After several injury-plagued seasons that threatened to forever delay a promising career, the senior of the two Alomar brothers finally broke through in 1997 with a star-making season. Not only did he hit .324, slamming 21 homers and knocking in 83 runs to lead all AL catchers, but he had a season-high 30-game hit streak and hit the game-winning two-run homer at the All-Star game played at his home park, Jacobs Field. If not for his own brittleness -- he made eight trips to the DL in the 1990s -- and the unparalleled defensive play of Texas' Ivan Rodriguez, Alomar might well have been considered the premier American League catcher of the decade.

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Alomar topped off his career year with post-season heroics, swatting the game-tying homer off Mariano Rivera in Game Four of the ALDS (his second homer in the series) that helped put Cleveland into the ALCS. He also drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in Game Four of the ALCS, and hit .367 with two homers and a series-high 10 RBIs in the Indians' seven-game World Series loss to the Florida Marlins.

Alomar came up to the Padres in September 1988 for a cup of coffee after being named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. For a brief time, he teamed with his younger brother, Roberto, and his father, Sandy Jr., who was a Padres coach. In 1989 he was again named Minor League Player of the Year (this time both by Baseball America and The Sporting News) but sat on the San Diego bench at the end of the season as Benito Santiago's understudy. After months of trade rumors, the Padres decided that Santiago was going to be their catcher of the future and in December dealt their blue-chip catching prospect to the Cleveland Indians with Chris James and Carlos Baerga for slugger Joe Carter.

Alomar immediately fulfilled his promise in Cleveland, becoming the first rookie catcher to start the All-Star Game (where he displayed his big-game talent by collecting two hits and scoring the winning run for the AL) and only the third unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, following Carlton Fisk (1972) and Mark McGwire (1987). He also won a Gold Glove, the first Indian to be so honored since Rick Manning in 1976.

But his next three seasons -- despite two more All-Star starts -- were filled with injuries. In 1991, he missed eleven games with various hip and shoulder woes, and in 1992, Alomar tore cartilage in his knee while sliding into third base on August 16 and played just one more game the rest of the way. In 1993, he was slowed by a back injury over the first month of the season and was batting just .125 when he was placed on the disabled list May 2. After undergoing back surgery, Alomar was out of action until August 7.

The following seasons saw glimpses of Alomar's talent despite limited playing time. Another injury and the players' strike limited him to just eighty appearances in 1994, but he smacked a career-high 14 homers -- all against righties -- and opened the season by spoiling Randy Johnson's no-hit bid with an eighth-inning single in the first game ever played in Jacobs Field. Alomar hit .300 for the first time in 1995, but his chronic knee injury limited him to just 54 starts for the Indians.

1996 marked the first time since his rookie year that Alomar managed to avoid the disabled list for an entire season. Appearing in 127 games, he was named to his fourth All-Star team but hit only .232 in the second half, raising questions about his stamina. In 1997, those doubts were set aside. His mid-season 30-game hit streak fell one short of the Indians' record set by Nap Lajoie in 1906, and four short of Benito Santiago's major-league record for catchers, set in 1987.

Alomar fell back to earth in 1998 (.235, 6, 44) and bone chips in his left knee forced another visit to the DL in 1999. After undergoing his eighth knee surgery (seven on the left, one on the right) Alomar missed nearly four months of the season. Worst of all, it limited his chances to play alongside his brother Roberto, who had been signed as a free agent before the season began. (SW/JGR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » December 6, 1989: The Mets trade reliever Randy Myers to the Reds for fellow closer John Franco; Joe Carter and Fred Lynn are sent by Cleveland to San Diego for Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga. and Chris James; and free-agent relief specialist Jeff Reardon signs with the Red Sox. » November 7, 1990: Cleveland's Sandy Alomar Jr. wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award unanimously, joining Carlton Fisk and Mark McGwire as the only players to do so. » April 28, 1996: Veteran Frank Viola, brought up yesterday from the minors, is rocked for 10 runs in four innings by the Indians. who roll to a 17–3 win over the Blue Jays. Sandy Alomar hits a 3-run homer and Albert Belle adds a solo shot and drives in three runs. » October 2, 1996: The Orioles win their 2nd in a row against the Indians, 7-4. The winning tally scores on a throwing error by C Sandy Alomar. » May 30, 1997: The Orioles' Mike Mussina retires the first 25 Indian batters before Sandy Alomar ruins his no-hit bid with a one-out single in the 9th. Mussina then strikes out the final two batters for a 3–0 victory. » June 6, 1997: At Fenway Park, Indian C Sandy Alomar ties a major-league record with four doubles in four at-bats and Orel Hershiser allows one run in seven innings to beat Tom Gordon. Alomar is the 38th player to bang four doubles. » June 23, 1997: In Cleveland, Matt Lawton has four hits and Brad Radke wins his fourth straight start as the Twins top Cleveland. 7–2. Pat Meares has a two-run homer for the Twins. For Cleveland, Sandy Alomar extends his hitting streak to 22 games with a single and Jim Thome accounts for all the scoring with two solo homers. » June 29, 1997: In New York, the Indians score seven runs off the usually stingy David Cone, but the Yankees outlast the Indians, 11–10. With his 9th-inning single, Sandy Alomar extends his hitting streak to 26 games, 6th longest in Tribe history. » July 8, 1997: The American League defeats the National by a score of 3-1 in the annual All-Star Game, played in Cleveland. Indians' C Sandy Alomar hits a 2-run home run and is named the game's Most Valuable Player. Alomar is the 1st hometown player to homer since Hank Aaron in Atlanta in 1972. » September 14, 1997: Sandy Alomar hits a bases-loaded single to key a bizarre seven-run 8th, and Cleveland defeats Chicago, 8–3. Jim Thome nails his 40th homer for the Indians. Chicago ties a major league record by using nine pitchers in the nine-inning game, including five in the 8th. The 4th in that inning, Keith Foulke, is called in without a warmup by manager Terry Bevington to intentionally walk a batter. The Tribe increases its American League Central lead to seven 1/2 games over Chicago and Milwaukee. Before the game the Sox retire Carlton Fisk's #72. Bitter over his 1993 release and not being allowed into locker room during the playoffs that year, Fisk requests that Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Ron Schueler not be there for the ceremony. » October 5, 1997: Cleveland scores single runs in the 8th and 9th innings to defeat the Yankees, 3-2, and even their series at two games apiece. David Justice and Sandy Alomar homer for the Indians, but light-hitting Omar Vizquel's single wins it. » October 12, 1997: The Indians again score the winning run in their last at bat, coming back from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Orioles, 8-7, for their 3rd straight win in the ALCS. Sandy Alomar drives home the winner with a single after hitting a 2-run homer earlier in the contest. He also scores from 2B on a wild pitch in the 5th. Brady Anderson, Harold Baines, Rafael Palmeiro hit homers off Jaret Wright in the 5th while Manny Ramirez goes deep for the Tribe. Jose Mesa blows his 2nd save in two days, but receives credit for the win. » October 19, 1997: The Indians bounce back with a 6-1 victory in Game two of the Series. Chad Ogea gets the win and Sandy Alomar connects for a home run. Marquis Grissom has three hits for Cleveland. » October 22, 1997: The Indians ride home runs by Manny Ramirez and Matt Williams to a 10-3 victory over Florida to even the Series at two games apiece. Williams and Sandy Alomar get three hits each to give Jaret Wright the win. » October 23, 1997: Rookie Livan Hernandez wins for the second time as Florida holds off Cleveland for an 8-7 victory in Game 5. Down 8-4, the Indians fight back with three in the 9th but strand the tying runner on base. Moises Alou hits a 3-run homer for Florida, while Sandy Alomar matches him for the Tribe. » May 14, 1998: Baltimore pitcher Mike Mussina's nose is broken when he is hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Cleveland's Sandy Alomar in a 5–4 Indian win. Mussina had just recently returned from the DL where he had been placed because of a wart on his right index finger. » September 1, 2000: The Baltimore Orioles turn the season's fifth triple play and the first triple-killing in Jacobs Field history in the second inning against the Cleveland Indians. On a pop up to short the infield fly rule is not called. With runners at first and second and no outs, O's SS Melvin Mora lets Sandy Alomar's pop fly drop, apparently intentionally, and throws to 2B Jerry Hairston who tags the runner at second as well as the runner coming from first. Alomar, believing the infield fly rule had been called, retreated to the dugout and was called out for leaving the basepath resulting in a 6-4-3 triple play. Charlie Manuel doesn't agree and gets tossed. Cleveland overcomes the TP to win, 5–2, behind Steve Finley. » December 18, 2000: In related signings, the White Sox ink free agent C Sandy Alomar to a 2-year contract, while the Marlins sign free agent C Charles Johnson to a 5-year contract. Johnson was the Sox catcher last season. » July 29, 2002: The White Sox trade C Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Rockies. In return, Chicago gets P Enemencio Pacheco. » December 20, 2002: The White Sox sign free agent C Sandy Alomar to a contract.