#86---CLE @ OAK, 4/3/1997

This game was kept on my horrible Excel scoresheet, examples of which I've posted before. Oakland won 5-4 on Geronimo Berroa's eight-inning homer despite Kevin Mitchell's three-run shot for Cleveland in the second. Mark McGwire went deep in the fifth off Orel Hershiser, the first of 58 he would hit this season.

#85---Dominican Republic v. Venezuela, 2/7/2010 (Caribbean Series)

The MLB Network has turned the Caribbean Series into either a great opportunity to watch meaningful baseball in February or a tremendous tease, depending on one's perspective. Yeah, it's nice to see some serious hardball action with some vaguely familiar names, but it lasts for a week and then there's a whole month until exhibition games return and two months before there is another game taken anywhere near as seriously. I prefer to see the glass as half-full.

#84---CLE @ HOU, 4/4/2009

This exhibition game just before the season started featured a ninth-inning rally by the Indians off the (amazingly still in the majors) Doug Brocail. With one out in the ninth, Choo and Espino singled, but Ryan Garko popped out and the Tribe was down to their last out. Jamey Carroll was hit by a pitch, then Grady Sizemore tied the game with a single to right. A throwing error by Chris Johnson scored the go-ahead run.

I was surprised when looking over this scoresheet that just a year and a half ago Shin-Soo Choo was batting sixth in a Cleveland lineup.

#83---DET @ CLE, 9/20/2008

I did not mess up the scanning of this sheet; it must have printed funny back in 2008 and I used it anyway. The Indians beat the Tigers in what was expected before the season to be a key late season game, but instead was a battle of two teams going nowhere, the Tigers collapsing and the Indians surging. Justin Verlander allowed four runs and made 97 pitches in four innings, and Shin-Soo Choo had a huge game with two singles, two walks, and a warning track fly.

#82---PIT @ CLE, 3/9/2007

This spring training game was not very interesting. It did feature Adam Miller, the much-hyped Tribe pitching prospect, who had a great spring training but soon saw his career undone by injuries. Miller gave up a walk, an infield hit, induced a foul pop, and struck out three.

#81---BOS @ TEX, 4/3/2006

This was an Opening Day game in 2006, with Kevin Millwood giving up five runs in five innings in his Texas debut. Kevin Youkilis batting eighth, Ian Kinsler ninth, and Jonathon Papelbon working the eighth are reminders that a lot of things change in baseball in four years.

#80---OAK @ BAL, 4/7/2005

Oakland beat Baltimore 5-1 with Dan Haren pitching six, the only run he allowed being Brian Roberts' leadoff shot. Eric Byrnes' three-run homer off one of my favorite players, Steve Kline, gave them the lead in the eighth. What I like about this game, though, is it is one of the rare (102 games) appearances of Sammy Sosa as an Oriole. Also, the Baltimore lineup features two players that hit 500 home runs--and they batted fifth and sixth.

#79---OAK @ ANA, 4/18/2004

Oakland beat up on Anaheim in this early season encounter, but the Angels would prevail in the end, besting the A's for the AL West title by one game. Ben Weber and his double pump glove action was one of my favorite pitchers to watch. Barry Zito was a tad inefficient with his pitches, making 102 in just six innings despite allowing just one run on four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.

#78---BAL @ CLE, 4/16/2003

Since Jake Westbrook was just traded by the Indians, I grabbed the first 2003 scoresheet I could find of his (if you haven't noticed, I generally cycle through seasons from 1998-present to pick the scoresheet of the week, with some earlier seasons sprinkled in). The Indians lost this game, but Westbrook pitched pretty well--it looks as if he was held to a 90 pitch limit as he tossed 5 2/3 allowing one run, two hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Cleveland led 3-1 after Vizquel's fifth inning homer, but Billy Traber and Danys Baez let it slip away in the eighth and ninth, with Melvin Mora's homer to leadoff the latter frame the game-winner.

#77---DET @ CLE, 3/2/2002

This spring training game featured three homers by each side, including a pair as part of a three-run ninth inning rally for the Tribe. I don't recall Chris Coste, Todd Dunwoody, or Brooks Kieschnick being in the organization. But what's really funny is that for some reason I wrote down "475 ft" as the distance for Kieschnick's homer. Sure it was.