MLB: Top Ten Comeback Moments in Baseball History
By Keaton Moore
August 5, 2001 | Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians
On their way to the 2001 postseason, the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians squared off on August 5. After three innings and a 12-run lead, it seemed as if the Mariners would have no trouble besting the Indians. However, the Mariners eventually became the third team in history to lose a 12-run lead.
What made this collapse so uncharacteristic of Seattle was their incredible regular season record. The Mariners finished 116-46, the all-time best regular season record in baseball history. Regardless, on August 5 the Indians handed the Mariners their 30th loss of the season.
Through the first three innings Seattle scored 12 runs from three singles, three doubles, a sacrifice fly and an error. Despite Jim Thome putting the Indians on the board with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, the Mariners maintained a 12-run lead with two runs in the fifth.
By the seventh inning, the Mariners held a 14-2 lead over the Tribe. Slowly and surely, the Indians started to chip away at Seattle’s lead, scoring three runs in the seventh and four in the eighth. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and trailing 14-9, Cleveland defied the odds and tied the game from a two-run single and a three-run triple. Jolbert Cabrera capped the Indians 15-14 comeback victory with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th.