2007 Cleveland Indians
American League Central Champions
The Indians celebrate winning American League Central
The Indians celebrate clinching the AL Central crown
LeagueAmerican League
DivisionCentral
BallparkJacobs Field
CityCleveland
Record96–66 (.593)
Divisional place1st
OwnersLarry Dolan
General managersMark Shapiro
ManagersEric Wedge
TelevisionSportsTime Ohio
(Matt Underwood, Rick Manning, Al Pawlowski, Brian Anderson)
WKYC
(Jim Donovan, Rick Manning)
RadioWTAM · WMMS
Cleveland Indians Radio Network
(Tom Hamilton, Jim Rosenhaus, Mike Hegan)
← 2006 Seasons 2008 →

The 2007 Cleveland Indians season was the 107th season for the franchise. The Indians won the American League Central title for the first time since 2001 on September 23, 2007, with a win over the Oakland Athletics. They played for the American League title before losing to the Boston Red Sox in seven games.

To prepare for 2007, Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro signed relievers Aaron Fultz, Joe Borowski, and Roberto Hernández to fix a bullpen that had the fewest saves (and most blown saves) in 2006. He also traded third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff for second baseman Josh Barfield.[1] On January 2, Luis Rivas was signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians.[2]

Regular season

Season summary

The Indians began the 2007 season on the road in Chicago for a three-game series with the White Sox. The lineup supplied plenty of offense as the Indians won the first two games of the series. Grady Sizemore hit three home runs in the series, but the White Sox won the third game, leaving the Indians with a record of 2–1 as they head home.

The 2007 home opener at Jacobs Field

However, their home opener, as well as the remainder of a four-game series with the Seattle Mariners, was postponed due to heavy snow. After a discussion about a possible relocation of the following series between the Indians and the Angels to Anaheim,[3] the Indians decided to relocate the three-game series to Miller Park in Milwaukee.[4] The three-game series averaged a surprising 17,498 fans in attendance, and featured several homages to the fact that the film Major League was shot in Milwaukee, including closer Joe Borowski entering the game to "Wild Thing".

The Indians and Angels at Miller Park in Milwaukee

In that series, the Indians got a solid outing by CC Sabathia, and although the Angels roughed up the bullpen, closer Joe Borowski held on in the 9th inning to give the Indians a 7–6 victory. Angels' pitcher Joe Saunders dominated the second game, and the Angels won 4–1. In the final game of the series, Travis Hafner hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Indians ahead 4–2 for a comeback win.

On April 13, the Indians announced they had signed starter Jake Westbrook to a three-year contract extension.[5] Westbrook would have been eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

The Indians came back to Cleveland and played their first official game at Jacobs Field, but lost to the White Sox 6–4. However, the Indians won the next two games with impressive pitching and defense and improved to 6–3 on the season. The three-game series averaged 16,586 fans per game in attendance, a modern-era record for lowest average attendance in a team's first home series of the season.[citation needed]

On April 28, the Indians had a six-game winning streak snapped in part because of a rare scoring decision. The umpires retroactively added a run to the Baltimore Orioles' score three innings after the play had occurred. Manager Eric Wedge immediately appealed the decision to the MLB commissioner's office. The game will remain as originally played, as the commissioner's office has upheld the umpire's decision. The Indians won the following game to end the month of April with a 14–8 record, having won seven of their last eight games.

The Indians continued their fast start into May, with a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays at home. They struggled on the ensuing road trip, however, going 4–6 against the Orioles, Angels, and Athletics, including a game in which the Indians led the Athletics 7–5 going into the bottom of the 9th. The bullpen gave up home runs to Milton Bradley and Jack Cust and went on to lose 10–7.

However, when they returned to Jacobs Field, the Indians got hot again, going 6–1 against the Twins, Reds, and Mariners. After a series loss to the Royals on the road, the Indians swept the contending Tigers at Comerica Park, and went on to finish 19–11 in the month of May.

June began memorably for the Indians, when in the bottom of the 9th inning, they rallied from a 4-run deficit to defeat the Tigers 12–11 in front of a near-capacity crowd at Jacobs Field. Entering interleague play, however, the Indians began to struggle, losing a series on the road to the last place Reds, at home to the Braves and to the last-place Nationals. They had a mediocre 9–9 record in interleague play, but finished the month strong by taking three of four from the Athletics, and sweeping a 4-game set from the Devil Rays, and went 15–11 in June, still in first place over the Detroit Tigers. Named to the All Star team this month were Víctor Martínez, CC Sabathia and Grady Sizemore.

July started with a critical away series against the Tigers with first place on the line. Starting the series with a two-game lead, they won the first game. However, they lost the next two games as well as dropped 2 out of 3 to Toronto to reach the All-Star break 1 game behind Detroit.

The Indians sent 3 players to the 2007 All Star game in San Francisco. CC Sabathia pitched one inning, in which he gave up 1 hit and 0 runs. Grady Sizemore went 0–1 with a strikeout and played the both left and center field during the late innings. Victor Martinez came into the game right after Sizemore's at bat to pinch hit for the pitcher, and hit a 2-run homer that gave the A.L. a 5–2 lead in the 8th inning. This home run proved to be the game winner as the American League defeated the National League 5–4.

After the All-Star Break, the Indians went 3–3 on their homestand with the Royals and White Sox. After taking 3 of 4 from the Rangers on the road, Cleveland went into a slump, losing the next three series' at home to the Red Sox, Twins, and Rangers, going 3–7 overall. On July 27, the Indians traded catcher Max Ramirez to the Texas Rangers for OF Kenny Lofton. Lofton played later that night and went 3–5 with 1 RBI.

On the ensuing road trip, Cleveland's play improved, going 5–4 against the Twins and White Sox. When they returned home, however, the Indians went into another slide. They were swept for the second time in the season by the New York Yankees, and fell out of first place. But on the next road trip, Cleveland began to play much better, winning series' against the Devil Rays, Tigers, and Royals. They finished the trip 6–3 and took a two-and-a-half-game lead for the AL Central. A key factor for the Tribe was replacing Josh Barfield at second base with rookie Asdrúbal Cabrera. The Indians pressed their Central Division advantage by sweeping Minnesota at home, beating Seattle at home in a make-up game, and winning the first of a three-game series at home against the White Sox.

Cleveland started September in the middle of a stretch of 23 games in 23 days due to adjustments for the snowed-out games in April. They won the series with the White Sox that started in August two games to one, then, on the road, proceeded to beat Johan Santana of the Twins for the fifth time in the same season. The Indians went on to sweep the Twins, then split a four-game series in Anaheim against the Angels and take two out of three from the White Sox in Chicago, making the Tribe 7–3 on the road trip and 17–6 over the long stretch. The Indians took two of three from Kansas City to start the last home stand of the regular season, winning the first game on a ninth-inning walk-off home run by Casey Blake. The last series of the year against the Tigers started off dramatically with a come from behind win in extra innings, again with a walk-off home run by Casey Blake. The Indians would go on to sweep the series and bring their lead in the Central Division up to 7+1⁄2 games once again, essentially ending Detroit's hopes of a playoff berth. The Indians clinched the Central Division title on September 23, 2007. It was their first playoff berth since 2001. The Indians finished tied with the Boston Red Sox for the best record in Major League Baseball; however, Boston was awarded the #1 seed in American League due to a better head-to-head record (5–2).

Season standings

AL Central 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cleveland Indians 96 66 0.593 — 51–29 45–37
Detroit Tigers 88 74 0.543 8 45–36 43–38
Minnesota Twins 79 83 0.488 17 41–40 38–43
Chicago White Sox 72 90 0.444 24 38–43 34–47
Kansas City Royals 69 93 0.426 27 35–46 34–47


Record vs. opponents

2007 American League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL 
Baltimore — 6–12 5–3 3–4 1–5 7–0 3–7 0–7 9–9 4–4 2–7 11–7 4–6 8–10 6–12
Boston 12–6 — 7–1 5–2 3–4 3–3 6–4 4–3 8–10 4–4 4–5 13–5 6–4 9–9 12–6
Chicago 3–5 1–7 — 7–11 11–7 12–6 5–4 9–9 4–6 4–5 1–7 6–1 2–4 3–4 4–14
Cleveland 4–3 2–5 11–7 — 12–6 11–7 5–5 14–4 0–6 6–4 4–3 8–2 6–3 4–2 9–9
Detroit 5–1 4–3 7–11 6–12 — 11–7 3–5 12–6 4–4 4–6 6–4 3–4 5–4 4–3 14–4
Kansas City 0–7 3–3 6–12 7–11 7–11 — 5–2 9–9 1–9 6–4 3–6 4–3 5–4 3–4 10–8
Los Angeles 7–3 4–6 4–5 5–5 5–3 2–5 — 6–3 6–3 9–10 13–6 6–2 10–9 3–4 14–4
Minnesota 7–0 3–4 9–9 4–14 6–12 9–9 3–6 — 2–5 5–2 6–3 3–4 7–2 4–6 11–7
New York 9–9 10–8 6–4 6–0 4–4 9–1 3–6 5–2 — 2–4 5–5 10–8 5–1 10–8 10–8
Oakland 4–4 4–4 5–4 4–6 6–4 4–6 10–9 2–5 4–2 — 5–14 4–6 9–10 5–4 10–8
Seattle 7–2 5–4 7–1 3–4 4–6 6–3 6–13 3–6 5–5 14–5 — 4–3 11–8 4–5 9–9
Tampa Bay 7–11 5–13 1–6 2–8 4–3 3–4 2–6 4–3 8–10 6–4 3–4 — 5–4 9–9 7–11
Texas 6–4 4–6 4–2 3–6 4–5 4–5 9–10 2–7 1–5 10–9 8–11 4–5 — 5–5 11–7
Toronto 10–8 9–9 4–3 2–4 3–4 4–3 4–3 6–4 8–10 4–5 5–4 9–9 5–5 — 10–8


Roster

2007 Cleveland Indians
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

2007 Regular Season: 96–66 (Home: 51–29; Away: 45–37) Game Log
April: 14–8 (Home: 8–3; Away: 6–5)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1 April 2 @ White Sox 12–5 Sabathia (1–0) Contreras (0–1) 38,088 1–0
2 April 4 @ White Sox 8–7 Fultz (1–0) Thornton (0–1) Borowski (1) 26,337 2–0
3 April 5 @ White Sox 4–3 Jenks (1–0) Hernández (0–1) 24,141 2–1
– April 6 Mariners Postponed (snow) Rescheduled for May 21 2–1
– April 7 Mariners Postponed (snow) Rescheduled for June 11 2–1
– April 8 Mariners Postponed (snow) Rescheduled for August 30 2–1
– April 9 Mariners Postponed (snow) Rescheduled for September 26 2–1
4 April 10 Angels* 7–6 Sabathia (2–0) Santana (1–1) Borowski (2) 19,031 3–1
5 April 11 Angels* 4–1 Saunders (1–0) Westbrook (0–1) Rodríguez (4) 16,375 3–2
6 April 12 Angels* 4–2 Fultz (2–0) Shields (0–1) Borowski (3) 17,090 4–2
7 April 13 White Sox 6–4 Vázquez (2–0) Carmona (0–1) Jenks (3) 16,789 4–3
8 April 14 White Sox 4–0 Byrd (1–0) Danks (0–2) Borowski (4) 18,082 5–3
9 April 15 White Sox 2–1 Sabathia (3–0) Contreras (1–2) Borowski (5) 14,887 6–3
10 April 17 @ Yankees 10–3 Wright (1–0) Westbrook (0–2) 38,438 6–4
11 April 18 @ Yankees 9–2 Igawa (1–0) Sowers (0–1) 41,379 6–5
12 April 19 @ Yankees 8–6 Henn (1–0) Borowski (0–1) 40,872 6–6
13 April 20 @ Devil Rays 4–3 Hernández (1–1) Salas (0–1) Borowski (6) 13,391 7–6
14 April 21 @ Devil Rays 6–5 Seo (1–1) Byrd (1–1) Reyes (6) 22,805 7–7
15 April 22 @ Devil Rays 6–4 Mastny (1–0) Stokes (1–3) Borowski (7) 18,131 8–7
16 April 23 @ Twins 7–3 (12) Hernández (2–1) Crain (0–1) 16,067 9–7
17 April 24 @ Twins 5–3 Carmona (1–1) Santana (3–2) Borowski (8) 20,849 10–7
18 April 25 Rangers 8–7 (11) Cabrera (1–0) Eyre (1–1) 13,843 11–7
19 April 26 Rangers 9–4 Byrd (2–1) Loe (1–1) 14,066 12–7
20 April 27 Orioles 5–4 Westbrook (1–2) Trachsel (1–2) Borowski (9) 20,484 13–7
21 April 28 Orioles 7–4 Walker (1–0) Cabrera (1–1) Ray (7) 25,065 13–8
22 April 29 Orioles 6–1 Carmona (2–1) Wright (0–3) 25,402 14–8
*At Miller Park in Milwaukee
May: 19–11 (Home: 10–1; Away: 9–10)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
23 May 1 Blue Jays 12–4 Sabathia (4–0) Burnett (2–2) 13,389 15–8
24 May 2 Blue Jays 7–6 (11) Mastny (2–0) Marcum (1–2) 14,163 16–8
25 May 3 Blue Jays 6–5 Fultz (3–0) Frasor (1–1) Borowski (10) 16,284 17–8
26 May 4 @ Orioles 3–2 (10) Ray (3–2) Mastny (2–1) 28,575 17–9
27 May 5 @ Orioles 8–2 Cabrera (2–3) Sowers (0–2) 25,752 17–10
28 May 6 @ Orioles 9–6 Sabathia (5–0) Burres (0–1) Borowski (11) 37,464 18–10
29 May 7 @ Orioles 10–1 Carmona (3–1) Bradford (0–1) 17,944 19–10
30 May 8 @ Angels 5–1 Lee (1–0) Santana (2–5) 41,731 20–10
31 May 9 @ Angels 3–2 Moseley (3–0) Cabrera (1–2) Rodríguez (11) 40,007 20–11
32 May 10 @ Angels 8–0 Escobar (4–1) Sowers (0–3) 33,698 20–12
33 May 11 @ Athletics 8–2 Blanton (4–1) Sabathia (5–1) 20,393 20–13
34 May 12 @ Athletics 6–3 Carmona (4–1) Braden (1–2) Borowski (12) 22,705 21–13
35 May 13 @ Athletics 10–7 Witasick (1–0) Borowski (0–2) 24,692 21–14
36 May 15 Twins 15–7 Byrd (3–1) Ortiz (3–4) 23,325 22–14
37 May 16 Twins 7–1 Sabathia (6–1) Silva (2–4) 17,678 23–14
38 May 17 Twins 2–0 Carmona (5–1) Santana (4–4) 28,609 24–14
39 May 18 Reds 9–4 Lee (2–0) Lohse (1–5) 34,230 25–14
40 May 19 Reds 10–5 Belisle (4–3) Sowers (0–4) Weathers (8) 35,262 25–15
41 May 20 Reds 5–3 Byrd (4–1) Harang (5–2) Borowski (13) 32,524 26–15
42 May 21 Mariners 5–2 Mastny (3–1) Baek (1–2) Borowski (14) 38,645 27–15
43 May 22 @ Royals 4–3 Greinke (2–4) Mastny (3–2) 19,776 27–16
44 May 23 @ Royals 11–7 Duckworth (2–3) Lee (2–1) 11,506 27–17
45 May 24 @ Royals 10–3 Sowers (1–4) de la Rosa (4–4) 11,681 28–17
46 May 25 @ Tigers 7–4 Byrd (5–1) Robertson (4–4) Borowski (15) 40,074 29–17
47 May 26 @ Tigers 6–3 Sabathia (7–1) Grilli (2–2) Borowski (16) 40,375 30–17
48 May 27 @ Tigers 5–3 Carmona (6–1) Maroth (3–2) Borowski (17) 40,723 31–17
49 May 28 @ Red Sox 5–3 Schilling (5–2) Lee (2–2) Papelbon (13) 36,910 31–18
50 May 29 @ Red Sox 4–2 Beckett (8–0) Sowers (1–5) Okajima (4) 37,076 31–19
51 May 30 @ Red Sox 8–4 Byrd (6–1) Matsuzaka (7–3) 37,091 32–19
52 May 31 Tigers 11–5 Sabathia (8–1) Verlander (5–2) 30,038 33–19
June: 15–13 (Home: 11–8; Away: 4–5)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
53 June 1 Tigers 12–11 Hernández (1–3) Jones (1–3) 41,365 34–19
54 June 2 Tigers 9–5 Durbin (5–1) Lee (2–3) 38,254 34–20
55 June 3 Tigers 9–2 Bonderman (5–0) Sowers (1–6) 30,268 34–21
56 June 5 Royals 1–0 Sabathia (9–1) de la Rosa (4–6) 14,036 35–21
57 June 6 Royals 4–3 Bannister (2–3) Byrd (6–2) Dotel (2) 17,632 35–22
58 June 7 Royals 8–3 Carmona (7–1) Pérez (3–6) 19,315 36–22
59 June 8 @ Reds 4–3 Bailey (1–0) Lee (2–4) Weathers (12) 38,696 36–23
60 June 9 @ Reds 8–6 (11) Mastny (4–2) Santos (1–2) Borowski (18) 37,935 37–23
61 June 10 @ Reds 1–0 (12) McBeth (1–0) Miller (0–1) 30,842 37–24
62 June 11 Mariners 8–7 Morrow (3–0) Borowski (0–3) 22,325 37–25
63 June 12 @ Marlins 3–0 Olsen (5–5) Carmona (7–2) Gregg (10) 15,144 37–26
64 June 13 @ Marlins 7–3 Lee (3–4) Kim (3–3) 13,805 38–26
65 June 14 @ Marlins 3–2 Stanford (1–0) Willis (7–6) Borowski (19) 23,811 39–26
66 June 15 Braves 5–4 Soriano (2–0) Sabathia (9–2) Wickman (12) 34,848 39–27
67 June 16 Braves 6–2 Smoltz (8–3) Byrd (6–3) 35,153 39–28
68 June 17 Braves 5–2 Carmona (8–2) Davies (3–6) Borowski (20) 33,429 40–28
69 June 18 Phillies 10–1 Lee (3–4) Hamels (9–3) 18,710 41–28
70 June 19 Phillies 9–6 Kendrick (0–1) Stanford (1–1) 17,371 41–29
71 June 20 Phillies 10–6 Sabathia (10–2) Lieber (3–6) 24,278 42–29
72 June 22 @ Nationals 4–1 Rivera (2–2) Carmona (8–3) Cordero (12) 24,534 42–30
73 June 23 @ Nationals 4–3 Mastny (5–2) Cordero (1–2) Borowski (21) 32,539 43–30
74 June 24 @ Nationals 3–1 Simontacchi (5–5) Westbrook (1–3) Cordero (13) 26,413 43–31
75 June 25 Athletics 5–2 Sabathia (11–2) Gaudin (6–3) 17,737 44–31
76 June 26 Athletics 8–5 Betancourt (1–0) Embree (1–1) 18,494 45–31
77 June 27 Athletics 13–2 DiNardo (3–4) Carmona (8–4) 18,614 45–32
78 June 28 Athletics 4–3 Byrd (7–3) Flores (0–2) Borowski (22) 22,921 46–32
79 June 29 Devil Rays 2–1 Borowski (1–3) Shawn Camp (0–2) 34,557 47–32
80 June 30 Devil Rays 8–6 Sabathia (12–2) Howell (1–2) Borowski (23) 36,726 48–32
July: 12–14 (Home: 7–9; Away: 5–5)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
81 July 1 Devil Rays 3–2 Lee (5–4) Shields (6–4) Borowski (24) 30,410 49–32
82 July 2 Devil Rays 10–2 Carmona (9–4) Sonnanstine (1–3) 34,372 50–32
83 July 3 @ Tigers 5–4 (11) Mastny (6–2) Capellán (0–3) Borowski (25) 40,741 51–32
84 July 4 @ Tigers 6–4 Rogers (3–0) Westbrook (1–4) Jones (21) 40,782 51–33
85 July 5 @ Tigers 12–3 Verlander (10–3) Sabathia (12–3) 40,923 51–34
86 July 6 @ Blue Jays 8–6 Halladay (10–3) Lee (5–5) Accardo (11) 28,526 51–35
87 July 7 @ Blue Jays 9–4 Carmona (10–4) Marcum (4–3) 25,744 52–35
88 July 8 @ Blue Jays 1–0 Accardo (2–3) Byrd (7–4) 28,239 52–36
89 July 13 Royals 5–4 Borowski (2–3) Greinke (4–5) 32,624 53–36
90 July 14 Royals 6–5 Meche (6–6) Sabathia (12–4) Dotel (9) 31,599 53–37
91 July 15 Royals 5–3 Carmona (11–4) de la Rosa (7–10) Borowski (26) 29,657 54–37
92 July 16 White Sox 11–10 Danks (6–6) Lee (5–6) Jenks (25) 21,460 54–38
93 July 17 White Sox 6–5 (11) Betancourt (2–0) Day (0–1) 21,321 55–38
94 July 18 White Sox 5–1 Buehrle (7–5) Westbrook (1–5) 29,822 55–39
95 July 19 @ Rangers 7–5 Sabathia (13–4) Loe (5–8) Borowski (27) 28,108 56–39
96 July 20 @ Rangers 3–2 Carmona (12–4) McCarthy (4–7) Borowski (28) 32,103 57–39
97 July 21 @ Rangers 8–5 Mahay (2–0) Lee (5–7) 44,554 57–40
98 July 22 @ Rangers 8–3 Byrd (8–4) Tejeda (5–9) 27,227 58–40
99 July 23 Red Sox 6–2 Lester (1–0) Westbrook (1–6) Delcarmen (1) 32,439 58–41
100 July 24 Red Sox 1–0 Matsuzaka (12–7) Sabathia (13–5) Papelbon (23) 39,339 58–42
101 July 25 Red Sox 1–0 Carmona (13–4) Beckett (13–4) Borowski (29) 29,614 59–42
102 July 26 Red Sox 14–9 Tavárez (6–8) Lee (5–8) 34,286 59–43
103 July 27 Twins 10–4 Byrd (9–4) Bonser (5–7) 37–292 60–43
104 July 28 Twins 3–2 Neshek (6–1) Borowski (2–4) Nathan (21) 41,203 60–44
105 July 29 Twins 4–1 Reyes (2–1) Sabathia (13–6) Nathan (22) 37,102 60–45
106 July 31 Rangers 3–1 McCarthy (5–7) Carmona (13–5) Wilson (1) 21,811 60–46
August: 17–11 (Home: 7–5; Away: 10–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
107 August 1 Rangers 9–6 (10) Benoit (5–3) Lewis (0–1) Wilson (2) 25,721 60–47
108 August 2 Rangers 5–0 Westbrook (2–6) Gabbard (4–1) 27,250 61–47
109 August 3 @ Twins 5–2 Sabathia (14–6) Santana (11–9) Borowski (30) 31,664 62–47
110 August 4 @ Twins 3–2 Ortiz (4–4) Laffey (0–1) Nathan (25) 33,663 62–48
111 August 5 @ Twins 1–0 Baker (6–4) Carmona (13–6) Nathan (26) 38,334 62–49
112 August 6 @ Twins 4–0 Byrd (10–4) Silva (9–12) 28,314 63–49
113 August 7 @ White Sox 2–1 Westbrook (3–6) Danks (6–9) Borowski (31) 32,315 64–49
114 August 8 @ White Sox 6–4 (13) Contreras (6–14) Fultz (3–2) 33,147 64–50
115 August 9 @ White Sox 7–5 Laffey (1–1) Buehrle (9–7) Borowski (32) 36,399 65–50
116 August 10 Yankees 6–1 Hughes (2–1) Carmona (13–7) 41,675 65–51
117 August 11 Yankees 11–2 Mussina (8–7) Byrd (10–5) 41,977 65–52
118 August 12 Yankees 5–3 Pettitte (9–7) Westbrook (3–7) Rivera (19) 41,612 65–53
119 August 14 Tigers 6–2 (10) Rodney (2–5) Borowski (2–5) 37,570 65–54
120 August 15 Tigers 5–2 Carmona (14–7) Jurrjens (0–1) Borowski (33) 39,250 66–54
121 August 17 @ Devil Rays 2–1 Byrd (11–5) Jackson (3–12) Borowski (34) 15,343 67–54
122 August 18 @ Devil Rays 8–1 Westbrook (4–7) Hammel (1–3) 24,397 68–54
123 August 19 @ Devil Rays 4–3 (12) Dohmann (2–0) Pérez (0–1) 22,328 68–55
124 August 21 @ Tigers 2–1 Jurrjens (1–1) Carmona (14–8) Jones (32) 42,868 68–56
125 August 22 @ Tigers 11–8 Byrd (12–5) Verlander (13–5) Borowski (35) 40,914 69–56
126 August 23 @ Tigers 3–1 (10) Pérez (1–1) Zumaya (1–2) Borowski (36) 40,946 70–56
127 August 24 @ Royals 2–1 Bale (1–1) Sabathia (14–7) Soria (14) 25,640 70–57
128 August 25 @ Royals 9–4 Laffey (2–1) Davies (5–11) 23,167 71–57
129 August 26 @ Royals 5–3 (11) Betancourt (3–0) Peralta (1–3) Borowski (37) 18,268 72–57
130 August 27 Twins 8–3 Byrd (13–5) Silva (10–13) 23,178 73–57
131 August 28 Twins 6–5 Westbrook (5–7) Bonser (6–11) Borowski (38) 24,784 74–57
132 August 29 Twins 4–3 Sabathia (15–7) Santana (14–10) Borowski (39) 27,303 75–57
133 August 30 Mariners 6–5 Borowski (3–5) O'Flaherty (7–1) 25,949 76–57
134 August 31 White Sox 8–5 Fultz (4–2) MacDougal (1–5) Betancourt (1) 38,325 77–57
September: 19–9 (Home: 8–3; Away: 11–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
135 September 1 White Sox 7–0 Byrd (14–5) Vázquez (11–8) 41,131 78–57
136 September 2 White Sox 8–0 Contreras (8–16) Westbrook (5–8) 37,718 78–58
137 September 3 @ Twins 5–0 Sabathia (16–7) Santana (14–11) 24,105 79–58
138 September 4 @ Twins 7–5 (11) Betancourt (4–0) DePaula (0–1) Borowski (40) 16,218 80–58
139 September 5 @ Twins 6–2 Carmona (15–8) Baker (8–7) Pérez (1) 13,977 81–58
140 September 6 @ Angels 10–3 Escobar (16–7) Byrd (14–6) 41,720 81–59
141 September 7 @ Angels 3–2 (10) Shields (4–5) Betancourt (4–1) 40,020 81–60
142 September 8 @ Angels 6–1 Sabathia (17–7) Santana (6–13) 43,544 82–60
143 September 9 @ Angels 6–2 Laffey (3–1) Weaver (11–7) 40,037 83–60
144 September 10 @ White Sox 6–2 Carmona (16–8) Floyd (1–3) 30,126 84–60
145 September 11 @ White Sox 8–3 Byrd (15–6) Broadway (0–1) 31,939 85–60
146 September 12 @ White Sox 7–4 J. Vázquez (12–8) Westbrook (5–9) 23,537 85–61
147 September 14 Royals 5–4 Borowski (4–5) Riske (1–4) 35,230 86–61
148 September 15 Royals 6–0 Carmona (17–8) Greinke (6–6) 32,113 87–61
149 September 16 Royals 4–3 Buckner (1–1) Laffey (3–2) Soria (15) 30,112 87–62
150 September 17 Tigers 6–5 (11) Betancourt (5–1) Miner (3–4) 28,825 88–62
151 September 18 Tigers 7–4 Lewis (1–1) Verlander (17–6) Borowski (41) 41,103 89–62
152 September 19 Tigers 4–2 Sabathia (18–7) Robertson (8–12) Borowski (42) 32,511 90–62
153 September 21 Athletics 4–3 Carmona (18–8) Blanton (14–10) Borowski (43) 36,016 91–62
154 September 22 Athletics 9–3 Haren (15–8) Byrd (15–7) 40,663 91–63
155 September 23 Athletics 6–2 Westbrook (6–9) Braden (1–8) Betancourt (2) 40,250 92–63
156 September 25 @ Mariners 4–3 (12) Mastny (7–2) Morrow (3–4) Betancourt (3) 22,200 93–63
157 September 26 Mariners 12–4 Carmona (19–8) Feierabend (1–6) n/a 94–63
158 September 26 @ Mariners 3–2 (10) Putz (5–1) Fultz (4–3) 26,801 94–64
159 September 27 @ Mariners 4–2 Baek (4–3) Byrd (15–8) Sherrill (3) 21,285 94–65
160 September 28 @ Royals 5–3 Sabathia (19–7) Davies (7–15) Borowski (44) 29,846 95–65
161 September 29 @ Royals 4–3 Soria (2–3) Pérez (1–2) 24,274 95–66
162 September 30 @ Royals 4–2 Laffey (4–2) Hochevar (0–1) Borowski (45) 19,104 96–66
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement
Bold = Indians team member

Player stats

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

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG SB
Josh Barfield 130 420 53 102 19 3 3 50 .243 14
Rafael Betancourt 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Casey Blake 156 588 81 159 36 4 18 78 .270 4
Joe Borowski 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Paul Byrd 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Asdrúbal Cabrera 45 159 30 45 9 2 3 22 .283 0
Fernando Cabrera 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Fausto Carmona 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Shin-Soo Choo 6 17 5 5 0 0 0 5 .294 0
David Dellucci 56 178 25 41 11 2 4 20 .230 2
Ben Francisco 25 62 10 17 5 0 3 12 .274 0
Aaron Fultz 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Ryan Garko 138 484 62 140 29 1 21 61 .289 0
Chris Gomez 19 53 4 15 2 0 0 5 .283 0
Franklin Gutierrez 100 271 41 72 13 2 13 36 .266 8
Travis Hafner 152 545 80 145 25 2 24 100 .266 1
Roberto Hernández 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Cliff Lee 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Kenny Lofton 52 173 24 49 9 3 0 15 .283 2
Andy Marte 20 57 3 11 4 0 1 8 .193 0
Victor Martinez 147 562 78 169 40 0 25 114 .301 0
Tom Mastny 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Jason Michaels 105 267 43 72 11 1 7 39 .270 3
Matt Miller 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Trot Nixon 99 307 30 77 17 0 3 31 .251 0
Jhonny Peralta 152 574 87 155 27 1 21 72 .270 4
Rafael Perez 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Luis Rivas 4 11 3 3 0 1 1 4 .273 0
Mike Rouse 41 67 7 8 1 0 0 4 .119 1
CC Sabathia 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .667 0
Kelly Shoppach 59 161 26 42 13 0 7 30 .261 0
Grady Sizemore 162 628 118 174 34 5 24 78 .277 33
Jeremy Sowers 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000 0
Jason Stanford 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Jake Westbrook 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Team Totals 162 5604 811 1504 305 27 178 784 .268 72

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

Player W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER BB K
Rafael Betancourt 5 1 1.47 68 0 3 79.1 51 13 13 9 80
Joe Borowski 4 5 5.07 69 0 45 65.2 77 39 37 17 58
Paul Byrd 15 8 4.59 31 31 0 192.1 239 107 98 28 88
Fernando Cabrera 1 2 5.61 24 0 0 33.2 38 22 21 22 39
Fausto Carmona 19 8 3.06 32 32 0 215.0 199 78 73 61 137
Jason Davis 0 0 4.76 8 0 0 11.1 13 6 6 9 5
Aaron Fultz 4 3 2.92 49 0 0 37.0 31 12 12 18 28
Roberto Hernández 3 1 6.23 28 0 0 26.0 33 21 18 16 18
Mike Koplove 0 0 6.00 5 0 0 6.0 6 4 4 2 4
Aaron Laffey 4 2 4.56 9 9 0 49.1 54 26 25 12 25
Juan Lara 0 0 13.50 1 0 0 1.1 2 2 2 1 2
Cliff Lee 5 8 6.29 20 16 0 97.1 112 73 68 36 66
Jensen Lewis 1 1 2.15 26 0 0 29.1 26 8 7 10 34
Tom Mastny 7 2 4.68 51 0 0 57.2 63 30 30 32 52
Matt Miller 0 0 0.00 2 0 0 1.0 2 0 0 0 0
Edward Mujica 0 0 8.31 10 0 0 13.0 19 12 12 2 7
Rafael Perez 1 2 1.78 44 0 1 60.2 41 15 12 15 62
CC Sabathia 19 7 3.21 34 34 0 241.0 238 94 86 37 209
Jeremy Sowers 1 6 6.42 13 13 0 67.1 84 49 48 21 24
Jason Stanford 1 1 4.78 8 2 0 26.1 32 15 14 7 16
Jake Westbrook 6 9 4.32 25 25 0 152.0 159 78 73 55 93
Team Totals 96 66 4.05 162 162 49 1462.2 1519 704 659 410 1047

Playoffs

Division Series

Main article: 2007 American League Division Series

Game 1

CC Sabathia matched up against Chien-Ming Wang of the New York Yankees, the Wild Card winner. The Indians won 12–3. Sabathia did not pitch particularly well, but turned in a gritty performance that kept the Tribe in the lead until the offense exploded in the fifth against Wang. They had 4 home runs to set the club record for home runs in a postseason game. The home runs were hit by Asdrúbal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Ryan Garko.

Game 2

Fausto Carmona and Andy Pettitte had one of the most memorable pitching duels of ALDS history, with Pettitte allowing no runs over 6+1⁄3 innings and Carmona one run over 9. Cleveland squandered many opportunities to tie or take the lead, eventually tying it in the eighth inning after a walk to Grady Sizemore, followed by a wild pitch, a sacrifice bunt by Asdrúbal Cabrera, and another wild pitch off rookie pitching sensation Joba Chamberlain. The run was controversial as Chamberlain appeared bothered by a swarm of midges. Although TBS sideline reporter Craig Sager reported being told by Cleveland Indians security that they are referred to locally as Canadian Soldiers, the nickname actually refers to the mayfly, which also hatches in swarms, but in June. The Indians won 2–1 in 11 innings on a bases-loaded walk-off single by Hafner.

Game 3

Roger Clemens and Jake Westbrook squared off in the Bronx, with Clemens getting into trouble early. He was relieved ably by Phil Hughes. Westbrook struggled in the middle innings, giving up the lead on a home run by Johnny Damon. The Yankees never looked back and cruised to an 8–4 win.

Game 4

Wang returned on three days' rest to pitch against Paul Byrd, Eric Wedge electing to trust his third best starter (by wins) and save Sabathia for a game five. Byrd returned the trust by allowing just two runs over five innings. Wang was drummed out after only one full inning, pitching to three batters in the second. The Yankees then paraded a number of relievers to the hill, starting with demoted starter Mike Mussina, and chipped away all the way to the ninth inning. But the Yankees couldn't get all the way back and the Indians won 6–4, advancing to the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.

ALCS

Main article: 2007 American League Championship Series

Game 1

Josh Beckett of the Red Sox pitched well and Sabathia didn't, leading Boston to a 10–3 victory and an early 1–0 advantage in the series. Sabathia uncharacteristically walked 5.

Game 2

Curt Schilling squared up against Carmona in a pivotal game in the series. Carmona and reliever Rafael Pérez pitched as poorly as Sabathia the day before, nibbling around the edges and then getting hurt when throwing in hitter's counts. The rest of the Indians realizing this would be important later. Schilling was less than stellar as well, resulting in a see-saw game that was tied after nine. In the tenth inning Tom Mastny shut down the heart of Boston's lineup by throwing strikes, then in the eleventh, the Indians scored 7 runs to win 13–6, tying the series at 1–1.

Game 3

Westbrook matched up against Daisuke Matsuzaka and carried forward the first strike first philosophy of the end of game 2 to keep the Boston bats in check. Matsuzaka gave up a two-run homer to Kenny Lofton and didn't get through the fifth inning. The Indians went on to win 4-2 and to take a 2–1 advantage in the series.

Game 4

Byrd and Tim Wakefield started game 4 in a match-up Byrd said might have been "the slowest-throwing right-handed match-up of all time in the post-season".[6] It was also for four innings one of the best pitched match-ups, with both throwing shutouts. However, Casey Blake homered to start the fifth, on the way to the Indians scoring seven runs in one inning for the second time in the series. Boston hitting three straight solo home runs in the sixth closed the gap slightly but not nearly enough and the Indians won 7–3 to take a commanding 3–1 series lead.

Game 5

Sabathia matched up again with Beckett and while he pitched better than the first game, the Red Sox once again had their way with him and sent the Indians down to defeat 7–1, keeping Boston alive in the series.

Game 6

Back in Boston, Schilling pitched much more effectively than his last start while Carmona pitched worse. In the first inning, Boston loaded the bases with no outs. While Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were retired without anyone advancing, JD Drew hit a grand slam into the center field bleachers. The crowd went crazy celebrating a 4–0 lead. The Indians defense also played poorly and the team was beaten soundly by the Red Sox 12–2. This knotted the series at 3 and was a portent of the deciding game.

Game 7

Matsuzaka pitched well against Westbrook, fortified by an early lead. The Indians threatened to tie the game in the 7th inning when a bizarre play and an error in judgment by the third base coach left the speedy Kenny Lofton on third base and not scoring on a ball hit down the third base line and bounding out to left field. On the very next pitch, Casey Blake hit into an inning ending double play and Boston's 3–2 lead was preserved. In the bottom of the frame, Dustin Pedroia hit a two run homerun over the Green Monster to widen the lead at 5–2. In the eighth, the Sox scored 6 runs to ice the game on a bases clearing double by Pedroia and a capped off by a two run homer by Kevin Youkilis. The game had remained close until Boston broke it open on the previously reliable Rafael Betancourt, cruising to an 11–2 victory and the American League's berth in the World Series. The final out was recorded on a great catch by Coco Crisp going to the deepest part of the triangle in center field. The catch was the perfect exclamation point on a great comeback by Boston to go to return to the World Series.

Game log

2007 Post Season Game Log
American League Division Series
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1 October 4 Yankees 12–3 Sabathia Wang 44,608 1–0
2 October 5 Yankees 2–1 (11) Pérez Vizcaíno 44,732 2–0
3 October 7 @ Yankees 8–4 Hughes Westbrook 56,358 2–1
4 October 8 @ Yankees 6–4 Byrd Wang Borowski 56,315 3–1
American League Championship Series
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1 October 12 @ Red Sox 10–3 Beckett Sabathia 36,986 0–1
2 October 13 @ Red Sox 13–6 (11) Mastny Gagné 37,051 1–1
3 October 15 Red Sox 4–2 Westbrook Matsuzaka Borowski 44,402 2–1
4 October 16 Red Sox 7–3 Byrd Wakefield 44,008 3–1
5 October 18 Red Sox 7–1 Beckett Sabathia 44,588 3–2
6 October 20 @ Red Sox 12–2 Schilling Carmona 37,163 3–3
7 October 21 @ Red Sox 11–2 Matsuzaka Westbrook Papelbon 37,165 3–4

Minor league affiliates

Classification level Team League Season article
AAA Buffalo Bisons International League 2007 Buffalo Bisons season
AA Akron Aeros Eastern League 2007 Akron Aeros season
Advanced A Kinston Indians Carolina League
A Lake County Captains South Atlantic League
Short Season A Mahoning Valley Scrappers New York–Penn League
Rookie Gulf Coast Indians Gulf Coast League

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2007 Cleveland Indians season.
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  • Game Logs:
1st Half: Cleveland Indians Game Log on ESPN.com
2nd Half: Cleveland Indians Game Log on ESPN.com

July 27 game statistics[7] on ESPN.com

  1. ^ Kevin Kouzmanoff Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  2. ^ "Luis Rivas Stats".
  3. ^ MLB might switch Angels-Indians series to California[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Angels-Indians series moved to Milwaukee[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Indians to extend Westbrook's deal". Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  6. ^ Bastian, Jordan (October 16, 2007). "Wakefield rested, ready for Game 4". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  7. ^ "Twins vs. Guardians - Box Score - July 27, 2007 - ESPN".
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