Blue Jays, Indians Pick Up Playoff Wins

By ESPN

Jose Bautista hit another long, punctuating home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in the playoffs against the Texas Rangers.

This time, Bautista dropped his bat softly near home plate and rounded the bases after a 425-foot, three-run blast in the ninth inning of the Blue Jays' 10-1 romp Thursday in Game 1 of the AL Division Series.

"I have a couple of home runs in my career and I think I've only flipped it once," Bautista said. "Just kind of been blown out of proportion because of the moment last year. So I don't think there was anything too special about laying it down the way I did, because that's the way that 99.9-plus percent of the time I do it."

Bautista had that emphatic bat flip after his tiebreaking homer in the ALDS Game 5 clincher last October against the Rangers, and got punched the last time the Blue Jays played in Texas in May. He drove in four runs this time, including an RBI single in Toronto's five-run third off All-Star lefty Cole Hamels.

Marco Estrada took a shutout into the ninth inning. The All-Star right-hander with an impressive changeup, who won Game 3 in last year's ALDS after Toronto lost the first two at home, struck out six without a walk.

"He's mastered his craft," manager John Gibbons said. "He's a very calm guy. ... He doesn't get down on himself. As well as he's pitched in two years here, really no need."

Estrada has never pitched a complete game in the majors and the Blue Jays didn't throw one this season. No matter, Estrada gave them all they needed to start this best-of-five series.

Indians 5, Red Sox 4

Boom! Bang! Pow! Nine pitches, three homers, one devastating inning.

Back in October's spotlight, the Cleveland Indians rocked Rick Porcello for three long balls in the third inning in their AL Division Series opener. Francisco Lindor's homer capped the rampage off the 22-game winner, and the Indians held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Thursday night.

Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Robert Perez went deep in the third off Porcello, who lasted 4⅓ innings in his shortest outing this year.

After skipping down the third-base line and touching home plate, Lindor pointed toward the starry sky.

"If this is what October's like, I want to do this every year," Lindor said. "I didn't even know where I was. I was just jumping and screaming."

Before a sea of red-towel waving, screaming fans, the Indians got a jump in the best-of-5 series against David Ortiz and the AL East champions.

Andrew Miller, acquired by Cleveland in a July trade for an October night like this, pitched two scoreless innings for the win . Summoned by manager Terry Francona earlier than usual, the lefty struck out Ortiz with two on to end the fifth and threw a season-high 40 pitches.

Bryan Shaw gave up a leadoff homer to Boston's Brock Holt in the eighth that made it 5-4 before Cody Allen struck out Xander Bogaerts with the potential tying run at third to end the inning. Boston put a runner on with two outs in the ninth but Allen fanned Dustin Pedroia on a full-count checked-swing , his 40th pitch, for the save. Pedroia was livid, and Farrell went onto the field to question plate umpire Brian Knight.

Pedroia had a few words for first-base umpire Phil Cuzzi and then fired his helmet in disgust on his way into the dugout.

Later, Boston's fiery second baseman regretted his actions.

"I went, but I just was frustrated with the situation," he said. "I'll apologize to Phil tomorrow for giving him a piece of my mind."

Friday, October 7 Schedule (All Times Central)

Toronto at Texas, noon

ALDS - GAME 2

Boston at Cleveland, 3:30 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 2

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington, 4:30 p.m.

NLDS - GAME 1

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 8 p.m.

Saturday, October 8 Schedule (All Times Central)

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington, 3 p.m.

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 7 p.m.

Sunday, October 9 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Boston, 3 p.m.

Texas at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.