CLEVELAND _ Two consecutive games. Two consecutive blown saves by Brad Hand. Two consecutive rescue home runs by Carlos Santana.
The Indians led most of the night before Hand blew a save in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Santana drilled a solo home run to left-center field to give the Indians a walk-off win, 6-5, over the Red Sox on Monday night.
And with the Minnesota Twins being off Monday night, the walk-off home run put the Indians (72-47)alone in first place in the American League Central race.
Prior to Santana's home run, the Indians built a 5-1 lead with home runs from both Franmil Reyes and Jose Ramirez.
Reyes struck first and finally got himself on the board with the Indians. Reyes stepped to the plate in the first inning with Santana (walk) on first base and Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound. He also stepped to the plate 4-for-36 as a member of the Indians with zero home runs in what had been an ice-cold start.
Rodriguez tried an 0-1 fastball at the top of the zone, and Reyes finally unleashed that sleeping power with a two-run home run to center field, his first homer with the Indians.
Two innings later, it was Ramirez's turn. Santana and Reyes with one out both singled, which brought up Ramirez. Rodriguez threw a 2-2 curveball that was below the zone, but it ended up as a "home run pitch" _ Ramirez's favorite term _ as he launched it to the Home Run Porch for a three-run shot that put the Indians up 5-1. It was Ramirez's 17th home run this season.
The Red Sox (62-59) slowly chipped away against Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac, who danced in and around trouble for much of the day. With the Indians still holding onto a 5-1 lead, J.D. Martinez in the fourth opened the inning with a home run and Brock Holt later doubled in a run.
In the fifth, left fielder Greg Allen might have saved a run with a terrific throw, one that in the end might have also saved the game. Rafael Devers walked and Xander Bogaerts followed by lining a ball to the left-center gap. Allen played it off the wall, fired to the infield and nailed Bogaerts at second base. Instead of having two runners in scoring position with one out, Plesac was able to work out of the inning by getting Martinez to ground out and escape with the Indians holding a 5-3 lead.
That two-run lead was cut in half via Jackie Bradley Jr.'s solo home run over the 19-foot wall in left field in the to top of the seventh inning off Tyler Clippard.
The Red Sox threatened in the eighth, but again, the Indians escaped. With a runner on and two outs, Sam Travis doubled off Indians reliever Oliver Perez to put the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. In the biggest at-bat of the night, Holt lined out to Santana at first base to end the inning.
The Red Sox finally were able to close the gap in the ninth against Indians closer Brad Hand, who walked Mookie Betts with one out before striking out Devers. Bogaerts, though, came through with the Red Sox, ripping a ball to right field that Tyler Naquin couldn't haul in to score Betts and tie it 5-5.
Though, only a few moments later, Santana rendered it all moot with his walk-off shot into the Cleveland night.
