CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor’s two-run home run in the sixth inning accounted for all of the runs in the game as the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series Friday night at Progressive Field.
Cleveland’s Corey Kluber pitched 6 1/3 innings and combined with two relievers on a seven-hit shutout.
Toronto’s Marco Estrada pitched a complete game, giving up six hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Jason Kipnis drew a walk. Estrada then got ahead in the count on Lindor at 0-2. But the Indians’ All-Star shortstop hit Estrada’s next pitch over the wall in center field for a home run.
Kluber pitched into and out of trouble for much of the night, but he kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard. In two postseason starts this year, against Boston and Toronto, Kluber has pitched 13 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Counting his last start of the regular season Kluber has not allowed a run in his last 15 1/3 innings.
Kluber threw 100 pitches, 71 of them strikes. He struck out six and walked two. He gave way to left-hander Andrew Miller with one out in the seventh inning.
Miller pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on one hit, striking out five of the six batters he faced.
Closer Cody Allen pitched the ninth inning to pick up the save.
In Game 2 on Saturday afternoon, Cleveland will send Josh Tomlin to the mound against Toronto’s J.A. Happ.
The Blue Jays made Kluber work in the early innings. They had two runners in each of the first three innings, but he was able to hold them to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position through four innings.
After striking out Ezequiel Carrera on three pitches to start the game, Kluber gave up a single to Josh Donaldson and a double to Edwin Encarnacion, putting runners at second and third with one out. But Kluber struck out Jose Bautista on three pitches and retired Russell Martin on a roller to first base to end the inning.
In the second inning Kluber gave up a single and a walk with one out, but he wiggled out of that jam by getting Devon Travis to ground into an inning-ending double play.
In the third inning, a single and a walk put Toronto runners at first and second with two outs, but Kluber struck out Martin to end that threat. In the fourth inning, with a runner at first and one out, second baseman Kipnis made a diving stop of a grounder hit by Kevin Pillar that appeared headed for right field. Kipnis threw out Pillar at first and Kluber retired Travis for the third out.
Estrada was much more efficient than Kluber through five innings, holding the Indians scoreless on four hits. The Indians best chance to score came in the fifth when Lonnie Chisenhall led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Coco Crisp. But Tyler Naquin grounded out to Estrada, and Roberto Perez struck out on three pitches to end that threat.
NOTES: Toronto 2B Devon Travis left the game in the fifth inning with an apparent leg injury. Travis was covering first base on a sacrifice bunt by Coco Crisp, and stretched to take the throw from first baseman Edwin Encarnacion. He was replaced by Ryan Goins. Travis missed games three and four of the American League Division Series against Texas with a right knee bruise. … Cleveland RHP Trevor Bauer has been scratched from his scheduled start in Game 2 on Saturday after suffering a laceration on the small finger of his pitching hand while doing “routine maintenance” on his drone. The laceration required several stitches. RHP Josh Tomlin, who was scheduled to pitch Game 3, will now start Game 2. Bauer is scheduled to start Game 3 on Monday in Toronto. … The Indians adjusted their roster for the ALCS, adding LHP Ryan Merritt and removing C Chris Gimenez. … Toronto also made several roster changes for the ALCS. The Blue Jays added INF Ryan Goins and OF Dalton Pompey and removed 1B Justin Smoak and RHP Scott Feldman. … Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista has six career postseason home runs, tying him with Joe Carter for the most in Blue Jays history. He hit one in the AL wild-card game against the Baltimore Orioles and another against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS.