News
Indians say goodbye to Dome's quirks
Cleveland (61-83) at Minnesota (73-72), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
09/16/09 2:39 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- More than 29 years after an Indians team first stepped into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to take on the Twins, the Tribe will play its final game in the concrete bubble Wednesday afternoon. The theme of the day will be "good riddance." Generally speaking, opposing teams despise playing in this building. Fly balls are difficult to discern from the white Teflon roof, the artificial surface turns would-be groundouts into extra-base hits, and the Twins, who will have six games remaining here after the conclusion of this series, have enjoyed one of the greatest home-field advantages in the game because of the crowd noise. "Twenty thousand [fans] here sounds like 40,000 anywhere else," manager Eric Wedge said. "[The Twins] have had a lot of success here and a lot of success late in games here. You can't deny that." No one on the Tribe understands the inherent home-field advantage of the Metrodome better than pitching coach Carl Willis, who pitched out of the Twins' bullpen from 1991 to 1995 and was a key member of the '91 team that won it all. Willis, then, is probably the only member of the Tribe's traveling party who would call Wednesday's finale "bittersweet." "In my career as a player, this was a very special place to me," Willis said. "If it weren't for the opportunity I had in Minnesota, I certainly never would have had the opportunity to be standing here today as a coach." But because Willis is an opposing coach, he's happy that the Twins are moving on to the outdoor pastures and up-to-date amenities of Target Field, a 40,000-seat facility that is nearly finished on the city's north end. "This is a different venue," Willis said. "It's a different type of place. I once saw Rob Deer hit the roof twice in one game here. It's a tough place to play, because it takes a game or two to get acclimated to it." Willis could neither confirm nor deny the reports that stadium workers use the ventilation system to the Twins' advantage, ensuring the airflow is conducive to Twins' homers. Former hitting coach Eddie Murray was convinced that the Twins pulled such shenanigans, Willis recalled with a laugh. The Indians got a taste of the disadvantages to playing in a multi-use facility in 2004, when a game against the Twins here was suspended so that the stadium could be cleared and adjusted in time for a University of Minnesota football game. And as far as the Metrodome's quirks go, it doesn't get much quirkier than Travis Hafner, the owner of nine career triples, hitting for the cycle here on Aug. 14, 2003. The Indians played their first game here on May 24, 1982. They won, 9-2, on a four-hitter by Len Barker, with former outfielder and current STO broadcaster Rick Manning going 3-for-4 with a homer. As the Indians bid the Metrodome a fond farewell Wednesday, they'll obviously be hoping for a similar result. Pitching matchupCLE: LHP Aaron Laffey (7-5, 3.79 ERA)
Laffey had a rare off night on Sept. 8. He has been the Indians' best pitcher of late and had given up three earned runs or fewer in his last six starts. But the Rangers hit him hard and often. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs -- six earned -- and 12 hits with a walk and a strikeout. It was his worst start of the season. He'll try to rebound against the Twins, against whom he's 4-1 with a 4.05 ERA in his career. MIN: RHP Nick Blackburn (9-11, 4.39 ERA)
After two quality starts in a row, Blackburn's second-half troubles returned in his last outing against the A's. The right-hander allowed six runs on six hits in three innings. Blackburn said after the start that he couldn't find his location during the outing and struggled to get his offspeed pitches working. In four starts vs. Cleveland this season, Blackburn is 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA. Tidbits
Double-A Akron got a leg up on Connecticut in the opener of the best-of-five Eastern League finals Tuesday night. The Aeros won, 7-2, behind a strong start from Josh Tomlin (2 ER, 5 H, 7 K, 7 IP) and home runs from first baseman Beau Mills and designated hitter Matt McBride. Game 2 is set for 6:35 p.m. ET Wednesday at Connecticut. ... The Indians entered Tuesday averaging 5.4 runs per game on the road and 4.6 runs per game at home. Tickets
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• Thursday: Indians (Justin Masterson, 4-7, 4.25) at Athletics (Clay Mortensen, 1-2, 6.75), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Indians (David Huff, 10-7, 6.14) at Athletics (Brett Anderson, 9-10, 4.37), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Indians (Carlos Carrasco, 0-2, 9.64) at Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 5-6, 6.31), 4:05 p.m. ET
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
