabathia makes Major League debut 20-year-old left-handed pitcher, Sabathia makes his first career start against the Baltimore Orioles. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Sabathia settled down and allowed just one hit the rest of the way.
April 13, 2001...Sabathia picks up his first win The rookie gives up five runs in five innings, but the Tribe defeats the Tigers, 9-8. The win marks the first of 17 wins for the young southpaw.
April 21, 2001...Jim Thome homers on bobble head doll day Struggling to start the season, Thome didn't even start the game against the Tigers. But in the 11th inning on his bobble head doll day, Thome homered off closer Todd Jones to give the Tribe a 5-4 victory.
April 28, 2001...Indians start longest winning streak of the season In a 7-3 win over the Rangers, the Tribe embarked on season-high 10-game winning streak.
May 10, 2001...Streak ends The Tribe's 10-game winning streak comes to an end with an 8-3 loss to the Royals. During the streak, the Indians swept two teams and outscored their opponents 86-33. |
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| 2004 |
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A little past, present and future
The Indians did a lot of looking back. The organization held celebrations of its 1954 AL pennant and its 10th season in Jacobs Field. But the Indians also gave fans some reason to celebrate the present. The club, which made a strong August bid for first place, showed it was one year ahead of schedule in terms of contending for a title, and it also introduced its fans to a collection of players who will be the faces of the future. Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook and Coco Crisp had breakthrough seasons as the Tribe finished third in the Central Division with an 80-82 record.
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| 2005 |
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Indians contend, but fall just short
General manager Mark Shapiro, who after the season was named Executive of the Year by The Sporting News, promised that the Indians would contend and they did, battling for a playoff spot all year long, only to fall short in the final week. The disappointment of not reaching the postseason could not diminish what was an exciting season in Cleveland, highlighted by the impressive performances of hitters Travis Hafner (33 homers, 108 RBIs), Jhonny Peralta (.292, 24 homers), Ronnie Belliard (.284, 17 homers), Grady Sizemore (22 homers, 22 steals) and Coco Crisp (.300, 15 homers, 15 steals). Starters Cliff Lee (18-5, 3.79 ERA), C.C. Sabathia (15-10, 4.03) and Jake Westbrook (15-15) and relievers Fernando Cabrera (2-1, 1.47), Bob Howry (7-4, 2.47) and Bob Wickman (45 saves in 50 chances) combined to form a solid pitching staff that ranked among the best in the league.
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| 2006 |
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The Indians came into 2006 with high hopes that their rebuilding plan would reach its playoff fruition. But a troubled bullpen and shaky infield defense led to the club being out of contention by midseason. Ranking second in the Majors in runs scored with 870 and compiling the third-best starters' ERA in the AL with a 4.31 mark was not enough to overcome those glaring faults.
Though the team struggled, several players had big years. Travis Hafner hit 42 homers and drove in 117 runs, despite missing the last month with a broken hand, while Grady Sizemore led the AL in runs scored (134), extra-base hits (92) and doubles (53). Ace left-hander C.C. Sabathia ranked third in the AL in ERA with a 3.22 mark and eighth in strikeouts with 172.
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History
