BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AL PLAYOFFS : He Danced on Wall, Had a Great Fall

Enough about the injuries to Cleveland designated hitter Albert Belle and catcher Sandy Alomar. What the media really wanted to know before Game 5 Sunday was: How is Slider, the Indians’ furry, fuchsia-colored mascot who fell off the outfield fence Saturday and blew out his knee?

A team release said Dan Kilday, a 29-year-old Indian advertising and publications assistant who has donned the Slider costume since 1990, was “resting uncomfortably” at Cleveland’s Lutheran Medical Center after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.

Slider received a standing ovation when he came into Jacobs Field on crutches before Game 5, but he didn’t receive much sympathy from Indian Manager Mike Hargrove, who said: “I always wanted him to fall . . . but I never wanted him to hurt himself.”

Slider was dancing atop the right-field wall in the fifth inning when he suddenly became a Slider in the dirt, tumbling onto the warning track as Carlos Baerga singled to left field.

He limped into the Indian bullpen and was eventually taken to the hospital. It was Kilday’s second mascot-related knee injury. Before the Indians moved to Jacobs Field last year, he fell in the dugout of Cleveland Stadium and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

There was plenty of joking about the incident in the Indian clubhouse Saturday night. Reliever Julian Tavarez, asked if Slider could be replaced, said: “Yeah, Jose Mesa.”

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Rocky Colavito, a star outfielder for the Indians in the 1950s who was involved in perhaps the most controversial trade in Cleveland history, made his first appearance in Jacobs Field to throw out the first pitch before Game 5.

Many Indian fans still haven’t forgiven the organization for trading the popular Colavito to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn in April, 1960, believing that deal triggered the death of baseball in Cleveland until this season. In fact, a book chronicling 30 years of Indian mediocrity is titled: “The Curse of Rocky Colavito.”

“I know a lot of people consider that to be the case and I appreciate it,” said Colavito, who received a rousing standing ovation. “If you check the attendance figures [after the trade] they did go down, but I just think the clubs they put on the field weren’t very good.”

Colavito has kept his distance from the Indians over the years, returning to Cleveland for an occasional old-timers game, but that’s about it. He admits he has had a “cool” relationship with the team.

“That’s true, but never with the fans,” Colavito said. “I always felt these were the greatest fans in the world. I came back tonight because the situation was right. I consider it a compliment and an honor.”

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Seattle Manager Lou Piniella’s Game 5 lineup featured several drastic changes: Leadoff batter Vince Coleman was on the bench, Joey Cora moved from No. 2 to leadoff, struggling cleanup batter Edgar Martinez moved to No. 2, hot No. 6 batter Jay Buhner moved to cleanup, and left-handed hitting Doug Strange replaced Mike Blowers at third base.

Besides pulling Coleman, who is batting .063 (1 for 16) in the ALCS, the most significant move was Martinez to the No. 2 spot. Piniella hoped Martinez, who was one for 15 in ALCS play entering Sunday, would see more fastballs, with the speedy Cora possibly on base and Ken Griffey Jr. hitting behind him.

But Cleveland starter Orel Hershiser fed Martinez a steady stream of breaking balls and off-speed pitches and struck Martinez out twice with Cora on base. Piniella hoped Martinez would be able to use his bat control to hit and run with Cora, but he fouled off two pitches with the hit and run on.

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Hargrove, on the pregame treatment Belle received for his sprained right ankle: “The only thing we didn’t do to Albert’s foot so far is put it in a microwave oven, and we thought about doing that too.” . . . Hargrove said Charles Nagy, who gave up only two runs in Game 2, would be his probable starter if a Game 7 is necessary, even though Nagy has a lifetime 0-5 record and 6.83 earned-run average in Seattle’s Kingdome. . . . Umpire Dave Phillips, the crew chief for the ALCS, came down with flu Sunday and will be unable to work the rest of the series. A five-man crew worked Game 5, with the right-field line going unattended, but umpire Rich Garcia will fly to Seattle to work Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7.