Here are 10 fun Tribe games to watch right now
Mandy Bell
@MandyBell02While the 2020 season is on hold, fans still have plenty of opportunities to satisfy their baseball cravings.
Every single MLB game from the past two seasons is available, for free, on MLB.TV. That equates to more than 4,800 games, including regular season and postseason, from 2018 and ‘19.
This dive into the archives is free to all users, on any supported device, with zero blackout restrictions. Simply visit MLB.TV for details or download the MLB App on your favorite device.
There is no shortage of viewing options, whether you prefer to relive the ups and downs of your favorite team’s season or discover something you might have missed the first time around. There are fantastic individual performances, dramatic October classics, and much more. There's also a large collection of classic games available on YouTube.
To help fans find a place to start amid those two seasons worth of baseball, we’ve curated the top 10 games for each of the 30 teams. Here is a recommended viewing guide for the Indians.
1) Francisco Lindor homers in Puerto Rico
April 17, 2018
The kid known as “Paquito” in Puerto Rico had the privilege of not only playing on his home soil in 2018, but being the hero of the game in front of a crowd chanting his name. With two outs in the fifth, Lindor lifted a full-count pitch from Twins starter Jake Odorizzi, inciting a deafening roar from the fans.
"This is where I grew up," Lindor said at the time. "These are my people. It's extremely special."
Closer Brad Hand had just blown a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings, and the guys in the dugout all said the same thing: “We’re not leaving here without a win.” The Indians quickly loaded the bases in the top of the 10th without recording an out to set up Santana, who had carried the Tribe offensively all year, to deliver a go-ahead gland slam that propelled them to a 7-3 victory and handed them a share of first place in the division.
3) Jason Kipnis hits walk-off grand slam for 1,000th career hit
Sept. 19, 2018
In 2011, Kipnis secured his first career hit for the Indians on a walk-off single against the Angels. Seven years later, his 1,000th career hit came in grand style, as the second baseman launched a walk-off grand slam off Ian Hamilton to give the Indians a 4-1 win over the White Sox. Kipnis spiked his helmet as he approached home plate, then disappeared into the crowd of his teammates piling on top of him.
4) Shane Bieber tosses first shutout, striking out 15
May 9, 2019
After throwing 98 pitches through the first eight innings, Bieber walked off the mound and tried to avoid pitching coach Carl Willis so he wouldn’t get the hook. When Willis found him, he asked, “How much does it mean to you?” and Bieber responded, “A lot.” The 23-year-old became the fourth-youngest pitcher since at least 1908 to record 15 strikeouts and no walks in a shutout.
It began with a 17-pitch at-bat by José Ramírez to lead off the ninth inning that resulted in a double, as the Indians trailed the Astros by five runs. Singles from Yonder Alonso, Kipnis, Erik Gonzalez, Lindor and Michael Brantley knotted the game at 8 to force extra innings. It wasn’t until the 14th that the Indians finally came out on top when Allen smashed the first pitch he saw from Brad Peacock over the right-field fence to secure the 10-9 victory.
The Tribe had a two-run lead in the ninth inning, but they were on the verge of disaster for the second consecutive night when Chicago loaded the bases with one out. Mercado was there to stop the bleeding by lunging for a fly ball over his head and making a leaping snag before tumbling to the ground. The runner on third was so sure the ball would drop in for extra bases that he didn’t tag up, allowing Mercado to be even more of a hero by preventing all runs from scoring to help the Indians walk away with an 8-6 win.
7) Edwin Encarnación’s three-homer game
May 2, 2018
In his 30th career multi-homer effort, Encarnación launched three blasts to help lift the Indians to a 12-4 victory over the Rangers at Progressive Field. It was the third time in the slugger’s career that he hit three home runs in a game, and his first with the Tribe. After the win, Encarnación returned to his locker to receive a FaceTime call from Albert Pujols, congratulating him on his big night.
Ramírez had been out for a month with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand and was supposed to be out until at least the postseason, but he returned early to try to help the Indians get there. Those playoff hopes may have ended earlier than expected, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort from Ramírez. In his first at-bat in four weeks, he launched a grand slam and, in his second plate appearance, he hit a three-run homer, lifting the Tribe to an 11-0 victory in a must-win game as the American League Wild Card race was coming to an end.
9) Lindor’s 4-for-4, two-homer night
May 12, 2018
Not even a 75-minute rain delay could cool down Lindor’s hot bat. The shortstop recorded a double in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and finished 4-for-4 with two doubles and two homers. His efforts led the Indians to a 6-2 victory over the Royals.
10) Lindor hits walk-off, three-run homer against Twins
May 8, 2018
As Lindor rounded third, Carlos Carrasco was standing near home plate ready to douse his friend in baby powder, a walk-off tradition that had recently been born. Lindor smacked a three-run walk-off homer to bail out closer Cody Allen, who had blown a save in the top of the ninth inning against the Twins, and ran into the dogpile at home plate, which quickly turned into a white cloud. As he struggled to catch his breath amidst the powder, Lindor fought his way through his teammates to get some fresh air, sporting his famous smile before he was drenched in Gatorade in celebration.
And here are some other games from around the league you might like:
Aug. 17, 2019: Brewers 15, Nationals 14
Christian Yelich homered -- No. 40 -- as part of a three-homer, four-run ninth inning for a 12-11 Brewers lead, only to see the Nationals come back to tie it up against Josh Hader. Yelich homered again in the 13th for a 13-12 lead, only to see the Nats come back again. Finally, in the 14th, the Brewers scored twice and this time held off another Nats surge.
June 27, 2019: Dodgers 12, Rockies 8
The Dodgers overcame a shaky Coors Field start from Walker Buehler (seven runs) with a six-homer onslaught -- two by Max Muncy -- for their 12th consecutive win over Colorado.
July 25, 2019: Orioles 10, Angels 8
The Orioles and Angels had been engaged in a marathon, 6-hour, 16-inning, back-and-forth affair when things went from simply weird to historic. That's because of who closed the game -- outfielder Stevie Wilkerson, who recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the 16th throwing nothing but mid-50 mph floaters to record the first save by a position player in MLB history.
July 12, 2019: Rangers 9, Astros 8
The Rangers scored five runs in the last three innings to erase the Astros' 8-4 lead. The Rangers hit five home runs in this game, including three off Astros starter Gerrit Cole.
June 23, 2019: Pirates 11, Padres 10
Former manager Clint Hurdle called this “one of the best wins that I’ve watched in nine years here,” and it was a wild one. Down three in the ninth against a closer who hadn’t blown a save all season, the Pirates rallied to force extra innings. Down three again in the 11th, they battled back -- and then all of a sudden rookie shortstop Kevin Newman was at the plate, working a walk-off walk to cap the Bucs’ fourth straight win.