07 October, 2017
With the Friday win, Cleveland is up 2-0 in this best-of-five and as such needs only one more win to advance to the ALCS for a second straight year. (All told, he went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, leaving three men on base.) The bigger concern, though, is the series-level significance of Encarnacion's injury, should he find himself unable to play the rest of the way.
Here is the transcript of the manager's postgame interview after the Yankees' controversial 9-8 loss to the Indians in Game 2 of the ALDS. Todd Frazier led off the inning and reached second base on a throwing error by rookie third baseman Erik Gonzalez. Manager Joe Girardi said it was because Ellsbury had the most success - a career.263 average (5-for-19) - against RHP Corey Kluber than any Yankees player. Gomez promptly picked Torreyes off with an outstanding pop time of 1.7 seconds.
However, Brantley has been testing his ankle and it's possible his role could expand and he could play in the field. I had a good time. "That's how we always do it". Lindor seemed like he was going to be pretty close, and then when you see them getting the challenge call going, you're getting pretty excited about it. "Glad we got it done".
In the end, Yan Gomes' walk-off hit plated Austin Jackson with the winning run.
Jackson held his right index finger aloft as he circled third base.
Down 8-3, facing New York's vaunted bullpen, the Indians came back. "I'm just excited that so many doctors and trainers helped me get back to this situation and be a part of this". The pitches were there. "I threw a few pitches that I wish I could take back ... but I had a great time, and I enjoyed it, mainly because I didn't give up a ton of runs and lose the game".
The break came in the 13th inning when Yan Gomes smoked the ball to left corner on a walk-off single and drove in the game-winning run.
Francona said an MRI showed a sprain and that Encarnacion, who hit 38 homers with 107 RBIs, is day to day. Brantley missed 50 games after August 8, when he got hurt while tracking a fly ball.
Judge and Sanchez combined to hit 85 home runs during the regular season. Greg Bird had a launched a two-run homer in the fifth to give NY an 8-3 cushion. Nationals vs Cubs is going to be an absolute bloodbath, the Diamondbacks could produce a surprising upset, and Yankees vs Indians should have some all-time pitching performances by both starters and relievers.
Castro, productive all year when not on the DL, rapped his second hit in the third for a 3-3 tie, before Hicks followed two batters later by clocking a 2-2 hanging curve for a three-run homer to chase Kluber after recording just eight outs, his shortest outing of the year.
Josh Tomlin was penciled in as the Game 4 starter, but Francona will have to rethink that because he had to call on Tomlin to pitch the final two innings October 6 to earn the win. He batted.299 with nine homers and 52 RBIs in 90 games, including.357 with a homer against NY this season.
"You could make the argument the field is as strong as it's been in recent memory - and not just with one or two defined strengths, but really well-rounded teams", Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, said last week. "We believe in our entire team and it took an entire team to win that game". As they've done so many times in a season becoming more special by the day, the defending AL champions battled back and can now put the Yankees away in NY - just as they did in the 2007 ALDS.
