Cleveland Indians pitchers threw 44 innings against the Blue Jays.
Their starting pitchers threw 22 innings, allowed three earned runs and struck out 23.
Their relief pitchers threw 22 innings, allowed four earned runs and struck out 27.
It was a good series all the way around.
Miller time
Andrew Miller allowed no runs and three hits, with 14 strikeouts in 7⅔ postseason innings.
His 56 percent strikeout rate was the highest of anyone to face at least 20 batters in a postseason series.
Miller is the second reliever in postseason history to throw at least seven scoreless innings with at least 14 strikeouts in a single series (Brad Lidge, 2004 NLCS).
The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the only relief pitchers to win LCS or World Series MVP with one or fewer saves are Rob Dibble in the 1990 NLCS and Larry Sherry in the 1959 World Series
How he did it Miller threw 48 of his 60 sliders for strikes (77 of 107 for the postseason). Of his 14 strikeouts, 13 came with that pitch. His 18 strikeouts with the slider are the most for any pitch type this postseason. His 21 total strikeouts rank second to Clayton Kershaw's 25.
Allen was good too
Allen might be the least-heralded closer on an LCS winner. He notched three saves, allowed no runs on one hit and threw seven strikeouts in 4⅔ innings.
How he did it Allen won by pitching effectively at the top of the strike zone. He threw 21 pitches to the upper-third, netting 17 strikes. That included 13 strikes on 14 pitches to right-handed batters.
Kluber and Tomlin's one-two punch
Corey Kluber was the Indians' ace in the opening game of this series, and Josh Tomlin pitched 5⅔ highly successful innings in Game 2. They didn't have to go deep in the game, knowing they had a great bullpen behind them.
How they did it Kluber won with his best pitch, getting a career-high 14 outs with his curveball. Tomlin had a highly efficient cutter, which yielded him eight outs on 17 pitches.
He was there on Merritt
Ryan Merritt wasn't supposed to be in the LCS, but Trevor Bauer's finger injury necessitated his use in Game 5. He threw 4⅓ scoreless innings.
How he did it Merritt threw 12 of 14 first-pitch strikes. Eight of his 14 plate appearances lasted three pitches or fewer. Merritt won without being overpowering. Of his 49 pitches, only five reached 87 mph. He kept the ball on the edge of the plate, throwing only eight of his 49 pitches to the middle-third of the plate, width-wise.
You can win without hitting
The Indians set a record of sorts in this series. Their .168 batting average in this series is the lowest ever for a team that won an LDS, LCS or World Series.