Indians rally from 12-0 deficit
Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Kenny Lofton could barely talk; neither could roughly 20,000 fans who stayed until the end, or the shocked Seattle Mariners.
Associated Press
Stunned. Breathless. Amazing. Describing Cleveland's comeback wasn't easy.
Cleveland's Eddie Taubensee carries Kenny Lofton toward the dugout after Lofton scored the winning run in the 11th inning to give Cleveland a 15-14 win over Seattle.
The Indians tied a major league record and became the first team in 76 years to overcome a 12-run deficit to win, defeating the Mariners 15-14 in 11 innings last night.
Jolbert Cabrera's broken-bat, one-out single in the 11th, the game's 40th hit, scored Lofton from second with the winning run to end the 4-hour, 11-minute game that looked to be over when the Mariners led 12-0 three hours earlier.
"I can't explain it," said Lofton. "It was unbelievable. I've never been in a game like that in my life. My voice is gone from hollering so much. It was fun. Wow."
Lofton slid headfirst into home plate ahead of left fielder Mark McLemore's throw and jumped into the waiting arms of Eddie Taubensee as the Indians poured onto the field and fans danced in the aisles.
They refused to leave as the stadium speakers first blasted Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night," followed by "Cleveland Rocks."
"It's the turning point of the season," Cabrera said after the Indians avoided another lopsided loss and crept within a half-game of first-place Minnesota in the AL Central.
Cleveland scored two runs in the fourth, three in the seventh, four in the eighth and five in the ninth — after being down to their last strike three times — to become just the third team to make up 12 runs in a game and win.
The only others to do it were the 1911 Chicago White Sox and 1925 Philadelphia Athletics, who scored 13 runs in the eighth to beat Cleveland, 17-15.
The Mariners sat quietly in their clubhouse shaking their heads.
"We had them down with two outs in the ninth," said Seattle manager Lou Piniella, "and they came back and tied it. It's just one of those things that happen. It's almost impossible to do, but they did it."
John Rocker (3-4), Cleveland's fifth pitcher, struck out the side in the 11th as the Indians snapped a three-game losing streak.
Jim Thome hit two homers, and Russell Branyan and Marty Cordova also homered for Cleveland.
