| A trilling pitching staff didn't produce a winning season in 1989 for the hitting poor Cleveland Indians By John R. Balazs administrator@baseballhistorian.com It's a well-known fact: "that pitching is the name of the game... but you ain't going to win if you can't hit the darn ball." Even with their stellar pitching staff, the Indians couldn't go toe-to-toe with the rest of the American League teams in 1989. Especially with an offense in that ranked second lowest in the AL in batting (.245) and in slugging percentage (.365) and lowest in on-base-pct (.312) of all 26 teams in the majors at this time. Outfielder Joe Carter was the only member of the squad that could produce any runs. In '89 Carter was the only player on the team that drove in 70 or more runs. He lined 35 home runs, collected 105 RBIs, but with no offensive in the batting order behind him, Carter managed to bat only .243 for the season. Although baseball is about predictable as the path of a knuckleball, Cleveland fans were biting their nails all-season-long in the unbelievable amount of close, low-scoring games that the Indians lost in '89. Many of the Indians' starting pitching rotation registered low ERAs in '89, but still the team was destined to finish at 73-89, in sixth place in the AL East. ========================================= Mound Masters: Greg Swindell, LH, - a former member of the 1984 Olympic Team, he pitched magnificently the first half of the year, running his record to 11-2, 2.75 at All-Star time, was named to team and pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out three in baseball's Midsummer Classic. Swindell won two more games in July, but after straining ligaments in his left elbow went on the disabled list. After returning in late August, he went 0-3 in his last seven starts and finished the year at 13-6, 3.37 ERA. For '89, Swindell threw 5 complete games and lasted into the seventh inning in 22 of his 28 starts. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Candiotti, RH, - the 6' 3" - 205-pounder turned in his lowest ERA of his first four years in the big-leagues, 3.10, but still managed to go only 13-10 in '89 due to lack of offensive scoring. Candiotti's 13 wins tied him for the most on the Indians' staff, and his 3.10 ERA was 10th best in the American league. His pin-point control helped as he strung together a streak of five consecutive wins in July and August. For the year, Candiotti fanned 124 batters in 206 innings, while walking just 55. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bud Black, LH - the workhorse of the -pitching staff, he complied a 12-11 record and posted an outstanding 3.36 ERA but was victimized by total lack of offense. In his 11 losses, the Indians scored under two runs per game. Black started the year at 1-5 and finished with a bang. He threw back-to-back shutouts on September 6th and 12th, plus eight more scoreless innings in his next start. He completed 6 of 32 starts, threw a team leading 223.3 innings, 88 Ks, and only 52 walks. 12-11 record, 3.36 ERA. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Doug Jones, RH - born in Lebanon, Indiana on 6/24/1957, the 6' 3" - 195-pounder was one of baseball's top closers. After setting a major league record by collecting saves in 15 straight appearances in 1988, Jones chalked up another 32 saves in 1989. He was named to the All-Star Game and picked up a save in the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief work. In 1989 Doug Jones walked just 13 batters in 80 2/3 innings, while striking out 65 in 59 appearances. Finished the season at 7-10 with a nice 2.34 ERA. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jesse Orosco, LH - the relief ace held opponents to a mere .198 opponents batting average, struck out 79 in 78 innings, and posted a resounding 2.08 ERA. A former NL relief star, Orosco appeared in a team-high 69 games - the 8th consecutive year of over 50 appearances - and earned his first-ever AL save and collected his first AL victory on July 14. For '89, he finished at 3-4 in 69 games, while scattering just 54 hits in 78 innings. ------------------------------------------------------------------ John Farrell, RH - made his made league debut with the Indians in August of 1987. And, despite hurling seven complete games in 89, posting a fine 363 ERA, he had the misfortune of going only 9-14 due to the lack of the team's hitting. Farrell threw two complete game shutouts and carried a no-hitter thru 8-innings against Kansas City on May 4, and pitched a two-hitter against Minnesota on July 19. 1989 Stats: 9-14 W/L, 3.63 ERA in 31 games started, 7 GC, 196 hits in 208 innings, 88 Ks, 52 Ws. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Baseballhistorian.com - All Rights Reserved | 
