The Top 10 Cleveland Indians of All-Time: No. 9 Sandy Alomar Jr.

Coming in at number nine on the list is another member of those powerful 90’s teams, catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr. Sandy is now the current 1^st base coach for the Indians under Manager Terry Francona. Sandy played for the Tribe from 1990 to 2000. Sandy won rookie of the year in 1990 along with winning a Gold Glove. He was a six-time all-star.

The Tribe catcher will be remembered in Cleveland for his performance during the 1997 season. He delivered in a big way during the all-star game, which just so happened to be held in Cleveland that very year. In the bottom of the 7^th with the game knotted at one, Sandy would take Shawn Estes deep for a two-run bomb giving the American League the lead and the win. For his heroics that night, Sandy was rewarded the M.V.P. The all-star was just a prelude of things to come for Sandy for the rest of the year.

As October began, the Indians had the daunting task of beating the defending champion, New York Yankees. The series turned out to be one for the ages. The moment came in Game 4, bottom of the 8th, Yankees up 2-1 in the series and 2-1 in the game. Joe Torre elected to bring in his ace, closer Mariano Rivera, to get a two-inning save and send the Tribe home. Sandy Alomar would not let the Tribe go quietly into the night. Alomar launched a solo homer just barely clearing the right field wall sending The Jake into a frenzy. The Tribe went on to win the game and the series sending the defending champs packing. Alomar would not stop there.

This time in the ALCS against Baltimore, he would come up big again. Alomar was huge in Game 4. First he would hit a two-run homer in the 2^nd inning and in the 9^th inning, Alomar would hit a walk-off single to give the Indians a commanding 3-1 lead. We all know what followed. The Indians would eliminate the Orioles in six. Then came the haunting World Series against the Marlins in which the Tribe would lose in extra-innings in Game 7. Alomar hit .364 in that series.

Sandy Alomar, Jr remains a folk-lore in Cleveland to this very day. Fans will still cheer Alomar as he makes the long trout to the coaches first base area.

Key Moments:

All-Star Game MVP: Hitting the game clinching two-run homer giving the AL the win.

Solo HR of Mariano Rivera in Game 4 of the ALDS.

Walk-Off single against the Orioles in ALCS.