BOSTON: So much for being counted out. So much for the Indians losing too many key players to contend in the postseason.
So much for it being a short October.
The Indians took down the Boston Red Sox 4-3 Monday night at Fenway Park to complete a three-game sweep to advance to the American League Championship Series. The Indians will face the Toronto Blue Jays for the right to go to the World Series. Game 1 of the ALCS is Friday at Progressive Field.
Closer Cody Allen survived a shaky ninth, retiring Travis Shaw on a flyout to right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall with runners on first and second to end it.
Coco Crisp — acquired on Aug. 31, only a day before the deadline to be added onto the postseason roster — came away with arguably the biggest hit for the Indians in October thus far. With the Indians holding a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, the former Red Sox outfielder drilled a two-run home run off former Indians pitcher Drew Pomeranz over the Green Monster to make it 4-1.
Those two runs proved to be crucial.
The Indians needed all three healthy starting pitchers to at least hold baseball’s best offense at bay.
After Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber did their jobs in Games 1 and 2, respectively, Josh Tomlin followed suit, holding the Red Sox and their vaunted lineup to two earned runs on four hits in five innings to go with four strikeouts.
As Tomlin cruised for the first few innings, the Indians took a 2-0 lead in the fourth against Clay Buchholz. Jose Ramirez opened the inning with a single, Chisenhall followed with a walk, and both advanced on Crisp’s sacrifice bunt.
That brought up rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin, whose first career postseason hit turned out to be a two-run single to right field.
It wasn’t until the fifth that the Red Sox found some offensive momentum against Tomlin. Xander Bogaerts singled and then scored on Andrew Benintendi’s double off the wall in left field to make it 2-1.
Francisco Lindor’s relay throw home nearly nailed Bogaerts at the plate but was a split-second too late.
Tomlin allowed a single to Dustin Pedroia to begin the sixth, prompting Indians manager Terry Francona to go to Andrew Miller.
Miller struck out Aaron Hill but then gave up a double off the Green Monster to Mookie Betts, putting runners on second and third.
David Ortiz, in the final game of his illustrious baseball career, then lined a ball to center field that was caught by Rajai Davis but deep enough to score Pedroia and make it 4-2.
Miller finished the sixth and got through the seventh without further incident and Bryan Shaw entered for the eighth. He struck out Pedroia and allowed a single to Travis Shaw, bringing the tying run to the plate.
MVP candidate Betts then drilled a ball to Ramirez, who made a diving play to his right to field it and threw to second for the second out of the inning.
Francona then called upon Allen, who walked Ortiz in his final at-bat to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Hanley Ramirez lined a single just past a diving Lindor for an RBI single to left field, making it a 4-3 game.
Bogaerts followed with a rocket line drive up the middle, but it was right at Jason Kipnis to end the eighth inning.
Allen retired the first two batters in the ninth before running into trouble.
He allowed a single to Jackie Bradley Jr. and then walked Pedroia, putting the game-tying run in scoring position and the game-winning run on first.
On Allen’s 40th pitch, he finally induced Shaw to pop out to Chisenhall in right field, ending the game and sending the Indians into their first postseason celebration since 2007.
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