SHL Playoffs: Indians, Expos Down to Best-of-Three

With Bill James’ Boston Red Sox patiently waiting to see who they’ll face in the Seamheads Historical League World Series, Joe Posnanski’s Cleveland Indians face a Montreal squad, dubbed “The Little Expo That Could” by G.M. Jonah Keri, in a best-of-three showdown that begins with Game 5 on Sunday.  Oddly enough, Posnanski is rooting for the Expos?! By Joe’s own admission, he loves the underdog story written by Keri’s Expos, and would be happy if the ‘Spos defeated his Cleveland squad, perhaps conveniently forgetting that the Indians haven’t won a World Series since 1948 and a virtual World Series win for the virtual Tribe would make Joe the king of virtual Cleveland, a land where the virtual Cuyahoga River has never caught fire.

After Game 1, a 10-1 rout in favor of the Indians, it looked like Keri’s luck had run out.  The Expos were on a roll, after having come back from a 2-0 deficit against the Braves in the LDS to win three straight and advance to the LCS before being trounced by the Tribe in convincing fashion.  But the Expos took Games 2 and 3 by scores of 10-6 and 6-5 before losing Game 4 in 10 innings by a score of 6-3.  Here’s a rundown of the events leading up to what Posnanski calls a “pivotal” Game 5.

Game 1: Indians ace Addie Joss took the hill and established his presence with authority by plunking lead-off man Ron Hunt with his very first offering of the game.  Skeptics could have been forgiven for scouring the stands for gamblers and wondering if they were witnessing a replay of Game 1 of the 1919 World Series (actually Eddie Cicotte hit Morrie Rath with his second pitch, but I digress).  But the game was on the up-and-up and Joss easily retired the next two hitters on a fly out and a double play grounder.  That’s basically how most of the game went for the Hall of Fame hurler, who allowed only one run on three hits and five walks over nine mostly stellar innings.

Montreal’s pitchers weren’t up to the task, however, especially Pascual Perez, who lasted only 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits.  The Expos actually appeared on the scoreboard first, manufacturing a run in the top of the third on a triple by Hubie Brooks and sacrifice fly by Perez, who was trying to help himself out.  But the Indians plated six in the bottom of the frame and effectively ended the game.

Sandy Alomar singled, Joss bunted him to second, Nap Lajoie doubled to score Alomar, Tris Speaker singled Lajoie to third, and Joe Jackson doubled to plate Speaker and Lajoie.  Jim Thome was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second, but Albert Belle flied out to left-center to give the Indians two outs.  Perez poured two strikes past Hal Trosky, who calmly measured each before teeing off on the third offering and smacking it over the right field wall for a three-run homer.  Joe Sewell continued the onslaught with a single before Perez was yanked from the game in favor of Dennis Martinez, who retired Alomar on a fly ball to right.  By the time the dust had settled the score was 6-1 in favor of the Indians.

The Tribe scored again in the fourth on a walk to Speaker and a triple by Jackson; plated two more in the sixth on a Thome two-run homer off Andy McGaffigan; and scored their 10th and final run in the seventh when the Alomar brothers, Roberto and Sandy, doubled and singled.  Meanwhile the Expos could do nothing against Joss, who didn’t allow a runner past second base over his final six innings of work.

Jackson doubled twice, tripled, scored twice, and drove in three runs, giving him 12 RBIs in the postseason.  Speaker went 2-for-4, to boost his postseason average to .667, and scored twice.  Brooks had two of the three Montreal hits and scored the team’s only run.

Game 2: The second tilt was all about the Expos, who turned the tables and scored 10 runs of their own before weathering a late comeback to hold on to a 10-6 victory and even the series at a game apiece.  This time the Indians scored first, notching a run in the bottom of the second when Hal Trosky launched a missile into the seats in right-center field off Steve Rogers to give the Tribe a 1-0 lead.  But the Expos responded with a run in the top of the third, courtesy of an Al Oliver single, a Rusty Staub base hit that was misplayed by Jackson, and a Larry Walker groundout, to tie the score at 1-1.

Montreal scored another run in the fifth, this time on a bases loaded walk to the appropriately named Walker, then put the hammer down in the sixth with a five-spot that knocked Indians hurler Bob Feller from the game.  Tim Wallach singled, Hubie Brooks walked, Rogers bunted the runners to second and third, and Wallach scampered home on a wild pitch.  Hunt fanned and it looked like Feller would get out of the jam, having allowed only one run.  But Oliver singled in Brooks, Staub drew a free pass, and Walker ripped a liner that barely cleared the wall in right for a three-run homer, and the Expos had a 7-1 lead.

Bob Lemon replaced Feller and walked Andre Dawson before retiring Gary Carter on a flyout to center.  The Expos would not be so kind in the seventh.  Brooks doubled with one out, Rogers bunted him to third, Hunt doubled in Brooks, Oliver doubled in Hunt, and Staub singled in Oliver to put Montreal up 10-1.  Don Mossi came in for Lemon and picked Oliver off base to end the inning with Walker at the plate looking for more RBIs.

To that point, Rogers had kept the Indians at bay despite putting runners on base in every inning.  He had surrendered five walks and three hits through six, but Trosky’s second-inning solo homer was the only blemish on his record.  That all changed in the seventh.  Sandy Alomar struck out to start the inning, but Mossi, Lajoie, and Speaker all singled to load the bases, and Jackson promptly cleaned them off with a 410-foot blast over the wall in straightaway center field to cut Montreal’s lead to 10-5.  Rogers drilled the next batter, Jim Thome, with a 1-1 pitch and his night was over.  McGaffigan came on in relief and struck out Albert Belle and Trosky to end the inning.

Cleveland scored again in the bottom of the ninth against Tim Burke—Speaker singled, Jackson was hit by a pitch, and Thome singled—but it wasn’t enough as the Expos held on for the win.  Oliver went 4-for-4 and boosted his average in the postseason to .579; Speaker went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .679, and Jackson had two more hits and four more RBIs to give him 16 in seven games.

Game 3: Cleveland sent “Sudden Sam” McDowell to the mound for Game 3 to face Ken Hill of the Expos, and to say that neither performed well would be an understatement.  McDowell was under control the whole time, striking out six without issuing a walk, but he had a hell of a time missing the Expos’ bats and gave up 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings.  Hill missed plenty of Indians bats, allowing only six hits in 5 1/3 innings, but that’s because he couldn’t find home plate, resulting in six free passes.

In Hill’s defense he was probably afraid to throw the ball to contact after surrendering hits to Lajoie and Speaker to lead off the first, followed by a sac fly by Jackson that scored the Indians’ first run.  The Expos responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first when Tim Raines singled, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on a single by Dawson.  Cleveland came right back with a tally in the second—Sewell scored on a hit by Lajoie—and another in the third—Belle scored on a double by Sandy Alomar—to take a 3-1 lead.

Montreal cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on consecutive singles by Vlad Guerrero, Dawson, and Wil Cordero, but the Indians increased their lead to 5-2 in the sixth without the benefit of a hit.  A walk to Sewell, a Gary Carter error, a wild pitch, and an error by Tim Wallach plated two and Montreal faced its largest deficit of the game.  But they stormed back in the bottom of the seventh for a come-from-behind 6-5 victory.

Wallach atoned for his miscue by singling to lead off the frame; Andres Galarraga singled Wallach to second, and Delino DeShields brought him home with a two-bagger down the third base line.  Pinch-runner Brad Wilkerson scored Montreal’s second run of the inning on a groundout, DeShields scored on Ron Hunt’s sacrifice fly, and Guerrero and Dawson singled and doubled, respectively, to bring the fourth run home and end McDowell’s night.

Jeff Fassero, Tim Burke, and John Wetteland held the Indians hitless over the final two innings and the Expos escaped with a win in front of nearly 44,000 delirious fans.  McDowell took the loss to fall to 0-2 in the playoffs; McGaffigan earned his first win, Fassero and Burke earned holds, and Wetteland copped his third save.  Dawson paced the Expos’ 12-hit attack with four safeties, and Lajoie led the Indians with two.

Game 4: After suffering through three straight subpar performances by their starting pitchers, Montreal fans were treated to a gem by Pedro Martinez, who allowed three runs in nine innings.  But two things conspired against him—Wetteland imploded in the 10th, and Addie Joss and Doug Jones were equally impressive on the hill for the Tribe—and he walked away with a no-decision in a 6-3 extra-inning loss that evened the series at two apiece.

Expos fans were barely in their seats when the Indians jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, and they had to have been wondering what happened to a pitching staff that finished in the upper half of the SHL in team ERA.  A single by Lajoie, a walk to Jackson, and a three-run homer by Belle had the Indians up by three after only five batters.  It looked like Joss needed only one of those runs as he held the Expos scoreless through five, allowing only a single to Oliver in the fourth.

But Joss unraveled in the sixth with a little help from his defense.  Brooks walked to lead off the inning, then moved to second on a sac bunt by Martinez.  Hunt singled Brooks to third, then Oliver singled him home to cut the lead to 3-1.  Staub grounded to Thome at third, but he fumbled the worm burner and everyone was safe.  Walker drove Hunt home with the Expos’ second run and Dawosn singled in Oliver with the tying run before Joss got out of the inning, having allowed only one earned run.

By that time, Pedro had settled down and was pitching like a three-time Cy Young Award winner.  He surrendered a double to Lajoie in the second, a walk to Thome in the third, and a single to Jackson in the sixth, but retired the other 13 batters without incident.  Both teams mustered threats over the last three innings, but neither could push the deciding run across.  Martinez tossed eight straight shutout innings and left after nine; Joss allowed only one earned run in eight innings before leaving in favor of Doug Jones.

Jones allowed a one-out single to DeShields in the bottom of the ninth, but worked out of the minor jam.  Unfortunately for Expos fans, Wetteland couldn’t turn the same trick for them.  He walked Roberto Alomar on four straight pitches to lead off the top of the 10th, then retired Speaker on a sacrifice bunt that moved Alomar to second with the go-ahead run.  Wetteland was ordered to intentionally walk the red-hot Jackson to set up a double play, but Al Rosen foiled the plan by fouling off three straight two-strike pitches before singling to left to score Alomar and make it a 4-3 ballgame.  Belle hit a deep fly to center to score Jackson, and Trosky singled to left to plate Rosen before Fassero came on to retire Sewell to end the inning.

Jones allowed a one-out single to Oliver in the bottom of the 10th, but retired Staub and Walker to end the game and even the series at 2-2.  Jones got the win and Wetteland took the loss.  Oliver went 3-for-5 in the losing cause and improved his average to .583.  Trosky went 3-for-5 and Belle drove in four runs for the Tribe, giving the latter 10 RBIs in the postseason.

Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday night in Montreal and will pit Pascual Perez (1-1, 10.39) against Gaylord Perry (1-0, 5.63).  Game 6 will be played in Cleveland and will pit Steve Rogers (1-0, 3.95) against either Bob Feller (1-2, 6.30) or Stan Coveleski, who has yet to appear in the postseason.