Chances are, if you lived in Cleveland or have a major league team that plays professional baseball, you've heard of Kenny Lofton. He has played for eleven major league clubs including ten years with the Cleveland Indians. Lofton in his prime was one of the top five leadoff hitters and base stealers in his decade (the 90s). He has a career .300 batting average(.299 let's give him a break)and is also ranked 15th on the all time stolen base list for his career with 622. It's really remarkable, while the Yankees were praised for making 13 straight post season appearances up until this year, it has been Lofton who has played on playoff teams for 11 of the last 13 seasons. In all, he has been to 11 divisional series, 7 championship series, and 2 world series. He has never won a world series ring.
Lofton has never won the "big ring" and has seemed to suffer the most heartbreaking defeats with his respective clubs over the past decade. First, let's track his teams. In order, Lofton has played for 6 playoff bound teams including three stints with the Cleveland Indians. They are: The Cleveland Indians(1995' 96' 98' 99' 01' 07'), Atlanta Braves (1997), SanFransico Giants (2002), Chicago Cubs (2003), New York Yankees (2004), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006).
In 1994 Kenny was part of an Indians club that many say would have reached the World Series and most likely won it. Of course, that is the year major league baseball players went on strike. In 1995 he was part of an Indians club that should have crushed the Atlanta Braves in the world series and ended up losing in six games. After his 1996 season with the Indians, who lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the divisional series, Lofton was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Marquis Grissom and David Justice. The Atlanta Braves made it to the National League Championship Series in 1997 only to lose to the Florida Marlins in six games. The same Florida Marlins team that in turn defeated the Indians in seven games during one of the most tragic postseason chokes in Cleveland sports history(it gets better).
The 1997 Allstar game was held in Cleveland and during his introduction Kenny Lofton was greeted with a standing ovation. This obviously had an affect on him as he decided to return with the Indians for a second stint in 1998. Kenny played four more seasons with the Indians (1998-2001) and reached the post season three out of those four years. This included another American League championship defeat to the hated New York Yankees in six games. In 2002 Lofton again played for the National League, with the Barry Bond's led San Fransico Giants. Kenny and San Fran reached a grueling game seven in the World Series only to lose to the Anaheim Angels.
In 2003 the Chicago Cubs entered the post season as one of the National League's hottest teams. The Cubbies reached the NLCS and were in reach of their first world series since 1908! Yet, Cubs fans found out two things that would destroy their world series chances. One, the infamous Steve Bartman, a fan who knocked a foul ball, and a certain out, from the clutches of Moises Alou of the Chicago Cubs. This event changed the course of the series. Two, believe it or not Kenny Lofton was a member of the 2003 Chicago Cubs who went on to choke against the Florida Marlins in the NLCS.
If this wasn't enough the following year, 2004, Lofton played center field for a powerhouse New York Yankees team that went on to win over one hundred games. They met the world series straved Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS and went up three games to none. Lofton and the Yankees then suffered what may be called the biggest playoff collapse in sports history. Losing four games in a row to the hated Red Sox. The Sox went on to win the World Series that year.
We finally return home for the 2007 season. The Cleveland Indians picked up a 40 year old Lofton mid-season from the Texas Rangers. When he joined the Indians Lofton sparked the Tribe's offense. Cleveland won ninety-six games that season as well as battering the Yankees in the ALDS. Cleveland went up three games to one against the Red Sox and in typical fasion lost three straight in the ALCS. Lofton's chances for a World Series ring went up in smoke and Cleveland still hasn't won a World Series since 1948.
I'm not sure, but I don't know of any other player with this much playoff experience and yet so much heartbreak. To be on eleven playoff teams and never win a World Series ring has to be like having a thirst never to be quenched. Good luck Kenny, Cleveland loves you.
To learn more about Kenny Lofton or gain access to any Major Leauge Baseball statistic, Go to http://www.baseballreference.com/
1 comment:
Can I add to the Lofton misery?
Interesting fact-- while I was trying to find a plyer with more playoff heartbreak (this is not possible by the way), I came across another interesting stat. As you mentioned, Lofton has only missed the playoffs twice since 1994. In 2000 The Indians missed the playoffs by one game, and in 2005 the Phillies missed the playoffs by one game. So a base hit here or there over the course of those two seasons, and Lofton would have been in the playoffs every year for the past 13 seasons. Kenny (one game away) Lofton strikes again.
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