Indians celebrate division title with eyes on Series win

CLEVELAND — There was champagne chilling on ice for them, bottles and bottles of bubbly and beer.


But before the Cleveland Indians partied after winning a second straight AL Central title, there was work to be done to complete a week none of them will ever forget.

They could have taken the easy route and phoned it in.

Not this team.

“We want to win,” Corey Kluber said.

Cleveland’s ace pushed to the front of the Cy Young race with another dominant start and Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer as the Indians, who officially clinched the division crown a day earlier, kept on rolling with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Kluber (17-4), who has lost once since July 4, allowed three singles in seven innings and has not given up a run in 22 straight.

The right-hander set the tone on a day of celebration which began with the Indians standing together in front of their dugout to watch a flag rise beyond the center-field wall commemorating their latest division title.

The Indians were going to have a good time — win or lose — but they didn’t want to disappoint another sellout crowd or fans captivated by their recent record 22-game winning streak.

“When we come out here and it’s time to play, we want to win,” Kluber said. “Nobody in that clubhouse likes losing, so regardless of whether we clinched or not, we were going to come out and try to win the ballgame and here’s what we’re going to do from here on out.”

Encarnacion homered in the fourth off Danny Duffy (8-9) as the Indians improved to 33-5 since Aug. 11 despite getting only three hits.
The Royals closed to 3-2 in the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by Brandon Moss off Tyler Olson. Cody Allen finished the inning and then worked out of a two-on jam in the ninth for his 28th save.

As they left the field, the Indians were handed AL Central championship T-shirts, caps and swimming googles to put on before heading to their clubhouse. Moments later, champagne corks popped and the room was turned into a free-for-all of sudsy spray.

Last year, the Indians celebrated their division, playoff and AL Championship Series wins on the road. Being at home made this one more special.

“It never gets old,” said pitcher Josh Tomlin, who has been with the Indians since 2010. “This is why you play the game — to win. And to be able to celebrate victories like this or little milestones like this.”

Kluber could be on his way to a second Cy Young Award win, following 2014′s. The right-hander is 10-1 in his last 10 starts.

Despite missing nearly a month, he leads the league in wins (17), ERA (2.35), shutouts (3) and complete games (5).

In the major statistical categories, Kluber trails only Boston’s Chris Sale, his closest competition for the pitching award, in strikeouts.

“He’s a tough draw,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s a premier guy. The year he won the Cy Young is the way he looks now. He’s in the conversation again this year.”

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Jason Kipnis didn’t embarrass himself in the outfield. He didn’t do anything, really.

The Indians’ two-time All-Star second baseman made his debut in center but didn’t have a chance. He had been on the disabled list since Aug. 6 with a hamstring injury.

“It was good. I didn’t touch a ball all day offensively or defensively,” said Kipnis, who struck out twice. “I had nothing, but it was fun. Obviously, I had some nerves.”

As soon as Kipnis left the game, two balls were immediately hit to center.

ANOTHER STREAK

The Indians have allowed four runs or less in 24 consecutive games, the longest such streak since the St. Louis Cardinals had a 25-game run in 1942-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (pulled side muscle) and OF Lorenzo Cain (rest) sat out but are expected to return Tuesday for the series opener in Toronto.

Indians: All-Star 2B Jose Ramirez (hamstring) was rested for the second day in a row as a precaution. … Team president Chris Antonetti said there is still no clarity on whether OF Michael Brantley will return this season. He’s been out since Aug. 9 with an ankle injury. … Rookie OF Bradley Zimmer (broken hand) is keeping up with his conditioning and maintaining his arm strength after surgery. Zimmer had a plate and nine screws inserted into his hand, which he broke on a headfirst dive into first.

UP NEXT

Royals: Either RHP Ian Kennedy or Sam Gaviglio will start against the Blue Jays. Kennedy missed his last turn in the rotation with shoulder fatigue. Gaviglio has started twice since being claimed on waivers from Seattle.
Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger will look for his 11th win on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Los Angeles. He was drafted by the Angels in 2011 and traded to Cleveland in 2014.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Royals win World Series, rally past Mets

NEW YORK — Crown ’em, Kansas City!

One agonizing step from ecstasy last season, this time the Royals reign after their latest incredible comeback and a go-ahead hit from maybe the most unlikely player in uniform.

Christian Colon singled home the tiebreaking run in the 12th inning and those bound-and-determined Royals rallied one more time to beat the New York Mets 7-2 in 12 innings early Monday for their first World Series championship since 1985.

Down 2-0 in the ninth, Kansas City fought back in Game 5 against two of the top arms on the pitching-rich Mets: Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia. And the Royals did it not with home run power but instead a daring dash from Eric Hosmer, a three-run double by Lorenzo Cain, a couple of crucial stolen bases.

Consistent contact, keep the line moving.

“I couldn’t have written a better script,” manager Ned Yost said.

That’s how Series MVP Salvador Perez and the Royals became the first team since the 2002 Angels to come from behind in all four World Series wins, according to STATS.

That’s how they washed away the bitter taste of last year’s Game 7 loss at home to San Francisco, an October heartbreak that drove the Royals to their singular focus all season.

Never waver. Win it all this time.

“Kansas City is No. 1. Who cares about what happened last year?” Perez said.

Now, this group of homegrown favorites who turned around a floundering franchise, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon and Hosmer to name a few, take their place in Royals history alongside George Brett, Willie Wilson, Bret Saberhagen and those champs from 30 years ago.

They couldn’t have done it without major contributions from newcomers like Ben Zobrist, Johnny Cueto, Kendrys Morales, Chris Young and Alex Rios.

Next up, a parade to celebrate the club’s second title on Tuesday in Kansas City.

With no margin for error, Harvey put the Mets’ last hope in his hands and hung on as long as he could. After eight scoreless innings, he pushed to pitch the ninth and finally faltered.

“Obviously, I let my heart get in the way of my gut. I love my players. And I trust them,” manager Terry Collins said. “It didn’t work. It was my fault.”

New York slugger Yoenis Cespedes exited with knee pain but Curtis Granderson hit a leadoff homer, his third long ball of the Series, and the Mets managed a 2-0 lead against heavy-hearted Royals starter Edinson Volquez, pitching one day after returning from his father’s funeral.

But for these resilient Royals, no deficit is too large, no time in the game too late.

“We never quit. We never put our heads down,” Perez said. “We always compete to the last out.”

Perez looped a leadoff single in the 12th off losing pitcher Addison Reed, and pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson stole second. One out later, Colon stepped in as a pinch-hitter for his first plate appearance since the regular-season finale Oct. 4.

Hardly rusty, he lined a 1-2 pitch into left-center and pounded his chest at first base.

“He’s a winner,” Yost said.

Alcides Escobar added an RBI double, and Cain’s bases-loaded double off 42-year-old Bartolo Colon broke it open.

All that was left was for Wade Davis to close it out. He threw a called third strike past Wilmer Flores to end it and tossed his glove high in the air as the Royals rushed toward the mound to celebrate.

Hundreds of Royals fans dressed in blue descended toward the Kansas City dugout to cheer their champs. Perez received his MVP award after the catcher hit .364.

Later, the Mets came back onto the field to salute a smaller pocket of fans who stuck around for one last chant of “Let’s go, Mets!”

Royals reliever Luke Hochevar, drafted No. 1 overall by the team in 2006, pitched two hitless innings for the win.

Fired up all night, Harvey was at 102 pitches following a 1-2-3 eighth and stalked briskly back to the dugout with one purpose in mind. There, cameras caught him telling Collins — in no uncertain terms — he was going back out for the ninth.

Collins relented, and a huge roar went up as Harvey bounded off the bench and sprinted to the mound, looking for his second complete game in the majors. But he walked Cain on a full-count slider, and Hosmer hit an RBI double.

Harvey was pulled for closer Familia, and Hosmer advanced on Moustakas’ groundout to the right side.

Sound fundamentals, a Royals staple.

So up stepped Perez with the potential tying run 90 feet away, same as last year when he fouled out against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner to end the World Series.

This time, Perez got jammed and hit a slow grounder to third baseman David Wright, who froze Hosmer with a glance and threw across the diamond for the second out.

Hosmer, however, bolted for the plate when Wright released the ball. First baseman Lucas Duda fired wide of catcher Travis d’Arnaud — a good throw probably would have been in time — and Hosmer made a headfirst dive home with the tying run.

Hosmer celebrated with excited teammates, while Familia was saddled with his third blown save of the Series, though two were the result of shaky defense.

For the rising Mets, it was the final stop on a storybook ride. Underdogs in the NL East, they re-energized fans at Citi Field during their first winning season since Shea Stadium was still home in 2008, sweeping the Chicago Cubs for their first pennant in 15 years.

But the Mets remain without a World Series title since 1986.

Flush with young aces who flashed October mettle, New York could be a force for years to come. But first, offseason decisions on two important bats in the middle of the lineup: Cespedes and postseason star Daniel Murphy.

UP NEXT

In an unusual bit of fortuitous scheduling, the teams open next season with two interleague games at Kansas City in early April.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Giants surge past Royals 11-4 to level World Series 2-2

SAN FRANCISCO — Pablo Sandoval’s single set up the tying run in the fifth inning before he followed with a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth to send the San Francisco Giants surging past the Kansas City Royals 11-4 Saturday at a raucous AT&T Park.

Hunter Pence, eyes ablaze, had three hits, three RBIs and a terrific sliding catch in the ninth inning, and Joe Panik hit a two-run double in a four-run seventh. San Francisco piled on 16 hits in a game that took exactly 4 hours.

The Series is level at two games each, ensuring the title will be decided at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium next week.

Madison Bumgarner tries to put the Giants ahead Sunday night when he starts against Royals ace James Shields in a rematch of the opener, won by the Giants 7-1.

Showcasing baseball at its exciting best, the game included a sprawling catch by Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson that left a pair of divots, and the first use of expanded video review in Series history — which became a turning point. Jeff Kellogg’s safe call at second base was upheld on catcher Salvador Perez’s pickoff attempt of Joaquin Arias, helping the Giants build the pivotal rally.

Four fans in the first row near the Giants dugout wore giant — of course — panda heads as they cheered on 2012 Series MVP Sandoval, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda and a veteran of the team’s World Series titles in 2010 and ’12. The switch-hitter batted just .199 right-handed during the regular season but came up with his first two-hit game from that side of the plate since Aug. 25, emphatically tossing his bat after lining a single to center that put the Giants ahead.

Lost in the torrent of runs was the earlier fit of pique by Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who threw his hat to the dugout floor when his infielders botched a third-inning grounder. The mood was different by the eighth, when former Journey singer Steve Perry sprinted to the front row of the second deck behind home plate and led the crowd of 43,066 in a sing-along of “When the Lights Go Down in the City.”

The Series outlook seemed far different in the third inning, when ominous, dark clouds formed over the bayside ballpark, and the Royals burst ahead 4-1 against Ryan Vogelsong with the help of the botched grounder. Orange-clad fans quieted, and there even were scattered boos.

But Yusmiero Petit settled the NL champions with three innings of scoreless, two-hit relief to improve to 3-0 in the postseason, and 11 different Giants had hits. Three of the 10 Giants in the No. 9 spot had hits; Petit singled to become the first Giants reliever to get a hit in the postseason in 78 years.

Royals manager Ned Yost stayed with starter Jason Vargas into the fifth inning, removing him after Panik’s leadoff double. Royals relievers had been 7-0 in the postseason and in Game 3 pitched four hitless innings to preserve a 3-2 win.

But Yost couldn’t get to his HDH triad of hard-throwing relievers: Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland.

Jason Frasor and Danny Duffy combined to allow the tying run in a two-run fifth. And Brandon Finnegan, the first player to appear in the College World Series and World Series in the same year, allowed Sandoval’s two-run single and Brandon Belt’s RBI’s single in the sixth.

There was intermittent light rain in the early innings. Pence’s RBI forceout in the first gave the Giants a short-lived lead.

Kansas City went ahead with a two-out four-run rally in the third with the help of two infield hits that gave the Royals 18 in the postseason, matching the total of all other teams combined. Eric Hosmer hit a slow tapper to the right side. Belt ranged far off first base to field it, and quickly looked to see if he could get a forceout at second.

With no play there, Belt whirled around and tried to toss to Vogelsong. But the pitcher didn’t get to the bag cleanly, messed up his footwork and had no chance to prevent Hosmer from reaching with a tying single.

Bochy slammed his cap to the dugout floor. Omar Infante grounded a two-run single up the middle for a 3-1 lead, making him 10 for 15 against Vogelsong, and Perez followed with a bloop single to short center for a 4-1 lead.

Buster Posey cut the deficit in the bottom half with an RBI single, tying Barry Bonds’ team record of 21 career postseason RBIs, and the Giants tied the score in the fifth.

After Panik’s leadoff double, Frasor relieved with one out and Pence hit an RBI single that caused Frasor to throw up both arms in frustration. Duffy entered, Sandoval singled Pence to third, Duffy loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk to Belt and Juan Perez’s sacrifice fly made it 4-4.

source: sports.inquirer.net