1995 American League Championship Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Cleveland Indians (4) Mike Hargrove 100–44, .694, GA: 30 Seattle Mariners (2) Lou Piniella 79–66, .545, GA: 1
Dates	October 10–17
MVP	Orel Hershiser (Cleveland)
Umpires	Dave Phillips (Games 1–4) Ken Kaiser (Game 6) Derryl Cousins,Rick Reed,Dale Ford,Tim McClelland,Drew Coble
Broadcast
Television	ABC (Games 1–2) NBC (Games 3–6)
TV announcers	Brent Musburger andJim Kaat (Games 1–2) Bob Costas andBob Uecker (Games 3–6)
Radio	CBS
Radio announcers	John Rooney andGary Cohen
ALDS	Cleveland Indians overBoston Red Sox (3–0) Seattle Mariners overNew York Yankees (3–2)
← 1994 ALCS 1996 →

The1995American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the second round of theAmerican League side inMajor League Baseball's1995 postseason, which matched the Central Division championCleveland Indians against the West Division championSeattle Mariners.

Both the Indians and the Mariners were victorious in theAmerican League Division Series (ALDS), with the Indians sweeping the East Division championBoston Red Sox in three games, and the Mariners defeating the Wild Card qualifierNew York Yankees three games to two. As part of the first few years of the new playoff format with a Wild Card team and three divisions, the ALCS would have a predetermined team with home field advantage regardless of record, with 1995 being the year that the champion of the ALDS matchup between the West Division and their opponent would have home field advantage. As such, the Mariners had home field advantage despite having fewer wins than Cleveland.^[1]

The Indians won the series in six games, the franchise's firstAmerican League pennant since 1954. They subsequently lost to theNational League championAtlanta Braves in the1995 World Series.

The summer of 1995 proved to be the most pivotal stretch inSeattle Mariners history.^[2][3][4][5] The Mariners were anexpansion team created as a result of a breach of contract lawsuit involving theSeattle Pilots' 1969 departure after just one year in Seattle. Since their inception, the Mariners had been a doormat franchise, finishing with a losing record every year until1991, their 15th season as a franchise. By 1995, they had recorded just two winning record seasons with no postseason appearances.

There was also an issue with the stadium, theKingdome, a multipurpose domed stadium that had become outdated by the mid-1990s. This became even more apparent in late July 1994, when tiles fell from the ceiling 30 minutes before the stadium was set to open for a game against theBaltimore Orioles, forcing the Mariners to play the rest of what would be a shortened season on the road.^[6] It was clear by the start of the 1995 season, the Mariners needed a new stadium in Seattle or they would be moved to a city that could provide them one.

With this as the backdrop heading into the strike-shortened 1995 season, the Mariners won their first division title, in part due to a historic collapse from theCalifornia Angels. The Angels were leading theAmerican League West by10+1⁄2-game lead over the Texas Rangers and an11+1⁄2-game lead over Seattle on August 16 and were still atop the division, leading Seattle by six games and Texas by7+1⁄2, when a nine-game losing streak from September 13 to 23 dropped them out of first place. The Mariners beat the Angels in aone-game playoff and then beat theYankees in a thrilling five game series in theALDS to get to their first ALCS in franchise history.

The team was affectionately nicknamed the "Refuse to Lose" Mariners.^[7]

The story of lack of team success and stadium funding could have also been said of the Cleveland Indians, prior to 1994. Since the1954 World Series, the Indians had not made the postseason, which included a stretch from 1977 to 1989 where they placed fourth or worse every year.^[8][9] Like the Mariners, the Indians also played in amulti-purpose stadium that had its issues.Cleveland Stadium, who also hosted theCleveland Browns, had been the Indians’ home since 1932. By the early 1990s, the stadium's inadequacy was becoming apparent as chunks of concrete were falling off and the pilings were starting to petrify.^[10] In May 1990,Cuyahoga County voters approved funding for a newGateway Sports and Entertainment Complex, which included the new ballpark, an adjacent arena for theCleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and two parking garages.^[11]

When the Indians moved intoJacobs Field in1994, success immediately followed. By the time of the season ended in 1994 due to theplayers' strike, the Indians were 66-47 and in a postseason spot as aWild Card.^[12] The Indians carried over the success into the 1995 season, where they won theAmerican League Central by a whopping 30 games and won 100 games for the first time since the ill-fated1954 season.

Cleveland won the series, 4–2.

Tuesday, October 10, 1995, atKingdome inSeattle, Washington

The Indians' starting pitcher wasDennis Martínez for Game 1. Meanwhile, the Mariners started rookieBob Wolcott, who walked the first three hitters on 13 pitches. Then, he would get the next three outs without giving up a run. He first struck outAlbert Belle, gotEddie Murray on a foul pop-fly, then induced a groundout fromJim Thome, thanks to a diving stop byJoey Cora. In the second inning,Mike Blowers hit a two-run homer to give the Mariners a 2–0 lead. However, the Indians would score a run in the next inning and later in the seventh, when Belle's homer tied the game. With Martinez still pitching in a tie game, the Mariners would take the lead thanks toLuis Sojo's go-ahead double in the bottom half of the seventh.Norm Charlton would come on in the eighth inning for a1+1⁄3 inning save. He would retire the side in order in the ninth, and the Mariners took Game 1.

Wednesday, October 11, 1995, atKingdome inSeattle, Washington

The Indians' second veteranOrel Hershiser was called upon to stem the tide againstTim Belcher. Both pitchers dueled for four innings until the Indians broke through in the top of the fifth with a two-run single byCarlos Baerga. In the next inning, the Indians grabbed two more on aManny Ramírez homer and an RBI triple bySandy Alomar Jr.Ken Griffey Jr.'s sixth postseason homer put the Mariners on the board to make it 4–1 in the bottom of the sixth. The Indians would put the game away whenManny Ramírez hit his second homer of the game in the eighth inning to make it 5–1. Hershiser gave way toJosé Mesa in the ninth. Mesa would issue a one-out homer toJay Buhner but would recover to close out the win, evening the series at 1–1. With the victory, Hershiser raised his postseason record to 6–0 with a 1.47 ERA in73+1⁄3 innings.^[19]

Friday, October 13, 1995, atJacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

In Game 3, the starting pitchers wereRandy Johnson andCharles Nagy. Nagy and Johnson pitched a scoreless first inning, but the Mariners broke through on a homer byJay Buhner. An error in the third byÁlvaro Espinoza gave the Mariners another run to make it 2–0 Seattle. The Indians put a run on the board after a leadoff triple byKenny Lofton and a sacrifice fly byOmar Vizquel in the fourth. In the bottom of the eighth, Buhner missed a deep fly ball to right; Lofton then singled through the left side to tie the game at two. The game moved to extra innings, and in the 11th inning, Buhner, whose miscue tied the game, got redemption with a three-run home run to give the Mariners a 5–2 lead. Charlton, pitching in relief since the ninth inning, got the win and shut down the Indians in the bottom of the 11th to give Seattle a 2–1 series lead.

Saturday, October 14, 1995, atJacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

Cleveland called onKen Hill to pitch to tie the series. Opposing him wasAndy Benes, who didn't fare well against Hill and the Cleveland batters. The Indians scored three runs in the first inning, a rally capped by Murray's two-run homer. A sacrifice fly byKenny Lofton made it 4–0 in the second. Rain began falling in the third inning, and Benes surrendered a two-run homer toJim Thome. Benes was pulled, and the rain ended after the inning. Hill pitched seven scoreless innings, leading his team to a 7–0 shutout, leveling the series at 2–2.^[20]

Sunday, October 15, 1995, atJacobs Field inCleveland, Ohio

Game 5 was a matchup betweenChris Bosio andOrel Hershiser. Hershiser was looking to continue his excellence, and he got help quickly when the Indians knocked home a run in the first inning thanks to an error byTino Martinez. But Hershiser's slim lead was erased in the third whenKen Griffey Jr.'s RBI double tied the game. In the fifth, an error by Belle gave the Mariners a 2–1 lead. The Mariners were closing in on a 3–2 series lead going home, but the Indians prevented it, as Thome hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give the lead back to the Indians. The Mariners had their share of chances; in the seventh, they had men on the corners with one out and Griffey at the plate.Paul Assenmacher was called from the bullpen. He proceeded to strike out Griffey on a high fastball, then Buhner on a low breaking ball, causing the 40,000 fans in attendance to go wild. The Mariners could not capitalize on any more opportunities, andJosé Mesa closed the door in the ninth, putting the Indians one game away from the World Series.

Tuesday, October 17, 1995, atKingdome inSeattle, Washington

In an opportunity to win the series for the Indians,Dennis Martínez facedRandy Johnson. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless until the top of the fifth inning. An error byJoey Cora allowedKenny Lofton to single home a run to put the Indians up 1–0. With the score still 1–0 in the eighth, the Indians scored three more runs against Johnson. A passed ball with two men in scoring position allowed both of them to score. Lofton made a mad dash from second base, sliding in just ahead of the tag from Johnson, and the entire Cleveland dugout ran onto the field to celebrate. ThenCarlos Baerga followed with a homer to give the Indians a 4–0 lead with six outs to go. Once again,José Mesa came on to close the door in the ninth and did so with ease.

The Indians won their first pennant since 1954. The Mariners were one of the very few teams to have lost in two shutouts in one series. Hershiser was selected as theMost Valuable Player of the series.^[21] He was the first player to win the LCS MVP Award in both leagues, having previously done so in1988 for theLos Angeles Dodgers.

1995 ALCS(4–2):Cleveland Indians overSeattle Mariners

In theirfirst World Series appearance since1954, the Indians lost to theAtlanta Braves in six games. They returned to theWorld Series in1997, but they would lose again to theFlorida Marlins in seven games. The Indians remained a World Series contender until the early 2000s, which by that time many of their stars, such asManny Ramirez,Sandy Alomar, andJim Thome, had moved on to other teams.

In December 2020,MLB Network Presents: The Dynasty That Almost Was debuted on MLB Network, documenting the Indians' run in the mid-to-late 1990s.^[22]

By the time of theirAmerican League Division Series meeting with the Yankees,Washington governorMike Lowry called an emergency session of the legislature in early October with one goal: to approve a new funding package for a stadium. A few weeks after the end of the Mariners postseason run, theKing County Council voted, 10–3, to enact the stadium funding package that the Washington state legislature approved.^[23] Although groundbreaking on what would becomeSafeco Field was still 18 months off, baseball was finally safe in Seattle.

The Mariners would avenge their 1995 ALCS loss to the Indians when they beatthem in the2001 ALDS in five games. The Mariners broke the all-time wins record for a team in2001; however, they failed to make theWorld Series that season, losing to the Yankees 4-1 in theALCS. The franchise had not been back to the playoffs since 2001 until they qualified for the2022playoffs.

In July 2019,MLB Network releasedMLB Network Presents: The 1995 Mariners, Saving Baseball in Seattle.^[24]

1995 was the closest the Mariners came to a World Series, as they have not made a World Series in their franchise history, until the2025 ALCS when the Mariners lost in seven games to the Blue Jays.

• 1995 ALCS at Baseball Reference

• American League Championship Series
• 1995 Major League Baseball season
• Cleveland Guardians postseason
• Seattle Mariners postseason
• 1995 in sports in Ohio
• 1995 in sports in Washington (state)
• 1990s in Cleveland
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