And so we come to what possibly could be the final game of the year. Or it could be just the end of the beginning for the Tribe’s postseason run. It’s either going be one outcome or the other, no compromise, no second chance. We’re either going to be giddy with joy or inconsolable with anguish. And the cruel thing is that we as spectators can’t control a thing. All we can do is watch and hope.
Our hopes tonight are pinned to putative Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, but even his presence comes with some trepidation. After all, he was chased from Game 2 after only recording 8 outs, a season low. He is pitching on normal rest, which was one of the reasons why Francona went with the pitching rotation he did. Let’s hope that, along with whatever mechanical tweaks were made over the past couple of days, brings out the Kluber we all knew and admired this season.
Opposing him is CC Sabathia, who in what seems another lifetime was once the ace of a different Cleveland playoff team. In the interim he’s had to reinvent himself as a finesse artist, and has become an effective pitcher again. He kept the Tribe bats at bay in Game 2, and will try to do so again. This time, hopefully, he’ll have much less margin for error.
Edwin Encarnacion, who we last saw being helped off the field in Game 2, is back in the lineup. Austin Jackson is your starter in left field, and in what to me is the biggest surprise of all, Roberto Perez (and not Yan Gomes) is the starting catcher, as Gomes has been for several years now Kluber’s exclusive catcher.
ALDS Game 5
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) October 11, 2017
Tribe 9:
Lindor SS
Kipnis CF
Ramirez 2B
Encarnacion DH
Santana 1B
Jackson LF
Bruce RF
Perez C
Urshela 3B
..........
SP: Kluber
The pieces are now in place. The only thing left to do is to see what happens.