Cleveland manager Eric Wedge meets the media at Fenway Park yesterday. He led the Indians to 96 wins, tied for best in the majors with the Red Sox.

AP / Elise Amendola

BOSTON — Eric Wedge sat in the dugout, answering questions.

He was asked about himself.

“I try to be a leader,” said Wedge.

This was not yesterday at drizzly Fenway Park. This was not Eric Wedge, the manager of the Cleveland Indians, talking about himself, his team and its chances against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, which begins tonight at Fenway Park.

No, this statement was made by Wedge at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., only a few weeks after he had been drafted and signed by the Red Sox after he had helped lead Wichita State to the College Baseball World Series title.

Wedge was playing Class A ball for Elmira. But on that day in 1989 he and several teammates were called to Cooperstown to play in the Hall of Fame exhibition game against the Red Sox, whose scheduled opposition, the Cincinnati Reds, had been fogged out of a flight and couldn’t make it to the picturesque field.

Wedge, drafted in the third round by the Sox, has always been a leader.

The Sox were counting on him to be their catcher of the future, a rock solid backstop whose batting stroke looked as if it would be perfect for the Green Monster at Fenway. Wedge was hoping for a long playing career, too.

But injuries, notably to his right (throwing) elbow, conspired to keep him from reaching his potential as a player. He had a few cups of coffee with the Red Sox, bashing all five of his big-league homers in 68 at-bats in 1992. Wedge was taken in the expansion draft by Colorado in 1993, but that didn’t work out. He returned to the Boston organization in 1994 (he hit 19 homers for the PawSox that year and 20 the following year) before his playing career wound down in Toledo (1996) and then Scranton-Wilkes-Barre (1997).

And when did the bug to manage bite him?

“Around my fourth or fifth surgery,” joked Wedge yesterday before the Indians braved the heavy drizzle and worked out at Fenway. “That’s when I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play as long as I wanted to.”

So Wedge hooked on with the Indians as a minor-league manager, touching all the bases in the system, having success at all levels from Class A right through Triple A before being handed the Indians’ reins in 2003 as the organization began a philosophy of rebuilding through the farm system.

“My first year here in ’03, there were a lot of kids I was with in the minor leagues. I think [general manager] Mark Shapiro and I have similar values just in regard to what we were looking to accomplish and how we wanted to do it. Ultimately it’s about winning at the big-league level. We had enough respect for the game to understand it was going to take some time to do that, and it did. You’ve got some bumps and bruises along the way,” he said.

The ups and downs have included a surprisingly good year in 2005 (93-69) and a surprisingly disappointing year in 2006 (78-84) before the Indians came on strong this season, tying Boston for the American League’s best record at 96-66.

This year, though, Wedge’s team was at a crossroads after losing in 10 innings to the Tigers on Aug. 14. The setback dropped the Indians into second place in the Central Division, a game behind Detroit. And Wedge didn’t like what he saw of his team in the clubhouse after the loss. He called them out, telling them to stop feeling sorry for themselves and that it is in adversity, not the good times, when a team has to show its toughness.

Those words hit home, apparently. Cleveland went 31-12 the rest of the way, leaving the Tigers in the dust.

“He’s much smoother now,” said first-base coach Luis Rivera, who played with Wedge in Boston in 1991 and 1992. “The experience has helped. He has grown up big-time as a manager. He’s able to handle situations and no one knows he’s worried. He lets the players play. He’s tough. If you don’t run a ball out, he’ll let you know about it. If you don’t play hard, he’ll let you know. But he has everyone’s respect.”

That sentiment was echoed by backup catcher Kelly Shoppach, another former Red Sox draftee.

“He’s very loyal to his guys,” said Shoppach. “Regardless of the situation, he’s always very honest with you.”

Somehow, looking back at his playing career, it’s probably no coincidence that Wedge has been a successful manager. Doug Mirabelli, the Sox’ backup catcher, followed him at Wichita State and said Wedge cast a large shadow.

“The thing about Wedgey in college, he was a big guy and demanded a lot of respect and if you didn’t give it to him, he would break your neck. He always had that personality,” said Mirabelli, tossing in a bit of hyperbole to accent his point.

“I’ve talked to guys who have played for him and they all say what a great guy he is to play for,” added Mirabelli. “Certain people have that ability, to have people want to follow them consistently. He had it in college and he has it as a manager. It’s just something he’s got.”

He also now is able to call on experience in the big leagues, having been smart enough to learn lessons as his seasons in charge have gone by.

“You try to learn from every experience,” said Wedge, who has a career record of 415-395 and a second-place finish in the Manager of the Year (2005) voting on his resumÉ.

“I’ve probably learned more from these guys than they have from me and I think that’s the way it should be as a manager,” he said. “When things are going rough, you should get out front and take the hit. When they’re going good, you should stay out of the way. It’s all about the players. Those are the guys doing it. Every now and then a manager has to give some direction, but ultimately, it’s about these guys.”

And Eric Wedge has led them to within four wins of the Indians’ first trip to the World Series since 1995.

skrasner@projo.com