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Cleveland Indians: The 1995 Powerhouse Lineup

By Steve Contursi

May 16, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Cleveland Indians baseball hat and glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Indians at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Indians defeated the Rangers 10-8. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Cleveland Indians baseball hat and glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Indians at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Indians defeated the Rangers 10-8. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

The 1995 Cleveland Indians were one of baseball’s most fearsome teams. One after another they came at you with a relentless surge of power. And their pitching wasn’t too shabby either. The following tribute will feature profiles on each player and a video clip highlight from their time with the Indians.

The Cleveland Indians would win 100 games in the 1995 season. But what made it even more remarkable was the fact that they achieved this number in a strike-shortened season in which they played only 144 games.

To put their lineup in perspective, their catcher Sandy Alomar hit .300, and he batted ninth!

After having time to reflect on the team’s accomplishments, Carlos Baerga had this to say about his team in 2013:

"“We were so cocky,” Baerga said. “As soon as we walked out on the field, everyone felt it. I remember the first game of the playoffs against Boston (in the 1995 Division Series). Clemens was pitching for them and as soon as we came out on the field we all started yelling at him, ‘We’re going to kill you!’ Albert (Belle) was yelling at him, ‘We’re going to kill you!’. You could see Clemens thinking to himself, ‘These guys are crazy’.”"

Predictably, the Cleveland Indians would make it all the way to the World Series that year. But when they got there, there was a buzz saw named Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux waiting for them.

The Atlanta Braves, who were on a run that seemed to put them in the playoffs every year, but always fell short, would finally take a World Series championship at the expense of the Cleveland Indians in six games. Losing the World Series might have diminished their overall ranking in assembling the best teams ever, but in this case the Cleveland Indians get a “pardon”.

Because as you’ll see when we go through their lineup, the Cleveland Indians had assembled one of the best one-through-nine challenges ever assembled to face opposing pitchers.

So let’s get started with their regular season lineup that opened with a burst of speed and a quick bat.

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