Day 57

Fresh Start_57: “The Mets of 2016?”
I will come out and say this: I was not a believer in this Cleveland Indians ball club at any point in this season. I apologize to my good friend Tim Haines for that. I can’t even give for credit to myself for the title of this article, my partner and co-host on the Play by Play podcast Nick Paradies for giving me this title from one of our podcasts.

Everything has been against the Indians throughout the playoffs with their injuries that they have endured. The team has been so unconventional with the approach they have taken throughout the playoffs. For example, in the ALDS when Andrew Miller came in, in only the fifth inning. Or tonight, when, thanks to a bloody finger to Trevor Bauer the Indians put a pitcher in every over inning. The most a Cleveland pitcher threw last night was an inning and two thirds—by Bryan Shaw. Miller would ultimately come in and save Game Three going an inning and a third, but for everything that the Indians have gone through, it is almost improbable that Cleveland even has life nonetheless be up 3-0 on a team that was scorching hot entering the series in the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto was 4-0 entering this series, winning pretty much every game by virtue of the home run ball. Edwin Encarnaciòn save the season with a walk-off three-run homer in the Wild Card game. Jose Bautista hit a key home run against the Rangers along with last year’s AL MVP Josh Donaldson. What Cleveland pitching has been able to do is neutralize the bats of Toronto something that was just going to indelibly come for the Blue Jays.
But, on in the other dugout, while stopping great pitching—the Indians also have their fair share of long balls this postseason. Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis in Game One of the ALDS against Boston, Lindor in Game One of this series, and last night Kipnis again hitting a key home run to give Cleveland the lead. The solo shot last night by Kipnis extended the lead for the Tribe and gave Cleveland fans everywhere hope that this might be the year of Ohio in the major sports in the U.S. (sorry no, not the Dog Pawd). But for the rest of Northeast Ohio the excitement has to be real and alive with the current position the Indians are in and the position the city is in after Lebron James lifted the Fifty-Two Championship Curse off the city as he promised.

Karma has a funny way of always coming back to those who have been faithful and good; and that doesn’t always mean in real life and relationships either, sports karma is alive and well, and with the potential of seeing a Cubs/Indians World Series karma will have something to do with the outcome.

Sources:(mlb.com, espn.com, baseballreference.com)
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