Zimmer's blast keeps Ohio Cup in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- Bradley Zimmer wanted to assure the Ohio Cup would remain in Cleveland for a 19th time.

After the Reds jumped ahead in the series earlier this season, taking three of the first five contests, the Indians responded on Monday evening with a 9-3 victory at Progressive Field to force a 3-3 season series split in a makeup game that was originally scheduled for May 9, retaining the Cup.

Since Interleague Play began in 1997, the Indians have won the battle outright 11 times and have retained it on eight occasions. It’s been in Cleveland’s possession for seven consecutive seasons, and Cincinnati has only won it five times. Since 2015, the Indians have won 24 of 34 contests against the Reds, outscoring them 212-118 during that span.

Although the Reds’ Wade Miley set the tone in the first game of the season series, tossing a no-hitter on May 7 -- the first in the history of the Ohio Cup -- that earned him the Frank Robinson Most Outstanding Player Award, it was Zimmer who stole the spotlight with a feat of his own in the series finale.

José Ramírez's triple and two-run homer, along with Amed Rosario’s four-hit night, helped the offense create a comfortable lead over the Reds. But it was Zimmer who assured the game was out of reach by launching a monstrous 471-foot blast in the seventh.

“Wow,” Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale said. “Well-struck ball, too. [And] it was off the lefty, too. If you think about it, he stayed in there and had a good swing path to it, and those are some of the things he can do. We talked about his skill set and his versatility on both sides of the ball, so I was happy to see that’s coming out more and more.”

Zimmer stepped in against lefty Justin Wilson, who had just relieved Jeff Hoffman to start the seventh inning. An 89.5 mph cutter on the outer third of the plate at the top of the zone was sent to Jim Thome territory. Anyone who walks by the center-field gate at Progressive Field can see the bronze baseball plaque in the ground, forever remembering Thome’s legendary 511-foot homer in 1999. It’s an area that seems impossible to ever be touched again, but Zimmer certainly gave Thome a run for his money.

“In a real game? I don't think so,” Zimmer said, when asked if he had ever hit a ball that far before. “Actually, I know so. I was told that the only other person that's hit a ball out there is Jim Thome, so I figured I'm in good company.”

Zimmer was told that he came up 40 feet short of Thome’s homer, as he landed somewhere near Heritage Park in center field.

“Sounds like I've got some work to do,” Zimmer joked.

The Indians have never had a player hit a ball that far in the Statcast Era (since 2015). Edwin Encarnación was the previous record holder with a 466-foot blast at Camden Yards on June 20, 2017, off Chris Tillman. But now, Zimmer’s long ball is the one to beat.

“I actually lost that on the screen,” reliever Justin Garza, who picked up the win on Monday, said. “I was watching on TV and I didn't know where it landed. I was sitting there for a while wondering, and then I saw [Triston McKenzie] stretching and I was like, 'I think that cleared the trees out there in center field.' So that was awesome, that was a bomb.”

Zimmer continues his quest to prove that he belongs on the Major League roster, not just for this season but heading into 2022, when the club will have a puzzle of a 40-man roster to figure out. But Zimmer's case only gets more convincing when he plays at Progressive Field. In 26 games on the road, Zimmer has hit .188 with a .565 OPS, but in 29 games at home, he’s hit .312 with an .878 OPS.

“I've always enjoyed hitting here,” Zimmer said. “Some guys have a visual thing, the batter's eye, whatever. I just feel comfortable at home. There's something to be said about playing at home, regardless, in front of your own fans. I think I just see the ball well here.”