As Encarnacion returns, trip to ALCS up for grabs
CLEVELAND — The Indians’ lineup was at full power for Game 5 on Wednesday night with the return of Edwin Encarnacion.
After missing two games with a sprained right ankle, the Indians’ cleanup hitter was in the lineup as the defending AL champions met the Yankees in the decisive finale of the AL Division Series.
Encarnacion sat out two losses in New York after injuring his ankle while scrambling back to second base in the first inning of Game 2. But after testing it Tuesday, Encarnacion was cleared.
“Everybody was making a big deal out of him running,” manager Terry Francona said. “And I understand that. But it’s not like he’s a base stealer.
“I wanted to see him hit. If he really can’t hit, being out there in name doesn’t help. I watched him in the cage and really came away thinking, ‘If I really wasn’t looking for it, I wouldn’t have known,’ which is really uplifting.”
Encarnacion’s power and presence changed the lineup. He hit 38 home runs and drove in 107 runs during his first regular season with the Indians, and without him in the lineup they lacked a big, gamechanging bat.
They entered Game 5 batting just .173 in the first four games.
Francona made one other subtle switch with his lineup, batting Austin Jackson sixth and Jay Bruce seventh. Jackson was hitting .306 (11-for-36) in his career against Yankees starter CC Sabathia. Game 1: Game 2: Game 3: Game 4: Game 5: Jackson provided protection for Carlos Santana, who had also done well against Sabathia, batting .306 (11-for-36) with one homer and three RBIs.
“You try not to upset the apple cart,” Francona said. “We’ve done things a certain way the whole year. But against CC I just wanted to make sure that coming through the middle that guys get pitched to, especially Santana. I thought that this was the best way to go about it.”
Their season was on the line, and the Indians, who hadn’t lost three straight since Aug. 1, knew it.
“Boils down to the loser goes home,” Game 5 starter Corey Kluber said.
Unable to put the Yankees away in the Bronx, the Indians, chasing their first World Series title since 1948, got another chance to advance to a date with the Astros in the AL Championship Series.
The Indians’ 2-0 series lead seemed to vanish in a New York minute. The wild-card winners edged the Indians 1-0 in Game 3, then took advantage of four errors by one of baseball’s best defensive teams in Game 4 to win 7-3.
After the Yankees blew a five-run lead and lost Game 2 in 13 innings Friday night, it appeared their days were numbered.
Instead, they fought back. Sabathia knew they would.
“This is a team that I felt like every time we had tough times or backs against the wall, I felt like we responded really well,” said Sabathia. “So I didn’t see why we couldn’t end up back here.”