Cleveland survived a bullpen-crushing three extra inning games, two blown saves by their closer and Toronto's aggressive use of the opener (Derek Law started each even-numbered game). The series culminated with a Francisco Lindor grand slam with two outs in the 11th inning of Game Seven.
Game One: Indians 7, Blue Jays 0: Shane Bieber and two relievers held Toronto to two hits and no walks, facing just two batters above the minimum. Leonys Martin scored three runs from the ninth slot in the batting order.
Game Two: Blue Jays 5, Indians 3: Cleveland led 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, but Toronto erupted for five runs against Nick Goody and Adam Cimber. Rowdy Tellez hit a three-run homer to put the Jays ahead for good. Tyler Naquin homered, doubled and scored twice for Cleveland.
Game Three: Blue Jays 8, Indians 6 (12 innings): Toronto had a 5-0 lead after the top of the fourth and a 6-3 lead after the top of the eighth, but the Tribe plated three runs off three Jays pitchers. For the second straight game, Goody was charged with the loss and Wilmer Font got credit for the win.
Game Four: Indians 5, Blue Jays 4 (13 innings): Another marathon, this one going to Cleveland. Greg Allen singled in the winning run after Jason Kipnis was intentionally walked for the third time in the contest. The Jays forced the extra innings with a two-run homer by Randal Grichuk in the eighth and a solo shot by Danny Jansen in the ninth, the latter off Brad Hand. Oliver Perez worked two perfect innings for the win.
Game Five. Blue Jays 3, Indians 2: Cleveland scored twice in the fifth and carried that lead into the ninth, but Nick Wittgren allowed a walk and a single. Hand entered with two on and one out, and Grichuk greeted the lefty closer with a three-run homer, Hand's second straight blown save. The sieres now returned to Toronto with the Jays one game away from advancing.
Game Six: Indians 5, Blue Jays 3: Toronto led 3-2 after six innings, but Cleveland plated one run in each of the final three innings. The Jays did not get a man on base after losing the lead. Cleveland got homers from Kipnis, Jordan Luplow and Roberto Perez.
Game Seven: Indians 7, Blue Jays 3 (11 innings): It was 3-3 after four innings and 3-3 after 10. Jays relief ace Ken Giles entered in the top of the 11th and fanned the first two men he faced, but then walked Perez and Martin, then hit Naquin. That brought up Lindor for his long-ball dramatics. In a reversal of their failures earlier in the series, Goody got credit for the win, and Hand closed it out, albeit without getting a save.
Projected rotation: Bieber-Clevenger-Bauer-Civale-(Bieber)-(Clevenger)-(Bauer). Plesac will be deactivated for the second round in favor of Civale. Tyler Clippard and Hunter Wood should sit out Game One.