AROUND THE HORN

Indians:

The Indians won their last home game before becoming the Guardians, beating the Royals 8-3 on Monday to close a run that started in 1915 and will continue next season with a new identity. Amed Rosario homered and Cal Quantrill pitched six strong innings to delight a Progressive Field crowd of 13,121 that came to see their team as the Indians play one last time. Rosario finished with four hits and three RBIs. The Indians’ Bradley Zimmer homered off his brother, Royals reliever Kyle Zimmer, in the eighth. Salvador Perez drove in two runs for the Royals. The home finale was the club’s final game in Cleveland as the Indians, ending a 106-year run in a city where the name will forever be attached to those of legendary players like Bob Feller, Larry Doby and Jim Thome. But now the Indians are a memory, just not yet faded or distant. The team announced the name change earlier this year in the wake of a nationwide reckoning over racist names and symbols. For some, the change was overdue. Others still aren’t ready. When “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” was played during the seventh-inning stretch, Cleveland fans shouted “root, root, root for the Indians!” as if to send a message. And in the ninth, fans chanted “Let’s Go Indians!” The Indians won two World Series (1920, ’48) as the Indians, and came close to winning it all in ’95, ’97 and 2016 only to twice lose in heartbreaking fashion. Now, baseball’s longest current title drought carries on under a new name. In reality, the switch to Guardians already has begun. For Monday’s game, there were 2022 schedules featuring the team’s new scripted logo stacked in the back of the press box.

Reds: Joey Votto homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Reds pounded the visiting Pirates 13-1 to stay alive in the race for the second NL wild card. Nick Castellanos, rookie Jonathan India and Eugenio Suarez also connected as the Reds (82-75) posted their fourth straight victory, clinching a second straight winning season. Castellanos had five RBIs, and India finished with four hits and scored four times. The Reds pulled within 5 games of idle Cardinals for the second wild card. The Cards (87-69) need just one more win to secure the spot. The 38-yearold Votto made a successful return to the lineup after missing two games with a sore left knee. The first baseman hit a two-run shot off Connor Overton (0-1) during the Reds’ four-run first, and then connected for another two-run drive against Cody Ponce in the fourth. The six-time All-Star has 35 HRs and 96 RBIs in his best season since he nearly won a second NL MVP award in 2017. Castellanos hit two sacrifice flies before belting his 33rd HR in the sixth, a three-run shot to center. Reiver Sanmartin pitched 5 innings of one-run ball for the Reds in his big league debut. The 25-year-old lefthander struck out five and walked one in the makeup of a rainout last week. Sanmartin was promoted from Triple-A Louisville to step in for Wade Miley, who’s on the IL with a neck strain. Sanmartin became the first Reds pitcher to win his first career start since Amir Garrett in 2017. Anthony Alford had two hits for last-place Pirates (58-98), including a double.