In a 162 game season, the trees can sometimes get lost through the forest. There are hits, diving stops, catches against the outfield wall and curve balls thrown against cleanup hitters that do not get remembered. The plays, although important, make up the sum of the whole which is the longest regular season in sports.
In 2015, there is a hit that stands out- one that was so exciting that watching it on YouTube this off-season has become a personal hobby. It’s good enough to keep the soul warm to get through the long Northeast Ohio winter. It was significant given the situation in the game, series and season. The hit put an exclamation point on one the finest rookie campaigns the city of Cleveland witnessed.
On the morning of September 1st, 2015 the Indians woke up with a 64-66 record, four games behind the Texas Rangers for the second wild card spot. For the second year in a row, the club was attempting come behind from an early season hole. A few injuries and an inability to hit in the clutch forced the team to play catch-up from mid-April to the end of the season.
The adversity didn’t end with the play on the field. Two days prior, it was announced that club president Mark Shapiro was leaving Cleveland and accepting a higher position with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team the Indians were currently playing. Shapiro has been with the Indians since 1992, when he began as an assistant in baseball operations. At his press conference, he recalled his first day on the job, climbing the steps of a decrepit Cleveland Municipal Stadium and walking to the tiny cubicle that served as his first professional office.
Needless to say, it was an emotional time for the Indians and the front office. There were questions as to what direction the organization would take with Shapiro no longer the president. For an organization that hadn’t made the postseason since 2013, sudden change can sometimes lead to upheaval within the front office.
In the game, Toronto’s Ryan Goins came through with a walk-off homer in the 10th inning as the Blue Jays defeated the Indians, 5-3, in dramatic fashion at the Rogers Centre. Goins’ fifth homer of the year came on a 1-0 count from Bryan Shaw. He lifted the ball to deep right field, and it carried all the way into the second deck which is a long distance from home plate.
The dramatic victory came one inning after rookie closer Roberto Osuna blew his second save of the season. Osuna had been trying to protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, but Yan Gomes hit his second homer of the game to force extra innings. At the time it was just the second time in 18 attempts that Osuna wasn’t able to pick up the save.
Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada was relatively flawless for Toronto, with the exception of a pair of solo homers by Michael Brantley and Gomes. Estrado scattered five hits and one walk while striking out two and throwing 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes. Right-hander Cody Anderson got the start for the Indians and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over six strong innings.
It was in the eighth inning, however, that gave Indians fans a little bit of hope that a comeback in the game and season was certainly possible.
The Blue Jays were unable to overturn what could’ve been a crucial double by Francisco Lindor in the eighth inning. After he lashed a shot to left-center, Lindor stretched what would’ve normally been a single into a double and narrowly evaded the tag as he slid into the second, though Goins appeared to think that he made the tag. The call was confirmed upon review. Lindor — representing the tying run — later advanced to third on a groundout but was left stranded.
Here is the exciting double:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1eKJfx8BHU]The double was a tremendous feat in athleticism; graceful and exciting as any baseball play should be. The Indians cut the lead to one and, with a victory, would also get closer to Texas. The point in the season that called for excitement was upon Northeast Ohio- it was now or never to make a postseason run.
Lindor knew exactly how important getting into scoring position with one out meant in that situation. A victory meant keeping pace with the Rangers and thus keeping pace with a Rangers team that remained hot throughout the month of August.
As mentioned, the Indians would lose in extra innings. However, the double that meant so much at the time would stick in the hearts of Indians fans throughout the winter.
It was a testament to how Lindor plays the game- hard and with pure passion.
With the victory, Toronto maintained its 1 1/2-game lead over the Yankees for first place in the American League East, as New York also came out on top with a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox. The Indians had their winning streak snapped at six, dropping to five games back of the Rangers for the second AL Wild Card.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
