IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (68-58) vs. Columbus Clippers (67-59)

Published on August 21, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


The Indians open a crucial three-game set against Columbus at The Vic. Indy leads the Clippers by one game for first place in the IL West.

Location: Victory Field

First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. EDT

Game #127 / Home #61: Indianapolis Indians (68-58) vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (75-51)

Probables: RHP Mitch Keller (2-2, 6.06) vs. RHP Mitch Talbot (4-5, 2.94)

Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 / AM 1260 / iHeart app

TV: MiLB TV / Comcast 90

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Indians sent 15 batters to the plate during a 10-run 10th inning en route to a 15-6 triumph over Lehigh Valley on Sunday, giving the Tribe a four-game series split and 3-4 road trip overall (1-2 @ SWB). The victory was Indy's fifth in seven matchups with the IronPigs, owners of the league's best record at 75-51. The game lasted 3 hours and 53 minutes and featured 379 total pitches. Wyatt Mathisen provided a tiebreaking single that put Indy on top 6-5 in the 10th. Later in the frame, Jacob Stallings clubbed a three-run homer that made it 14-5. Overall, the Tribe tallied eight hits in the frame. The Tribe trailed 4-1 through the first five innings before leveling the score in the sixth. Ryan Lavarnway then put Indy up 5-4 with a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth, but a Matt McBride RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth pulled the 'Pigs even. Dovydas Neverauskas eventually saw the 'Pigs load the bases with one away, but he wriggled out of the jam with a strikeout of Mitch Walding and groundout off the bat of Joey Meneses to set up Indy's second extra-inning victory in as many games.

A PERFECT 10TH: From 2005-17, the Indians did not have a single inning offensively where they scored 10 or more runs. The Tribe have two 10-run innings this season alone, the first coming in the second inning on May 15 @ Norfolk in a 10-8 triumph and the other taking place in the 10th inning on Sunday at Lehigh Valley. The 10-spot at Coca-Cola Park was Indy's largest extra-inning output in the Victory Field era and marked the eighth occurrence overall (sixth on the road) of 10-plus runs scored by the Tribe in an inning since 1996.

EIGHT HITS: The eight hits in the 10th inning by the Tribe on Sunday marked a new single-inning high for 2018. It was the most hits for the Indians in a single frame since they had eight during a seven-run fourth inning in an 11-6 win on May 26, 2017 at Rochester.

CALL IT A RIVALRY: The Indians own a one-game lead in the IL West over Columbus with 14 games to play. Each of the last seven seasons dating back to 2010 have featured either Indy or Columbus as division champs. The breakdown of where Columbus and Indy have finished in the IL West standings since that 2010 campaign is below:

2011: Columbus 1st, Indy 2nd

2012: Indy 1st, Columbus 2nd

2013: Indy 1st, Columbus 2nd

2014: Columbus 1st, Indy 2nd

2015: Columbus/Indy T-1st (Indy was wild card team in Governors' Cup Playoffs)

2016: Columbus 1st, Indy 3rd

2017: Indy 1st, Columbus 2nd

2018: ???

TIEBREAKER IN PLAY: The Indians and Clippers have won 11 games apiece in the head-to-head series this year. The series has been dominated by the home team, with Indy going 7-2 at The Vic while Columbus went 9-4 against the Tribe at Huntington Park. The winner of this three-game series will win the season series and would host a one-game playoff IF both teams finished tied for the division lead at the end of the regular season AND only one of them would make the playoffs. If both teams finished tied and each would reach the postseason as either division champs or wild card champs, then the winner of this series would enter the playoffs as IL West champions.

BAKER'S DOZEN: The Indians' 10-run 10th inning on Sunday resulted in Indy's 13th last at-bat win of the season; they had just seven last at-bat victories a year ago. Since July 22, seven of Indy's 17 wins have been of the last at-bat variety. Wyatt Mathisen provided the game-winning hit off LHV's Will Hibbs on Sunday, his second last at-bat, go-ahead hit of the season. Mathisen hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning in game one of a doubleheader on July 27 vs. Buffalo at Victory Field.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE IL NORTH: The Indians' 15-6 win on Sunday at Lehigh Valley concluded a 23-15 record against IL North opponents for the Tribe in 2018. From 1998-2004, the Indians were sub-.500 against the IL North in six of seven seasons, the lone winning campaign coming in 1999 (28-20). Since 2005, the Indians have finished at or above .500 vs. the IL North in 12 of 14 seasons, going 343-289 (.543) during that stretch.

RYAN FLYIN': Ryan Lavarnway has hit safely in 18 of his last 22 games, batting .413 (31-for-75) with four homers, 10 doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored dating back to July 21. He has reached base safely in 24 of his last 26 games. He is also batting .388 (19-for-49) with three dingers, five doubles, eight RBI and a 1.138 OPS in 13 games vs. Columbus this year.

DOUBLE DOUBLE: The Indians have racked up 285 doubles through 126 games this season (2.26 doubles per game), the most in all of professional baseball. The Tribe are on pace for 317 doubles and have seven players with 20-plus doubles so far this year. Indy's highest doubles count as a team since 1996 is 299, done in both 1998 and 2000. The Indians have led the IL in doubles four times previously (2017, 2013, 1998 and 1963).

23 YEARS AGO: On top of leading the IL in doubles (285) and batting average (.272), Indy paces all IL teams in OBP (.337), SLG (.420), RBI (545), hits (1129) and total bases (1745). The .337 OBP would be Indy's highest since 2010 (.340), and they last led their respective league in OBP in 1995, when the Tribe were part of the American Association. Indy's .420 SLG would be the best mark by a Tribe team since 2005 (.440). Indy also last led the league in SLG in 1995. Indy hasn't led its league in hits, total bases or RBI since that 1995 season, as well.

BY THE NUMBERS - 1978: Indy enters tonight's contest with a league-best .272 batting average, 12 points ahead of Durham who sits in second. The Tribe have never led the International League in batting and haven't led their respective league in batting since 1978, when they hit .286 as a club to pace the American Association.

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