The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Virtual standing ovation for Carrasco’s return
Carrasco completes return from leukemia with starting gem
Carlos Carrasco returned from leukemia with a starting gem in Indians’ 9-2home victory July 26 over the Royals.
Takeaways from the Indians’ 9-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on July 26 at Progressive Field:
• It is impossible to not like Carlos Carrasco, impossible for anyone with a heart to not root for him last year as he battled chronic myeloid leukemia for three months to make a dramatic return to the Indians lineup as a reliever in September, all the while encouraging children in Cleveland Clinic facing the same struggle. He never pouted. He never sought sympathy.
Carrasco on July 26 made his first start since May 30 of last year. He threw 84 pitches, struck out 10 Kansas City Royals, and took the mound to start the seventh inning with a 7-2 lead. He gave up a double to Maikel Franco to start the inning, and then Manager Terry Francona walked to the mound, pulled Carrasco, and replaced him with Oliver Perez.
Perez, incidentally, has now been pitching in 18 Major League seasons — a record for pitchers born in Mexico.
It is a shame no fans were in the Progressive Field seats, although they would not have been in those seats when Carrasco triumphantly walked to the dugout. They would have been standing and clapping and cheering, because the feel-good story of last year felt even better after Carrasco kept the Royals at bay all day, primarily with his curveball and changeup.
“You guys know my last start was May 30,” Carrasco said in a postgame Zoom conference. “I was just waiting for this moment. I kept my emotions down and just thought about the way I had to pitch.
“Just getting here to the stadium this morning, I was so happy to get back to the rotation. I’ve been through a lot. I never put anything really bad in my mind. It’s always something good. That’s what I did from Day One.”
Francona said he could not tell this was an emotional start for Carrasco.
“And I mean that as a compliment,” the Indians manager said. “He was very professional about it.’
• One reason the Indians were 30-30 after 60 games last season is Jose Ramirez was stuck in a
slump the entire first half of the season. He broke out of that slump in midJuly and the Indians closed the gap on Minnesota, though not enough to overtake the Twins and win their fourth straight American League Central title.
One reason they are 2-1 this season is Ramirez is starting 2020 the way he ended 2019. He is hitting .417 with five hits in 12 atbats. He has a double, two home runs and five RBI.
Ramirez, normally the Indians third baseman, was the designated hitter July 26 in the rubber match against the Royals at Progressive Field. His three-run home run to right center in the bottom of the fourth inning, driving in Yu Chang and Cesar Hernandez, gave the Indians a 7-1 lead.
Ramirez reached first on a throwing error by Royals third baseman Erick Mejia in his first at-bat. He singled and hustled to
third in his second at-bat when the bouncer he hit was misplayed by Royals right fielder Franchy Cordero.
J-Ram hit his three-run blast from the left side of the plate in his third at-bat and, for an encore, batted right-handed and homered off the left-field foul pole in the bottom of the sixth for an 8-2 Tribe lead.
“I can’t come up with a reason not to want to see that,” Francona said. “We know that Frankie (Lindor) and Carlos (Santana) are going to get hot, so that will help. In the meantime, I thought Domingo (Santana) swung the bat really well today (3-for-3). Early on, Franmil (Reyes) slicing that ball the other way to right field for a base hit to get us on the board. There was a lot of good things today.”
The Indians need Ramirez at his best if they are going to win the division this year. Maybe it is too early to say confidently
that the first half of last season was just an anomaly. But maybe not.
• How dominant was the Indians starting pitching against the Royals? Shane Bieber (14), Mike Clevinger (six) and Carrasco (10) combined for 30 strikeouts and two walks over 19 innings.
Bieber held the Royals scoreless over the six innings he pitched in the opener July 24. Clevinger gave up two home runs in the first inning the next day and then pitched six shutout innings.
Carrasco certainly did not pitch as though he were making his first start in nearly 14 months.
The Indians’ Big Three has given Aaron Civale, the starter July 27 when the Tribe hosts the Chicago White Sox at 7:10 p.m., a tough act to follow.