Despite a ninth inning rally, the Boston Red Sox could not overcome the Cleveland Indians who won Game 3 of the ALDS 4-3 sweeping the Bosox and ending the career of one David Ortiz (more on him in a separate post).
Former Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, who won a World Series ring in Boston in 2007, put the nail in the coffin with a two run home run in the sixth inning. The year that Crisp got his World Series ring was the year the Tribe were last in the ALCS falling to the Red Sox after 3-1 series lead.
The Indians will host the Toronto Blue Jays for Game 1 of the ALCS on Friday. The Jays also swept their ALDS agains the Texas Rangers yesterday. This is the second time this year the two cities have faced off against each other in a playoff. The Cleveland Cavaliers bested the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Eastern Conference Final before going on to win their first NBA Title.
Should the Indians dispatch the Jays they will win their first AL pennant since 1997. Of course, the Indians have not won a World Series since 1948. It's a long drought although it pales in comparison to that of the Chicago Cubs who haven't been in a World Series since 1945 and haven't won it all since 1908.
Despite the Cavaliers win earlier this year, championships have been few and far between in Cleveland. A World Series win by the Tribe would be a big deal. It would be an even bigger deal with Terry Francona in the dugout. After all, it was Francona who led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004. If Tito leads another club to a World Series title after a long drought he will have written his ticket to Cooperstown.
However, the Blue Jays aren't about to roll over and play dead. But if the Indians can sweep the Red Sox without two of their key starting pitchers (Carlos Carrasco & Danny Salazar) then the Jays will have their work cut out for them.
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