Oct 10, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Indians left fielder Coco Crisp (4) celebrates with catcher Roberto Perez (55) after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox during game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series at Fenway Park. Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
— The Cleveland Indians, given little postseason chance after losing two of their top three starting pitchers, completed a three-game American League Division Series sweep of the Red Sox and ended the career of David Ortiz with a 4-3 victory over Boston on Monday night.
Ortiz, who played in all 76 postseason games the Red Sox were involved in starting in 2003, announced his retirement last November and then had an outstanding final season. He drove in a run with a sacrifice fly Monday, but he was just 1-for-9 in the three-game playoff that saw the Red Sox score just seven runs.
When the game ended, the crowd chanted “Thank You, Papi” and then “We Want Papi.” Ortiz later came out to acknowledge the fans, and he was crying as he left the field for the final time.
The Indians, who survived when Travis Shaw flied meekly to right field with two on and two outs in the ninth inning, host the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in the opener of the AL Championship Series.
Former Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp, who earlier laid down a sacrifice to set up a two-run single by rookie Tyler Naquin, hit a two-run homer off reliever Drew Pomeranz to make it 4-1 in the sixth.
Right-hander Josh Tomlin, winning a head-to-head pitching battle with junior college teammate Clay Buchholz, worked five-plus innings of two-run ball and got the victory. Andrew Miller pitched two scoreless innings. Bryan Shaw came on in the eighth, got two outs and left with a runner on — after a nifty stop by third baseman Jose Ramirez on Mookie Betts.
Closer Cody Allen entered to face Ortiz and walked him on four pitches. Standing on first base, Ortiz waved for the crowd to get loud, and it did. Hanley Ramirez then lined an RBI single, but after Ortiz left for a pinch runner, Xander Bogaerts (two hits) lined out to second to end the inning.
Allen then got the first two outs in the ninth before Jackie Bradley Jr., 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts in the series to that point, singled on a 3-2 pitch. Dustin Pedroia worked out a 3-2 walk. Travis Shaw, who didn’t start the game, hit a fly ball on 3-2 pitch, sealing Allen’s second save of the series.
The Red Sox, who won the American League East, lost eight of their last nine games. They failed to score more than one run in an inning in any of their last 44 frames of the season.
After right fielder Bogaerts misjudged Carlos Santana’s pop fly into a single to start the game, the Indians had two on and one out in the first but didn’t score. They had another hit in the second and a two-out double by Lindor in the third but didn’t break through until the fourth.
Ramirez led off with a single and Lonnie Chisenhall walked before Crisp bunted the runners over. Naquin, who hammers low breaking pitches, got a low breaking pitch and singled to right to bring home two.
A diving stop by second baseman Pedroia avoided additional trouble, and Buchholz was done after four innings. The right-hander gave up two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four.
The Red Sox had first and second and one out in the second but Andrew Benintendi banged into a double play. One of the two runners in the inning came on Tomlin’s first walk since Aug. 25.
Then, with one out in the fifth, Bogaerts collected his second single and scored when Benintendi got a fly ball to the wall in left for the double.
NOTES: The four homers hit by the Indians in the Games 1 and 2 matched a team record for most home runs hit in the first two games of any playoff series. … The Indians improved to 20-13 in division series games, while the Red Sox fell to 19-21. … DH David Ortiz played in his 76th consecutive Red Sox postseason game dating back to 2003. He hit 12 homers in his last 31 postseason games at Fenway Park.
