This Date In Indians History – June

The Indianapolis Indians have a rich history that dates back to 1902. Take a trip down memory lane as we highlight notable performances that occurred in the month of June for the Tribe.

June 2, 2012 – When Jeff Clement went up to the plate against Syracuse in the bottom of the seventh inning, a triple to center field secured a cycle for the Tribe first baseman, just the third recorded by an Indian in the Victory Field era. His night started in the second inning with a double to center off Syracuse starting pitcher Tanner Roark. In his second at-bat, he stroked a soft line drive to center field for a single. Clement’s sixth home run of the season came in the sixth inning to left field, putting him a triple shy of the cycle. The fly ball to center not only recorded Clement’s cycle, it also extended the Indians lead over Syracuse and led to their 7-3 win.

June 3, 2007 – Center fielder Rajai Davis went 1-for-3 vs. Charlotte in the final game of his Victory Field era longest hitting streak. In the 21st game of his streak, Davis blasted a first-inning home run for his fourth of the year with the Tribe. During the stretch, Davis batted .364 (32-for-88) and drove in 13 runs. He was called up the following day by the Pirates and spent the next eight weeks with Pittsburgh before being traded to San Francisco at the July trade deadline. He hit .279 (53-for-190) with one home run, nine RBI and 22 stolen bases at the major league level.

June 8, 2000 – The third inning at Ottawa was an offensive outpour for the Indians as they already led the Lynx, 2-1. Starting pitcher Everett Stull highlighted the inning with a grand slam and was one of two Tribe players that drove in four runs (also Kevin Barker). Outfielders Damon Hollins and Chris Jones each finished the game with four hits. Stull also limited Ottawa to four runs in 6.0 innings.

June 11, 2012 – For a third time in the Victory Field era, Indianapolis won by a record 16 runs on their home field when the Tribe beat Rochester, 16-0. Every hitter, including three in-game substitutes, scored at least one run for Indy. The Tribe batted around and scored six runs in the second inning. Left-hander Justin Wilson started the game for the Tribe and tossed 7.0 innings of four-hit ball to hold the Red Wings at bay with a 10-0 lead while the Indians extended the score in the seventh with another six-run inning.

June 12, 2005 – As the Indians struck out a Victory Field era road record 17 times at Rochester, including 13 by right-hander Boof Bonser, the team walked away with a 4-3 win with the help of a dominant bullpen and four-run sixth inning. The top of the sixth scoring started on third baseman Yurendell de Caster’s game-tying solo homer to left. Left fielder Nate McLouth plated another run with a line drive double to left to put the Tribe up one. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, shortstop Shaun Skrehot gave the Indians insurance with a two-run single. The Tribe's bullpen held Rochester hitless in three innings of work to secure the comeback win.

June 24, 1974 – Indians second baseman Junior Kennedy went 6-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in a 15-7 win at Denver. Kennedy’s six hits tied an American Association record. Center fielder Tom Spencer also smacked two home runs and had six RBI, and the Indians totaled 28 hits in the high altitude.

June 24, 2013 – Shortstop Josh Harrison hit two bases-clearing triples to plate six of the Tribe’s 10 runs vs. Charlotte. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Harrison connected on the first pitch of the at-bat against left-hander Charlie Leesman to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. When Harrison went up to the plate with the bases loaded again in the fifth, the inning unfolded in similar fashion as he hit a triple to right off southpaw Santos Rodriguez. Harrison batted .300 (3-for-10) and had 11 RBI with the bases loaded for Indianapolis that season.

June 27, 2010 – In just his third career game with the Indians, it only took five innings for left fielder Alex Presley to hit for the first Tribe cycle since 2003. It started with a triple in the first inning against right-hander Billy Buckner and a single in the second. Presley contributed to the Tribe’s second six-run inning of the game with a home run in the bottom of the third. Presley’s double in the fifth completed the cycle, but he wasn’t finished for the night. He ended the game 5-for-6 with two singles, two RBI and two runs scored in Indy’s 15-3 win. The Indians also clubbed five home runs as a team, their most ever in a game played at Victory Field.

June 28, 2009 – In his first appearance with the Indians since Aug. 31, 2005 vs. Toledo, right-hander Ian Snell again toed the rubber vs. the Mud Hens for a history-making outing. Snell struck out a Victory Field era record 17 batters in 7.0 innings as the Indians won, 2-1, in 10 innings against their divisional rival. The record-setting performance didn’t stop there as 13 of those strikeouts were consecutive, another Victory Field era best.