Starting pitchers this afternoon were righthander Marco Estrada (Toronto) and lefthander Ryan Merritt (Cleveland).
The 32-year old Estrada was 9-9 this season with a 3.48 ERA, striking out 165 batters in 176 innings.
At home, the Mexican was 3-7 this season.
Estrada was the starting and winning pitcher in Game 1 of the ALDS against Texas Rangers, throwing 8 1/3 inning in which he gave up four basehits.
He then also starter the opener of the ALDS against Cleveland, but then was the losing pitcher, while he threw a complete game for the Indians.
This season, Estrada pitched in one game against Cleveland and then had a no-decision.
Today was the sixth postseason start in his career.
24-year old Merrit is a rookie, who has pitched only 11 innings at the Major League-level this season.
He pitched in only four games, including one start (on August 30) when he threw in five innings against te then-still reigning World Series-champion Kansas City Royals.
The Indians won 7-2 and Merritt won his first game.
He made his big league-debut on May 30 against Texas Rangers and threw 4 1/3 inning in relief, giving up only one basehit.
The lefthander didn't pitch against Toronto this season.
In Triple-A, Merritt was 11-8 this season with a 3.70 ERA and 92 strikeouts, pitching for Columbus Clippers.
Today was the first postseason-appearance in his career.
Cleveland struck early and opened the score in the top of the first inning off of Marco Estrada.
With two outs, Francisco Lindor singled, then scored the first Cleveland-run when Mike Napoli followed with a double.
Napoli stranded when a grounder ended the at bat.
In the second inning, Estrada recovered and retired the side, including two strikeouts.
In the top of the third inning, Cleveland doubled its lead when Carlos Santana homered with one out.
With two outs, Francisco Lindor recorded his second single, but he stranded when Russell Martin struckout.
...Carlos Santana played at first...
...base today for the Indians...
...His homerun made it a 2-0 score...
...and make the final out of the game...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Rookie Ryan Merritt retired the side in the first three innings of his first postseason-start.
After two grounders, he closed the first at bat with a called strikeout for Edwin Encarnacion.
The lefthander then added two more strikeouts in the second inning.
Cleveland made it a 3-0 score in the top of the fourth inning when 36-year old veteran Coco Crisp homered with two outs off of Estrada.
On August 31, Crisp came to Cleveland in a traded with Oakland A's.
With that, the outfielder returned to the club where he had made his Major League-debut in 2002.
Crisp played for the Indians in 2002-2005, then played for Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals, before being signed by Oakland in December 2009.
After having retired the first ten batters he faced, Ryan Merritt gave up an one-out single to Josh Donaldson in the bottom of the fourth inning.
But he was then eliminated when next batter Edwin Encarnacion grounded into a double play.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Russell Martin popped the ball up in the infield, but it was uncatchable and dropped for an infield-hit.
With that, he registered only his second basehit in the Series.
Before this basehit, Martin had struckout nine times in 15 at bats.
After Martin's single, Cleveland-Manager Terry Francona came to the mound to replace his young rookie-starter, who had done very well in his postseason-debut.
Bryan Shaw took over and gave up a single to pinch-hitter Michael Saunders, which gave Toronto its first runner in scoring position.
But hereafter, Shaw struckout both Ezequiel Carrera and Kevin Pillar to end the inning.
Cleveland was retired in order in the top of the sixth by Estrada, who added two strikeouts to lift his total to seven.
Toronto then reached base again in the bottom of the sixth.
With one out, José Bautista singled.
Like Russell Martin, Bautista also is silenced this Series by the Indians.
The single was only his second basehit in five games and he had struckout seven times in the previous 16 at bats.
After Bautista's single, Shaw was relieved by Andrew Miller.
On his first delivery, he got an inning-ending double play grounder from Josh Donaldson.
The call at first base was challenged, but it was upheld after the review and with that, the inning ended.
Toronto inserted its first reliever in the top of the seventh inning when Brett Cecil took over from Marco Estrada.
Cecil retired the side.
As did Miller in the bottom of the seventh.
Afterwards, Miller was named the Series Most Valuable Player.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, six outs away from elimination, pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro led off for Toronto with a single.
While having speedster Dalton Pompey on the bench, Toronto-Manager John Gibbons didn't insert him in this situation.
Pompey was specially added to Toronto's ALCS-roster as a pinch-runner, but he didn't play in the entire Series.
With Navarro on first base, Andrew Miller followed with a strikeout, then Navarro was forced out and a flyout ended the at bat.
In the top of the ninth, Francisco Lindor led off for Cleveland with a ground-rule double off of closer Roberto Osuna.
However, the Indians were unable to add an insurance run, as the next three batters were eliminated.
Cleveland-closer Cody Allen took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning to face the powerful top-three hitters of Toronto's batting order.
The righthander gave up a lead-off double to José Bautista, but then struckout both Josh Donaldson (last years American League MVP) and Edwin Encarncion.
Hereafter, the game ended when Troy Tulowitzki popped out to first baseman Carlos Santana.
With that, Cleveland reached the World Series for the first time in 19 years, while the season for Toronto came to an end.
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Cleveland shuts out Toronto to reach World Series!
TORONTO, Ontario (Canada) -
Cleveland Indians shutout Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Wednesday-evening (October 19) to win the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, 4-1.
With this, Cleveland captured the American League-title and became the first team to reach this years World Series.
It marks the first time since 1997 that the Indians will play again in the all-deciding Championship Final.
The last time that Cleveland won the World Series was in 1948.
Cleveland will open the best-of-seven World Series next Tuesday at home against the winner of the NLCS between Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.