Indians' Fans Have Their Hearts Broken Again This Time By The Yankees

For the fifth time in the past 20 years, Cleveland Indians' fans are heartbroken.

In 1997, the Indians lost Game 7 of the World Series in extra innings to the Florida Marlins thanks to an extra inning single by Edgar Renteria.

In 1999, the Indians blew a 2-0 lead in the ALDS to the Boston Red Sox thanks to Pedro Martinez's six innings of no-hit ball and a grand slam home run by Troy O'Leary.

In 2007, the Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the ALCS again to the Boston Red Sox with Manny Being Manny.

Last year, in 2016, the Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series as the Chicago Cubs came back to win after a rain delay in extra innings to win their first World Series in 108 years.

And now in 2017, the Indians blew a 2-0 lead in the ALDS against the New York Yankees who beat them tonight in Game 5 of the ALDS 5-2.

The Cleveland Indians have not won a World Series since 1948 and they will have to wait yet another year.

The Indians pretty much lost this game in the first inning when Corey Kluber gave up a solo home run to Didi Gregorius. Didi would hit another HR this time a two run shot off Kluber in the third to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Kluber was gone in the fourth having had two ineffective outings against the Yankees in the post-season. Aside from Trevor Bauer's six plus inning effort in Game 1, the Indians starting rotation was ineffective.

The Indians did have a glimmer of hope in the fifth inning when they scored two runs on back to back singles by Roberto Perez and Giovanny Urshela to bring it within one forcing C.C. Sabathia out of the game. But David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman shut them down the rest of the way.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the 9 pitches Indians closer Cody Allen threw to Todd Frazier and the 12 pitches he threw to Bret Gardner (his second 12 pitch at bat of the game). On Allen's 12th pitch, Gardner singled in a run with Frazier scoring on a throwing error by Jay Bruce. Earlier in the inning, Austin Jackson also made an uncharacteristic error. The 5-2 lead was too much for the Indians to overcome.

The Indians peaked too soon. Their five run comeback against the Yankees in Game 2 put the spotlight on Yankees manager Joe Girardi for not challenging Lonnie Chisenhall being hit by a pitch when the replay showed his bat was hit instead. But Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino stepped up in Games 3 and 4, respectively while the bullpen threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings tonight.

The Yankees advance to the ALCS against the Houston Astros. Game 1 begins Friday night in Houston.

The Yankees and Astros met up in the 2015 AL Wild Card Game which Houston won. But I believe the Yankees will prevail this time fulfilling my prediction of them winning the AL pennant this year.