The Cleveland Indians will play for the American League title, sweeping the Red Sox out of the playoffs last night with a 4-3 win in Boston. Rookie Tyler Naquin hit a two-run single while Josh Tomlin pitched five strong innings for the Indians. Game 1 of the ALCS is set for Friday night in Cleveland, against Toronto.
WKSU commentator Terry Pluto says it's one of the more remarkable playoff series he's ever seen the Indians win.
"To see them go into Fenway Park where they've had all these disappointments and blown games and sometimes even embarrassing performances, and to shut down Boston on the night the whole town came out to celebrate Big Papi, it was just a phenomenal evening. And how Fenway Park, which can be so loud, suddenly went so silent after that last out was out was made."
Pluto says it was important for the team to finish off the series quickly.
"Generally the rule is, when you're facing a team with more talent, the longer the series goes, the more likely you are to lose [becuase of] the overwhelming talent on the other side would just sort of flatten you."
Pluto says that's why Francona used his bullpen early in games 1 and 3. "He let Andrew Miller and Cody Allen pitch deep into the game. Both of them threw 40-some pitches, far more than normal."
And Pluto says even more satisfying for the Indians, and perhaps their fans, is that they did it with a bunch of former Sox players.
"The guy that manages the Indians used to manage the Red Sox -- Terry Francona. The guy who hit the [Game 3] two-run homer, Coco Crisp, he used to play for the Red Sox. The guy who came in and pitched a couple really strong innings of relief in two of the games, Andrew Miller, he used to be with the Red Sox."
"It was nerve-wracking and hand-wringing and heart-pounding and all those cliches that are cliches for a reason, because sometimes when you get games like this in playoff atmospheres like this, they are absolutely true."
"Terry Francona has been saying for a quite a while, 'It's a special team,' and it is. They went into first place at June 4th and they stayed there the rest of the year and now they swept through the first round of the playoffs. And they did with a bunch of injuries and pitchers getting hurt and broken bones and pulled muscles. And now they're one of the final four."
