CLEVELAND -- The biggest star in American sports, LeBron James, began Friday's giant party at Progressive Field with a pep talk for the sellout crowd, declaring to this Rust Belt city, "It is always us against the world. Cleveland against the world!"
Well, it might be time to take on the world, because the Boston Red Sox are offering no competition.
The Indians are in control of this series after a 6-0 victory on Friday evening. The games will move to Boston on Sunday afternoon with the Red Sox fighting to keep David Ortiz's career alive. It is not an impossible task, but it feels rather improbable at the moment.
Terry Francona, the former Red Sox manager and now the Indians' boss, looks like a genius after two games. In Game 1, he went all in using Andrew Miller and Cody Allen for 12 of the 27 outs, knowing he could win Game 2 with his ace Corey Kluber. That's exactly what happened.
“We couldn’t have scripted it any better,” Miller said.
There are a lot of ways you can spin Friday's domination, but it begins with the two former Cy Young winners, who started the game. Kluber, off extended rest because of a groin injury, threw like an ace, while Boston's $217 million man David Price might have to answer postseason-bust questions until eternity.
"It was a blast," Kluber said.
Price added to his inglorious playoff history, lasting only 3⅓ innings and giving up five earned runs. He is now 0-8 with a 5.74 ERA as an October starter. He has given up 11 home runs in 37 playoff innings.
The big shot off Price on Friday came in the second inning via the bat of Lonnie Chisenhall. The three-run homer was a rare occurrence for Chisenhall. He hit eight home runs all season, none off a lefty.
Meanwhile, the stoic Kluber will not have to face the same playoff questions as Price. Friday was his first postseason start and he shut out the Red Sox for seven innings, making Francona look even smarter for his aggressive use of the bullpen in Game 1.
“I think that was the whole thing of Tito wanting to get that first game, knowing that we have Kluber going and he has the opportunity to do something like this," first baseman Mike Napoli said. "Tito always has a plan; he has his days mapped out ahead. He is always thinking ahead. That is why we have so much trust in him and believe in what he says."
The crowd loved every moment of the evening. The King started off the festivities. By the end of the night, the Indians were one game away from advancing for a chance to be the kings of the American League.
"It was awesome," shortstop Francisco Lindor said.
It was awesome from start to finish for the Indians. They are now the considerable favorites to make it to the ALCS because home teams that win the first two games of a best-of-five take the series 85.7 percent of the time. The Indians just need to win one more game to move on.
Their offense has been explosive. Their relievers have been lights out. Kluber was an ace on Friday. And their manager has been a genius. The Red Sox look as if they are in trouble.