Los Angeles (AFP) – Coco Crisp smashed a two-run homer and Cody Allen silenced two comeback bids Monday to lift Cleveland over Boston 4-3 and a sweep of their Major League Baseball playoff series.
Despite allowing Boston to put the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and ninth innings, the Indians were able to complete a sweep of the Red Sox in the best-of-five series.
“It was nerve-wracking, intense, but that’s what it’s like at this time of the season,” Crisp said. “It’s the playoffs. We know we’re playing against one of the best teams in the world and they are never going to give up.”
Cleveland, which has not celebrated a World Series champion since 1948, advanced to the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That best-of-seven matchup to decide a World Series berth opens Friday.
It was a night for players haunting their former clubs, with Crisp being a former Red Sox and Washington’s Jayson Werth blasting a homer and a run-scoring double in an 8-3 romp over his ex-teammates, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Washington grabbed a 2-1 edge with game four Tuesday in Los Angeles. The winner will face either San Francisco or the Chicago Cubs in the National League finals to decide the other World Series berth.
“We’re a resilient club,” Werth said. “We’re one of the game’s best teams the past few years. I like our chances.”
Crisp, a 36-year-old outfielder, belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Boston reliever Drew Pomeranz to put Cleveland ahead 4-1.
“He left that up a little more than he wanted to and I was looking for off-speed,” Crisp said. “I just hit it good.”
David Ortiz, in his final game with Boston before retiring, hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to put the Red Sox within 4-2.
In the eighth, Boston’s Hanley Ramirez singled to left to score Mookie Betts from second to pull the hosts within 4-3 with the tying run on second base, but Xander Bogaerts lined out to second to end the inning.
Down to their last out in the ninth, Jackie Bradley singled to right and Dustin Pedroia walked to again give Boston a chance, but pinch-hitter Travis Shaw flew out to end the game.
At Los Angeles, the Dodgers pulled within 4-3 in the fifth when pinch-hitter Carlos Ruiz blasted a two-run homer to left field, prompting the Nationals to pull starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez.
But four Washington relievers allowed only two hits and no runs over the final 4 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers inserted ace relief pitcher Kenley Jansen to open the ninth inning and he promptly surrendered the solo homer to Werth, stretching Washington’s lead to 5-3 to launch the Nationals’ four-run final inning.
“He’s one of the game’s elite closers. It’s slim pickings getting hits off him,” Werth said. “But I’ve always thought I was able to see his pitches well.”
Jansen then walked Daniel Murphy and hit Bryce Harper with a pitch to put two runners on base.
Ryan Zimmerman followed with a long double to right field that plated two more runs for a 7-3 Washington lead. Zimmerman scored on a Chris Heisey sacrifice fly to create the final margin.
While the Cubs have drawn much attention in their quest to capture their first World Series crown since 1908, no Washington team has won a World Series title since 1924 or even reached the World Series since 1933. The current club has never reached the Fall Classic since being founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos.
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