clarinews@clarinet.com (BOB KEIM, UPI Sports Writer) (09/22/89)
CLEVELAND (UPI) -- Playing extra innings is nothing new for the Cleveland Indians. Winning an extra-inning game, however, is something out of the ordinary for the Tribe. Brook Jacoby's sacrifice fly off loser Rich Monteleone, 2-2, scored pinch-runner Tommy Hinzo from third base and in the bottom of the 17th and ended the longest game of the year in the American League. The Indians have gone extra innings in four of their last six and six of their last 12, but have just a 3-15 record in overtime contests. Their last extra-inning win was Aug. 22 against Seattle. ``It's nice to win it, no ifs ands or buts about it,'' said interim Cleveland manager John Hart. The win snapped a six-game Cleveland losing streak and dropped the Angels, who had won four straight, 3 1/2 games behind Oakland in the American League West. The Angels used six pitchers and Cleveland five. The game lasted five hours and 26 minutes, also the longest in the AL this year, ending at 1:03 a.m. EDT. Scott Bailes, 5-9, pitched the final 2 2-3 innings for the win. ``It's real tough in the longer games to get up, sit down, get up, sit down, then come in and know one run can make the difference,'' Bailes said. ``It's tough to get your concentration. You do some strange things.'' Monteleone entered the game in the 17th and gave up a leadoff triple to Pete O'Brien. It was the slow-moving O'Brien's first triple of the year. Hinzo came in as a pinch-runner and Jacoby then sent a fly ball to right. Claudell Washington's throw was up the third-base line. ``I had it beat,'' Hinzo said. ``The ball was hit far enough.'' The Indians had taken a 4-1 lead with a four-run eighth. Bryan Harvey, pitching in relief of Kirk McCaskill, walked three of the four batters he faced and walked Jacoby to drive in one run. Joey Belle drove in another and Dave Clark's single scored two more. Cleveland reliever Doug Jones came in for starter John Farrell to start the ninth, but surrendered three runs on a one-run single by Jack Howell and a two-run hit by Brian Downing. Two of the runs were unearned, coming after Jerry Browne dropped a slow roller to second with two outs and men on first and second. Johnny Ray's sacrifice fly in the third scored the other California run. ``We had our chances,'' said California first baseman Wally Joyner. ``We just couldn't get that extra hit. We're not going to fold up shop. We're not out of it, we're not going to be out of it.'' Three times the Angels got the leadoff batter to second in the extra frames, but could not get him home. Cleveland got a man to third in the 12th and 16th but could not score. ``You could tell it was a long game because we've got a lot of people that talk in the bullpen and after the 11th inning it got real quiet,'' Bailes said. ``We ran out of things to talk about.'' Hinzo, who sat on the bench until the final play, took a philosophical approach. ``You just start accepting the fact that you're here,'' he said. ``You can't do anything else anyway. Last call's at 1 o'clock.''