1987 Cleveland Indians season explained

Cleveland Indians
Season:1987
League:American League
Division:East
Ballpark:Cleveland Municipal Stadium
City:Cleveland, Ohio
Owners:Richard Jacobs
General Managers:Joe Klein
Managers:Pat Corrales, Doc Edwards
Television:WUAB
Joe Tait, Jack Corrigan
Radio:WWWE
Herb Score, Steve Lamar

The 1987 Cleveland Indians season was the 87th in franchise history. The team, predicted by Sports Illustrated magazine to finish first, finished seventh in the American League East. Club president Peter Bavasi would resign before the regular season began. Bavasi had joined the Indians in November 1984. As team president, he served on Major League Baseball's Executive Council.[1] During the 1986 season, the team had an 84-78 record, its best since 1968, and attendance of 1.47 million, its highest since 1959.[2] There was much optimism that the team would reach its full potential in 1987.

Sluggers Joe Carter and Cory Snyder were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 6, 1987, with the headline "Indian Uprising". The Indians were being predicted as the best team in baseball on the back of their two 30+ home run hitters. What sports writers overlooked was that Cleveland had the worst performing pitching staff in the majors, despite the presence of 300 game winners Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton, as well as Tom Candiotti (with Niekro and Candiotti, Cleveland had two starters whose main pitch was the knuckleball).

The 1987 Indians would fall well short of SI's bold prediction. They were not above .500 even once all season, and an 8–20 May ended any realistic hope of contention. They finished 61-101, the worst record in all of baseball. The season would go on to be associated with the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.

Offseason

Regular season

In 1987, the Cleveland Indians achieved a baseball first. The Indians had veteran pitchers Steve Carlton and Phil Niekro on their roster to add experience. Their most notable accomplishment was appearing in a game together against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Carlton and Niekro became the first teammates and 300-game winners to appear in the same game. Both were ineffective in a 10-6 Yankee victory. It would be Carlton's first and only pitching appearance at the legendary stadium. Neither pitcher finished the season with the Indians. Carlton would end up with the Minnesota Twins and win a World Series championship. Niekro would be picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays and come within two games of winning the American League East Championship.

Transactions

Draft picks

Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Starters
Name Position
4 2B
2 CF
14 SS
30 LF
29 DH
26 3B
10 1B
28 RF
23 C
49 P
[14]

Roster

1987 Cleveland Indians
Roster
PitchersCatchersInfieldersOutfieldersOther battersManager (Apr 6 - Jul 15) (Jul 16 - Oct 4)Coaches (Pitching) (Hitting/First Base) (Pitching) (Bullpen) (Third Base) (Bullpen)

Statistics

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

PlayerGABRH2B3BHRRBIAVGSB
align=left 50154174160316.2661
align=left 89211204690516.2180
align=left 38125142791213.2162
align=left 7929339701211130.2397
align=left 13752291154258941.29533
align=left 1495888315527232106.26431
align=left 8922027551701131.2501
align=left 2987111850312.2071
align=left 60141162510019.1770
align=left 511230013.2730
align=left 12849586158243852.31932
align=left 2940540025.1000
align=left 1536241101.1112
align=left 142485571362111876.2805
align=left 67257316893321.2659
align=left 155540731622643269.3002
align=left 1917210001.0592
align=left 39807182107.2251
align=left 1825240015.1600
align=left 157577741362423382.2365
align=left 151553661703431186.3075
align=left 36858102005.1181
align=left 22649114014.1720
Team Totals1625606742147626730187691.263140

Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

PlayerWLERAGGSSVIPHRERBBK
align=left 266.751613074.28460563842
align=left 108.68140118.2271818109
align=left 784.6439176120.114575624765
align=left 019.22150113.221141459
align=left 7184.7832320201.219313210793111
align=left 595.3723141109.011176656371
align=left 114.55160031.22617161322
align=left 513.39109069.06829262228
align=left 034.08210139.24931181220
align=left 235.09200235.1382220823
align=left 653.15490891.110145322487
align=left 0016.202003.146632
align=left 7115.8922220123.214283815357
align=left 116.08140026.23321181611
align=left 6136.5032290153.21851261115761
align=left 425.67250327.02522172125
align=left 385.1016150102.111262583797
align=left 105.10550072.19642412140
align=left 0114.296005.2710976
align=left 015.066015.133374
align=left 395.253711197.29663574959
Team Totals611015.28162162251422.21566957835606849

Award winners

All-Star Game

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Burlington[15]

References

  1. http://www.bavasisports.com/principals.htm Principals
  2. New York Times, January 24, 1987
  3. https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mullifr01.shtml Fran Mullins page at Baseball Reference
  4. https://www.baseball-reference.com/p/parsoca01.shtml Casey Parsons page at Baseball Reference
  5. https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/butchjo01.shtml John Butcher page at Baseball Reference
  6. Web site: Doug Frobel Stats.
  7. https://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kaiseje01.shtml Jeff Kaiser page at Baseball Reference
  8. https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/carltst01.shtml Steve Carlton page at Baseball Reference
  9. https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/schuldo01.shtml Don Schulze page at Baseball Reference
  10. https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huismma02.shtml Mark Huismann page at Baseball Reference
  11. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bernato01.shtml Tony Bernazard at Baseball Reference
  12. https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/belleal01.shtml Albert Belle page at Baseball Reference
  13. https://www.baseball-reference.com/a/allrebe01.shtml Beau Allred page at Baseball Reference
  14. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR198704060.shtml 1987 Opening Day Lineup
  15. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007