Indians Top Blue Jays 3-0 In ALCS Game 5 To Reach First World Series Since 1997

The Cleveland Indians have defied the odds to become the American League champions.

Indians Top Blue Jays 3-0 In ALCS Game 5 To Reach First World Series Since 1997

Rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt– with only one Major League start to his name– helped lead the Tribe to a 3-0 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto in Game 5 of the ALCS Wednesday night.

The Indians have now advanced to their first World Series since 1997. Cleveland’s last World Series title came in 1948; only the Chicago Cubs (1908) have gone longer without winning the championship.

Incidentally, the Indians could be facing the Cubs in the World Series this year. Chicago is tied 2-2 with Los Angeles in the NLCS.

Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp homered for the Tribe, who won the series 4-1.

“Nobody has shied away from the challenges that we’ve faced,” Indians ace Corey Kluber said. “It speaks to the kinds of guys we have. Nobody is backing down from anything. Everybody is just trying to go out there and do their jobs.”

Merritt, 24, is a player so unknown that team owner Paul Dolan was searching for the pitcher in the clubhouse celebration to introduce himself. Cleveland’s big win seems fitting given that Merritt was the one who led them to it.

“It is absolutely fitting,” said Dolan, as he held the AL championship trophy under his left arm. “It just demonstrates this was an organizational win. We’ve built a system, so when we needed somebody to step up in a crucial moment, we have people behind them.”

On the last out, Troy Tulowitzki popped up a pitch from closer Cody Allen, sending the ball floating into foul territory in front of the Indians’ dugout. Santana camped under the ball, squeezed it with his glove and fell to his knees. As Santana raised both his arms, his teammates formed a mob all around him to celebrate.

“I think ‘it’ is the right word. We just have ‘it,'” said ALCS MVP Award winner Andrew Miller. “Nobody’s scared. We started a guy that had one career start today, and we had confidence in him, and I think that’s special. It’s just top to bottom, like I said, there’s 25 guys, the staff, top down from ownership, the way they treat us is unbelievable. There’s a good reason why we’re here.”

Merritt threw 4 1/3 shutout innings against Toronto, retiring 10 batters before allowing a single to reigning AL Most Valuable Player Award winner Josh Donaldson in the fourth. Merritt moved on unfazed, creating a double-play grounder off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion to end the frame. The lefty struck out three, scattered two hits and walked none.

“The only guy that really got in his way was probably me,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “He gave up one hit, but I thought where he got us, we could turn it over to our bullpen, the guys that have been doing it all year. But for him to do what he did under those circumstances — he may not look the part, but he is beyond his years, and it’s one of the most phenomenal things I’ve ever seen.”

The roaring crowd was silenced by a first-inning run, which was delivered via a wall-bruising double by Mike Napoli. Santana and Crisp then hit solo homers in the third and fourth, respectively. Both home runs came off the Blue Jays’ Marco Estrada, who pitched six strong innings. It marked the second consecutive season in which Toronto exited early in Toronto during the ALCS.

Game 1 of the World Series will be Tuesday at Progressive Field. Kluber would likely start for the Indians, who will face the winner of the Cubs-Dodgers NLCS.

Toronto’s season is over. The Jays will open the 2017 season against the Orioles in Baltimore on April 3, with the 2017 home opener set for April 11 against the Brewers.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 19: The Cleveland Indians celebrate after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays with a score of 3 to 0 in game five of the American League Championship Series at Rogers Centre on October 19, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)