In the bottom of the 12th inning on July 28, 1967, Tony Horton hit a walk-off homer to break up a scoreless pitching duel between Indians pitcher Steve Hargan and Orioles’ right-hander Moe Drabowsky. Drabowsky had allowed only six hits in the extra-inning contest at Cleveland Stadium. Horton’s dinger helped the Indians to break a five-game losing streak.
Legendary Negro League pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige made his first Major League start on August 3, 1948 at the age of 42. Paige earned the win as the Indians defeated the Senators 5-3. Paige improved his record to 2-1, striking out six batters in seven innings. 72,562 fans crowded in to Cleveland Stadium that night, setting a new attendance record for a Major League night game.
There is a good reason why Major League Baseball today makes every effort to ensure that every team be properly represented at the All-Star Game.
On 9 July 1963, the Midsummer Classic was held at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, home of the Indians. Unfortunately for Cleveland’s baseball fans, however, no players from the Indians took part in the contest as the American League lost 5-3. The only member of the Tribe to even make the roster was pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant, who never made an appearance in the game. Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that attendance at the exhibition was a mere 44,160 fans.
What was surprising was that the American League outhit the National League 11-6. Evidently, the AL couldn’t capitalize and a lot of those base runners were left stranded.
On 4 June 1974, it was ten-cent beer night at Cleveland Stadium as the Indians took on the Texas Rangers. As the game progressed, Indians fans grew increasingly inebriated, resulting in a riot during the ninth inning of play. As a result of the crowd’s unruly behavior, the game was interrupted and could not be resumed in a timely manner. Home plate umpire Nestor Chylak stopped the game, which was tied at five runs a piece, and pronounced a forfeit by the Indians, thus declaring the Rangers victorious.
