Indians take Game 1 of 2017 ALDS against Yankees; three takeaways

2. Bruce Almighty

It should be noted that when it came to the acquisition of Jay Bruce from the New York Mets this summer, the Indians and the Yankees were the last teams standing.

The Indians, however, were willing to spend more money to get him.

That decision came back to bite New York in Game 1, as Bruce essentially broke the game open.

In the second inning, he recorded a lead-off double, and then scored the first run of the game three at-bats later when Roberto Perez hit into a double play.

In the fourth inning, Bruce had the biggest offensive play of the night as he rocked a 93 mph fastball over the right field wall to drive in two more runs and give the Indians a 3-0 lead. While Bruce’s performance at the plate was definitely a game-changer, he recognized after the win that he is just one guy out of 25.

“I think that’s kind of the beauty of it all is tonight it was me, tomorrow it could be any of those other 24 guys on the roster right now,” Bruce said of his performance. “I think that that speaks to the depth and the quality of our lineup, of our team.”

If there was any doubt how much value Bruce added to this team, it really can’t be overstated. He truly is almighty.

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