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

"Santa Maria!"

Watch the rest of #ALDS Game 2 on MLB Network! Visit https://t.co/tmrbR6Aud6 for channel info. pic.twitter.com/1Ebg7YIi1G

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 6, 2017

2. Mr. Smile’s grand slam and Bruce’s bomb

Against all the odds, Francisco Lindor managed to breathe some life into Progressive Field with one swing in the sixth inning.

Bases were loaded after Carlos Santana drew a walk, Gomes recorded a double and Lonnie Chisenhall was hit by a pitch.

At the top of the order and with two outs, Lindor stepped to the plate and clanged the 88 mph cutter off the right field foul pole.

The moonshot pulled Cleveland to within one-run, 8-7, and gave the entire stadium CPR in the process. Lindor ended the game with four RBIs, tying the record for second-most in franchise Postseason history.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Lindor said after the win. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it had a chance of going out. Then after a couple of steps, I was like, no, don’t go foul, please. Just stay fair. I started blowing on it a little bit. As soon as it went out, it was just a lot of emotions because, at the end of the day, all I want to do is just give my team a chance to win.

“And [Jay] Bruce has been doing that. And the at-bat that Chisenhall had right before me, that was huge. A lot of people are going to be talking about the home run, but they forgot about Chisenhall’s at bat. That was a game-changing moment right there.”

Two innings later, Bruce tied the game 8-8 on a solo home run that landed in the bleachers. The bomb came on the 3-1 pitch, a 92 mph cutter to the outside of the zone.

Bruce became just the fourth Indians player to homer in consecutive Postseason games, joining Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Juan Gonzalez. Bruce, however, is the only person on that list to have done so in his first two playoff games as a Cleveland Indian.

 

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