BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Indians Brrrrrush Off Mariners : American League: On cold night, Thome’s homer is the difference as Cleveland takes 3-2 edge with 3-2 victory.

It was Parka-and-Long-Johns Night Sunday in Jacobs Field, where 43,607 braved an October chill and 30-m.p.h. gusts off Lake Erie for Game 5 of the American League championship series, in which the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners provided more tense moments than a Stephen King thriller.

It’s a good thing most Indian fans were wearing mittens--otherwise, they might have chewed their fingernails to the nubbins during Cleveland’s 3-2 victory, which gave the Indians a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series that moves to Seattle for Game 6 Tuesday.

Jim Thome followed Eddie Murray’s double in the sixth inning with a two-run homer into the second deck in right field to put the Indians ahead, 3-2, but even with temperatures dipping into the 40s, Cleveland sweated out the victory.

With two on and one out in the seventh, Indian reliever Paul Assenmacher struck out Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner. With two on and one out in the eighth, Indian shortstop Omar Vizquel turned a potential RBI single into an unassisted double play.

And with two out in the ninth and one of the league’s best hitters due to break out of his ALCS slump, Indian center fielder Kenny Lofton turned Edgar Martinez’s drive to the deepest part of the field into a game-ending out, as hearts resumed beating in the Cleveland dugout.

“That was about as exciting as I’d like it to get,” Indian Manager Mike Hargrove said.

Cleveland is now one victory away from its first World Series appearance in 41 years, but looming large in Game 6 is Seattle left-hander Randy Johnson, perhaps the game’s most feared pitcher, the deafening Kingdome crowd and a resilient Mariner team that came back from an 0-2 deficit against the New York Yankees to win the division series.

“We’re going into the mouth of a lion,” said Hargrove, who will start 40-year-old Dennis Martinez in Game 6. “Even though we only have to win one of two, you can’t just assume we’re going to do that.”

The Indians won Sunday despite four errors and 11 runners left on base, and for that they can thank starter Orel Hershiser, who gave up only five hits in six innings to improve his career postseason record to 7-0, Assenmacher, the left-handed setup man who acted like a closer, and some good fortune.

With men on first and second in the eighth and a full count on Luis Sojo, Seattle Manager Lou Piniella sent the runners with one out. Sojo ripped a liner toward the middle, but because Vizquel was moving toward second to cover the bag, the ball went right to him. Vizquel made the catch and stepped on second for the easy, unassisted double play.

“That ball found me,” Vizquel said. “If I wasn’t covering second, I don’t think I would have got it. That was the biggest relief of the game.”

It wasn’t the biggest relief performance, though. That honor went to Assenmacher, who replaced Julian Tavarez in the seventh with runners on first and third, one out, and the heart of the Mariner order due up.

Assenmacher went 1 and 1 on Griffey, then threw two fastballs. Griffey, who must have been looking for breaking pitches, took the first for a strike and swung and missed at the second.

“I was feeling pretty strong today,” Assenmacher joked, “so those were probably in the 83- to 84-m.p.h. range.”

Next up was the right-handed Buhner, who entered with a .467 ALCS average and three home runs. Hargrove came to the mound, but left his left-hander in with specific instructions--don’t give him anything good to hit, and if you walk him, go after left-handed Tino Martinez with the bases loaded.

Buhner swung and missed at two sliders low and out of the strike zone, looked at two balls and then swung and missed at a high slider.

“I didn’t really have to get Buhner out,” Assenmacher said. “I just happened to make some decent pitches and got him out.”

Closer Jose Mesa came on in the ninth for Cleveland and recorded two quick outs, but Edgar Martinez fouled off five pitches before driving a ball to center.

But Lofton sprinted to the wall and made the catch in front of the 405-foot sign, sealing Martinez’s 0-for-5 night and dropping the A.L. batting champ to .050 (one for 20) for the ALCS.

“He might be a little tired--we’ve been criss-crossing the country for the last few weeks,” Piniella said. “But he has a day off, and he’ll finish with a flourish.

“Believe me, we’ve been in this position before, and like I said when we were down to New York, 0-2, we’re down but not out.”

Seattle also had trouble in the field Sunday, committing two errors, one of which led to a Cleveland run in the first inning. First baseman Tino Martinez booted Vizquel’s grounder, and Vizquel eventually scored on Murray’s single to right.

Seattle tied the game in the third when Joey Cora walked, stole second and scored on Griffey’s double to left, and the Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on Indian left fielder Albert Belle’s error.

Cora reached on an infield single with one out and, after Edgar Martinez struck out, Griffey lifted a fly ball to short left. Belle ran in and appeared to have a routine play until a gust of wind blew the ball to his left at the last second.

Belle, who missed Game 4 because of a sprained ankle, lunged for the ball, which glanced off his glove for an error, and Cora, who ran full speed from the time of contact, beat Belle’s throw home.

Seattle had plenty of chances to pull even in the later innings, but the team that has stunned opponents with numerous September and October comebacks could not come up with the clutch hit. And now they are in that all-too- familiar position, their backs firmly planted against the wall.

“Can we pull it off again? I don’t see why not,” Buhner said. “We’re going home, and there’s still some magic left in that bottle.”

* ROSS NEWHAN

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