Game 7
Sunday, October 26, 1997 7:35 pm (EST) at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida 80 °F (27 °C), partly cloudy| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Cleveland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
WP: Jay Powell (1–0) LP: Charles Nagy (0–1)
Home runs:
CLE: None
FLA: Bobby Bonilla (1) |
For the decisive final matchup of the World Series, the first time since 1991 that a Game 7 would be played, the Marlins sent Al Leiter to the mound to start. Leiter had been the starter for the Marlins in the high-scoring Game 3 in Cleveland, where he gave up a total of seven runs and did not make it out of the fifth inning, but was spared a potential loss when the Marlins rallied to win. The potential existed for a Game 3 rematch of Leiter and Indians ace Charles Nagy. Nagy managed to pitch six innings and gave up five runs, all earned, in his outing. Like Leiter, he was left with a no-decision after the Cleveland bullpen allowed Florida to tie the game and later win. However, Indians manager Mike Hargrove, celebrating his 48th birthday this day, chose to give the start to rookie Jaret Wright on short rest. Wright had yet to lose a decision in the postseason to this point, and had won Game 4 earlier in the series.
The Marlins managed one hit in the 1st inning, a double off the bat of Édgar Rentería. That was the only hit Wright gave up through six innings, and the Indians staked him to a 2–0 lead in the third. With nobody out, Jim Thome walked and Marquis Grissom singled him to second. After Wright bunted the runners into scoring position, Leiter struck out Omar Vizquel for the second out. The next batter, Tony Fernández, singled to drive both runners in.
The Indians threatened again in the fifth inning, as Vizquel singled with one out. He stole second while Fernandez batted, putting himself in scoring position. Leiter struck Fernandez out, then gave an intentional walk to Manny Ramirez to put two runners on. Vizquel then managed to steal third base, but Leiter struck out David Justice to end the inning. He would leave the game after retiring the Indians in order in the sixth.
Meanwhile, not only had Wright allowed a single hit through six innings, but he had also managed to keep the Marlins off of the bases. Entering the seventh inning, he had only allowed a total of four baserunners; in addition to the Rentería double, he had walked Gary Sheffield in the first and Leiter in the fifth, and Darren Daulton had reached on a three-base error when Ramirez misplayed a line drive.
The Marlins finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh as Bobby Bonilla hit Wright's first pitch over the right-center field wall for a home run to cut the lead to 2–1. After striking out Charles Johnson and walking Craig Counsell, Wright was removed from the game in favor of Paul Assenmacher who was scheduled to pitch to Cliff Floyd. Marlins manager Jim Leyland elected to send Kurt Abbott to the plate after the pitching change; Assenmacher retired him on a fly ball, then got Devon White swinging to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, Cleveland again threatened. After Antonio Alfonseca walked Matt Williams to lead off the inning and Sandy Alomar Jr. reached on a fielder's choice to take Williams off the bases, Félix Heredia gave up a single to Thome which advanced Alomar to third. He was then pulled in favor of closer Robb Nen. Nen induced a groundball from Grissom to Rentería at shortstop, who elected to throw Alomar out at home, thanks in part to a great pick and tag by Johnson. He then got Brian Giles to fly out to end the inning.
The Indians sent closer José Mesa to the mound to try to win the series in the bottom of the ninth inning. Moisés Alou led off with a single, and Bonilla struck out swinging on a 3–2 pitch. Johnson then followed with a single to advance Alou to third, bringing Counsell to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Counsell hit a deep fly ball to right that nearly went over the wall, which would have won the series for the Marlins. Although Ramirez was able to catch the ball on the warning track for the second out, Alou was able to score from third without a throw and the score was tied at 2. Mesa managed to get out of the inning by retiring Jim Eisenreich.
Nen struck out the side in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom of the frame, Mesa gave up back-to-back one-out singles, and after striking out John Cangelosi looking on a 3-2 pitch, Hargrove elected to finally use his ace starter and brought Nagy into the game to face Alou, who flied out to end the inning. After walking Williams, leading off the top of the 11th inning, Jay Powell retired Cleveland in order thanks to an alert fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt by Alomar, which Powell fielded and threw out the lead runner at 2nd, followed by a Jim Thome inning-ending double play.
Bonilla led off the bottom off the eleventh by singling to center. Gregg Zaun, who replaced Johnson after pinch running for him in the bottom the ninth, stepped in for his first at bat and was asked to bunt Bonilla over. Zaun popped the ball up on the bunt attempt, however, and Bonilla barely beat Nagy’s throw back to first to try to double him off.
Counsell followed with a slow ground ball to the second base side. Bonilla stopped halfway between first and second, choosing to let the ball roll by before trying to advance; if the ball had touched him, he would have been called out for runners' interference. By doing this, he not only saved the Marlins an out, but also forced Fernandez, playing behind the second base bag, to lose sight of the ball as it rolled to him. The veteran second baseman was not able to field the grounder cleanly, and Bonilla was able to advance to third on the error with Counsell reaching first.
Nagy walked Eisenreich, the next batter, intentionally, loading the bases for White. Instead of playing for the double play, Hargrove pulled the infield in to try to cut off the winning run, since Bonilla was a much slower baserunner than White and would be able to score if White beat out the relay throw on a double play. White grounded to second, and Fernandez immediately threw home for the force out to retire Bonilla.
While the bases were still loaded, as White reached on the fielder’s choice, there were now two outs and Nagy faced Rentería with a chance to get out of the jam and extend the game. Rentería, behind 0-1, hit a hard line drive back up the middle. Nagy tried to field the ball, but it hit off of his glove and went into center field. Counsell scored the series winning run, then leaped into the air in celebration.
After Game 7, the trophy presentation, usually taking place in the winning team's locker room regardless of venue, took place on the field for the first time ever before the crowd of 67,204. It was presided over by then-Chairman of the Executive Committee Bud Selig, who first did the honors in 1995 and would officially become Commissioner of Baseball in 1998. This is now a standard procedure whenever the champions are the home team of the deciding game (the only exception being 1999, when the New York Yankees chose to celebrate in their locker room, likely due to the controversy involving Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis and NBC Sports reporter Jim Gray during an interview following Game 3).
It was the first time since 1962 that the two teams alternated wins throughout the World Series.
In only their fifth season of existence, the Marlins were the quickest expansion team to reach (and win) the World Series until 2001, when the Arizona Diamondbacks did it in their fourth year. Coincidentally, both World Series ended with a game-winning RBI single with Craig Counsell being on the basepath for each.
