1997 Cleveland Indians Historic 1996 Champions Baseball MLB "STARTER" Series 3/6

Description: 1997 Cleveland Indians Commemorative/Historic 1996 Season Division Champions TitleMLB FOTOBALL "STARTER" Series 3 of 6 Cleveland Indians Progressive Field / Jacobs Field 1997 MLB Playoffs (commemorating the previous 1996 season championship titles) Baseball Dimensions (approximate): 3" Diameter Under the current rules, a MLB regulation baseball is 9 to 9.25 inches (229 to 235 mm) in circumference i.e. 2.86 to 2.94 inches (73 to 75 mm) in diameter, with a weight of 5 to 5.25 ounces (0.142 to 0.149 kg). The 1997 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 1997 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. In the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians returned to the postseason for the third year in a row, the Baltimore Orioles returned to the postseason for the second straight year (which would be their last until 2012), and the Seattle Mariners returned to the postseason for the second time in three years. In the National League, the Atlanta Braves made their sixth straight postseason appearance, the Houston Astros made their first postseason appearance since 1986, the Florida Marlins made their first postseason appearance four years into their existence, and the San Francisco Giants returned to the postseason for the first time since 1989. The postseason began on September 30, 1997, and ended on October 26, 1997, with the Marlins defeating the Indians in seven games in the 1997 World Series. It was the Marlins' first championship in franchise history. Playoff seedsThe following teams qualified for the postseason: American LeagueBaltimore Orioles – AL East champions, 98–64[2]Cleveland Indians – AL Central champions, 86–75[3]Seattle Mariners – AL West champions, 90–72[4]New York Yankees – 96–66[5]Home-field advantage priority order: East, Central, West National LeagueAtlanta Braves – NL East champions, 101–61[6]Houston Astros – NL Central champions, 84–78[7]San Francisco Giants – NL West champions, 90–72[8]Florida Marlins – 92–70[9]Home-field advantage priority order: West, Central, East American League Division Series Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees Cleveland won the series, 3–2. This was the first postseason appearance between the Yankees and Indians. The Indians knocked out the defending World Series champion Yankees in five games to return to the ALCS for the second time in three years. The Yankees and Indians would meet again in the post season five more times - in the 1998 ALCS (won by the Yankees), the 2007 ALDS (won by the Indians), the 2017 ALDS (won by the Yankees), the 2020 AL Wild Card Series (won by the Yankees), and the 2022 ALDS (won by the Yankees). American League Championship Series Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Indians Cleveland won the series, 4–2. This was the second straight postseason meeting between the Indians and Orioles. The Indians defeated the Orioles in six games to return to the World Series for the second time in three years. Both teams split the first two games in Baltimore. The Indians took Game 3 after 12 innings of play, and prevailed in a slugfest in Game 4, 8–7, to go up 3–1 in the series. The Orioles took Game 5 to send the series back to Baltimore. Game 6 remained scoreless after 10 innings of play until Cleveland's Tony Fernández hit a solo home run to put the Indians in the lead for good, effectively securing the pennant. This would be the last time the Indians won the AL pennant until 2016, where they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in six games before falling in the World Series. This was the last time the Orioles appeared in the postseason until 2012. The Orioles would not return to the ALCS again until 2014, where they were swept by the Kansas City Royals. 1997 World Series This was the first World Series to ever be played in the state of Florida. In what many consider to be one of the greatest World Series ever played, the Marlins knocked off the Indians in a back-and-forth seven game series to win their first ever championship. In Miami, both teams split the first two games. In Cleveland for Game 3, the Marlins prevailed in an offensive duel, 14-11, to take a 2–1 series lead. In a cold and snowy Game 4, the Indians blew out the Marlins thanks to solid pitching performances from Jaret Wright and closer Brian Anderson to even the series at two. Game 4's official game-time temperature of 35 °F (3.3 °C) still stands as the coldest in World Series history, with media outlets reporting wind chill readings as low as 18 °F (−7.8 °C).[44] Game 5 was another offensive duel, which was won by the Marlins by an 8–7 score to go up 3–2 in the series headed back to Miami. The Indians would win Game 6 by a 4–1 score to force a seventh game. In Game 7, the Indians held a 2–1 lead in the bottom of the ninth and were two outs away from winning the World Series, but closer José Mesa was unable to hold the lead, as the Marlins tied the game. The game went scoreless throughout the tenth, and then in the eleventh inning, the series was capped off by Edgar Rentería hitting a hard line drive back up the middle of the infield. The ball hit off Charles Nagy’s glove and rolled into center field, scoring Craig Counsell and winning the series for the Marlins. The Marlins' World Series title was the first championship won by a team from the Miami metropolitan area since 1974, when the Miami Dolphins won Super Bowl VIII. The Marlins would win the World Series again in 2003, where they defeated the New York Yankees in six games. At the time, the Marlins became the quickest expansion team and the first ever wild card-quailified team to reach (and win) the World Series, as they won it in their fifth season in existence. The Arizona Diamondbacks then became the quickest to reach and win the World Series, as they did it in their fourth year in 2001. The Indians would not return to the World Series again until 2016, where they blew a 3–1 series lead to the Chicago Cubs, who won their first title in 108 years. Please note that Blue Streak Collectibles does not offer combined handling/shipping discounts for multiple items. 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Location: Hudson, Ohio

End Time: 2024-11-18T16:06:39.000Z

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