The Cleveland Indians overcame the loss of starting pitcher Trevor Bauer to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 and move to the brink of a place in Major League Baseball’s World Series on Monday.
Bauer was removed with blood dripping from a finger wound after stitches to an injury sustained last week split open in the first inning at the Rogers Center.
But the injury did not prevent the Indians from powering to victory, giving them a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and leaving them firmly on course for the World Series.
Veteran first baseman Mike Napoli was instrumental in the Cleveland win, doubling off Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman to allow Carlos Santana to open the scoring at the top of the first before hitting a homer in the fourth.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit but I’m a grinder,” Napoli said. “I knew I’d be back, just worked hard in the cage and it paid off tonight.”
The Blue Jays hit back at the bottom of the second when Michael Saunders smashed a fly ball to left field off Danny Otero to make it 1-1. Napoli restored Cleveland’s advantage at the top of the fourth, smacking a fly ball to center field for another home run off Stroman to make it 2-1.
But Toronto hit back when Ezequiel Carrera scampered through for a triple off a sharp line drive. Carrera then raced over for the score after Ryan Goins ground out off Zach McAllister.
Cleveland regained the lead at the top of the sixth and once again Stroman was the victim, the Blue Jays pitcher going for his third home run of the night with Jason Kipnis hitting a line drive to right center field.
A Jose Ramirez single off Joe Biagini then allowed Napoli to come home for an additional run and make it 4-2 heading into the seventh inning.
Napoli paid tribute to the response of the Indians bullpen, forced to improvise after the early departure of Bauer.
“For our bullpen to step up like that today is the only reason we were able to win today,” Napoli said. “For them to do it like that was unbelievable.”
Team-mate Kipnis meanwhile revealed the team had been bracing for Bauer to break down at some point.
“Trevor got a little leak. A couple of us had seen the wound and knew it was a possibility. But we were still confident that we could do with it our bullpen,” Kipnis said.
“We’re having a blast — you can see the smiles in the team.”
Game four in the series takes place in Toronto on Tuesday, with the Indians aiming for their first World Series appearance since 1997, when they were beaten by the Florida Marlins in a seven-game thriller.
The ALCS winner will face either the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Judge rules in favour of Indians in logo lawsuit
A Canadian judge dismissed a late attempt to bar Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians from using their controversial logo and team nickname during Monday’s playoff game versus the host Toronto Blue Jays.
The legal challenge by prominent Canadian architect and indigenous activist Douglas Cardinal was heard in a Toronto court hours before the Blue Jays host the Indians in Game Three of their American League Championship series.
Lawyers for Cardinal argued in an Ontario Superior Court of Justice that the Indians nickname and “Chief Wahoo” logo – a smiling cartoon man with red skin and a feather in his headband – are derogatory.
But the judge dismissed the attempt and said he would give his reasons at a later date.
“We are pleased with the judge’s ruling and will continue focusing on an exciting
Postseason,” MLB said in a
statement.
The Indians are not the only North American professional sports team to come under fire from native groups.
The National Football League’s Washington Redskins and National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks have also been targets of protests and legal challenges over the years.
MLB, which has also faced similar protests over the Atlanta Braves, also said they appreciate the concerns of those that find the Indians name and logo offensive.
“We would welcome a thoughtful and inclusive dialogue to address these concerns outside the context of litigation,” MLB said in a separate statement prior to the judge’s decision.
“Given the demands for completing the League Championship Series in a timely manner, MLB will defend Cleveland’s right to use their name that has been in existence for more than 100 years.”
While Cardinal went to court to bring attention to his cause others like Jerry Howarth have waged their own protests, the longtime Blue Jays radio play-by-play announcer refusing to refer to Cleveland by their nickname during games.