TORONTO: The Indians are one win away from the World Series, and the list of things they have overcome continues to grow longer and stranger.
Trevor Bauer’s lacerated pinkie forced his exit from the game much earlier than expected, but it was no matter as the bullpen once again quieted the Toronto Blue Jays’ bats and a frenzied Rogers Centre crowd for a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.
With it, the Indians took a 3-0 series lead and remain undefeated in the postseason.
Bauer’s pinkie finger on his throwing hand, which was sliced by a drone Thursday night and was closed with 10 stitches, began to bleed profusely in the first inning. The club hadn’t thought it’d be an issue. Per Major League Baseball rules, Bauer had to leave the game, putting the bullpen in the most difficult position it’s been in this season.
Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller rallied to allow just two runs in 8⅓ innings, winning an effective “bullpen game” on one of baseball’s biggest stages.
Miller gave up a leadoff hit in the ninth before striking out consecutive batters. Jason Kipnis then ranged far behind second base to backhand a grounder by Darwin Barney and threw him out at first to end the game.
Of all the unpredictable ways the Indians have won and overcome an obstacle the last several weeks, Monday night’s win to put them one game from the World Series is at the top of the list.
The Indians battled in the early going behind Mike Napoli, who awakened from his postseason slumber. Napoli, hitting .111 in the postseason, drove an RBI double off of Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman to right field that bounced in and out of Jose Bautista’s glove to give the Indians an early 1-0 lead. With it tied 1-1 in the fourth, Napoli again put the Indians on top by clubbing a solo home run to left-center field.
The Blue Jays twice tied it, first on Michael Saunders’ solo home run in the second inning off Otero and then on Ryan Goins’ RBI groundout in the fifth against McAllister. Goins’ hit scored Ezequiel Carrera, who led off the inning with a triple.
In the sixth, the Indians broke free. Kipnis drilled a home run off Stroman to right field to make it 3-2, and Napoli drew a walk and advanced on a wild pitch by relief pitcher Joe Biagini. Jose Ramirez then singled to center field to score Napoli and give the Indians a 4-2 cushion.
Now with a lead in the sixth, it for the first time resembled a normal day for the Indians’ shut-down bullpen. Shaw worked the sixth, his second inning, before handing the ball to Allen in the seventh, an earlier-than-normal appearance for the Indians’ usual closer.
With two runners on and two outs, Josh Donaldson lined a ball to left field that Coco Crisp hauled in with a sliding basket catch to end the inning.
Dioner Navarro led off the ninth with a single against Miller, who entered the game with two outs in the eighth in relief of Allen. With the tying run at the plate, Miller struck out Kevin Pillar and Melvin Upton Jr. before Kipnis made a great play to retire Barney and end the game.
The Indians lost their starting pitcher in the first inning in Game 3, but they’ll play for a spot in the World Series at 4:08 p.m. Tuesday in Game 4.
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