Drafted out of college in 1996, Riske worked his way up through the minors as a tough reliever who managed to get outs despite average stuff, becoming the Cleveland Indians‘ Minor-League Player of the Year in 1998. Although he got hammered in his first year with the Indians in 1999, giving up 13 earned runs in just 14 innings, the Indians had high hopes for him in 2000 until lower-back pain sidelined him for the season. He made his return in June 2001 when he used a deceptive delivery and good control to outwit batters and post a 1.98 ERA in 26 appearances.
