CLEVELAND: The Indians flexed some muscle against a Cy Young contender, and Trevor Bauer and the bullpen stalled baseball’s best offense to top the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Thursday and take a 1-0 American League Division Series lead.
In front of a raucous Progressive Field crowd of 37,763 getting its first taste of playoff baseball in Cleveland since 2013 and the first ALDS action since 2007, the Indians fell behind early but stormed back with three home runs in the third inning in a span of four batters.
The first tied it. The second gave the Indians a lead. The third sent Progressive Field into bedlam.
The Indians entered the third inning trailing 2-1 against Red Sox starter Rick Porcello (0-1). Roberto Perez, one of the catchers for whom the Indians had so often pinch-hit in September, tied it 2-2 with a solo home run to right field.
After Carlos Santana grounded out, Jason Kipnis put the Indians on top 3-2 with a solo home run to center field. As Kipnis was high-fiving teammates in the dugout, Francisco Lindor drilled a ball to right field that just cleared the wall and the glove of a leaping Mookie Betts to make it 4-2.
It was the first time the Indians had hit three home runs in a postseason inning since Game 3 of the 1998 ALCS against the New York Yankees, when Mark Whiten, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome accomplished the feat.
The barrage erased a quick start for the Red Sox against Bauer in the first inning. Dustin Pedroia led off with a double to right field and Brock Holt followed with a single. Bauer retired Boston’s two MVP candidates, Betts and David Ortiz, but couldn’t escape unharmed when Hanley Ramirez ripped a double to right field.
Pedroia scored easily, but throws by Tyler Naquin and Lindor and a reaching tag by Perez nailed Holt at the plate to take a run off the board. Holt was originally called safe before an Indians’ challenge overturned the call.
After the Indians’ lightning-filled third inning, Bauer began the fourth by allowing a solo home run to Andrew Benintendi to make it 4-3. With two outs, Indians manager Terry Francona proved he would be aggressive with his bullpen by calling on Andrew Miller, the earliest the Indians had gone to Miller since acquiring him at the trade deadline.
Miller (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings as the Indians extended their lead to 5-3 in the fifth on Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI single up the middle to score Perez, who had singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice fly.
But the Indians still had work to do against the Red Sox’s prolific lineup. Bryan Shaw allowed a solo home run to Holt to lead off the eighth inning, just in front of the heart of the Red Sox’s lineup, and cut the lead to 5-4.
With Allen in the game, Ortiz worked to a full count and then roped a double to right-center, putting the tying run in scoring position with one out. But Allen responded by inducing Ramirez to ground out and striking out Xander Bogaerts.
That sent it to the ninth. Allen struck out Jackie Bradley Jr. and Sandy Leon before Benintendi singled to right. With the tying run on first, Allen struck out Pedroia on his 40th pitch to complete a five-out save and secure the biggest win for the Indians in nine years.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ