Indians win ALDS Game 2 in walk-off fashion after erasing largest deficit in franchise Postseason history; three takeaways

 

1. Wild Yanimal

The Cleveland Indians overcame the largest Postseason deficit in franchise history on Friday night, and Yan Gomes was the one who finished the job.

On a 3-2 pitch, Gomes hit an 88 mph slider down the left field line to plate Austin Jackson and get the walk-off win. It was Gomes’ fourth walk-off plate appearance, and his second this season (the first came on Aug. 8 against the Colorado Rockies.)

“I was just trying any way I could just to get Jackson over,” Gomes said. “[Indians hitting coach Mike Sarbaugh] came up to me and told me, ‘Hey, any way you can. Doesn’t have to be a bunt. Whatever it is, just try to get him over.’ I tried to bunt one of the other pitches, you saw me pull it back. I was like, there’s no chance I’m going to be able to bunt this guy right now.

“So I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and try to get him over any way I could. The pitches that were there, I felt like I was kind of on it, so I was able to see it, and it just happened to go my way today.”

It was the eighth time in club history that the team won on a walk-off. The last time was in the 2007 ALDS, also against the Yankees.

There’s no doubt that this win though was incredibly improbable. The team was down 8-3, and did not start to make a comeback until the sixth inning (more on that in a minute), and didn’t tie the game until the bottom of the eighth (more on that to come as well).

But what this game came down to is the fact that the Indians can get production from seemingly anywhere at anytime.

“You know, we don’t just believe in one or two guys,” manager Terry Francona said. “We believe in our entire team, and it took an entire team to win that game.”

COMEBACK COMPLETE. @Indians rally back from 8-3 deficit to take the 2-0 ALDS lead.

Via @MLBONFOX pic.twitter.com/ac5Gw8CXxX

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 7, 2017

 

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