Heartbreak In Cleveland: Indians Lose ALDS Game 5

CLEVELAND, OH — The comeback train derailed in the top of the 9th inning. With two runners on, Brett Gardner stepped to the plate for the New York Yankees and singled to right field. That one hit sent two runners home and broke a tight, 3-2 game wide open.

That one hit also signaled the tragically abrupt end of a miraculous Cleveland Indians season. A Tribe team that had been led by, arguably, the best rotation of starting pitchers in baseball, had trotted to an American League best 102-60 record and ripped off a historic 22-game winning streak...fell short against the boys in pinstripes.

The Tribe entered the postseason as the hottest team in baseball, and they initially played like it too. They won two straight games against the Yankees, both played in Cleveland. Still, cracks were beginning to show in the team's armor, even in victory. (To stay up to date on these stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Corey Kluber had one of the worst starts of his season in Game 2. While the Indians recovered to win that contest in extra innings, and most pundits wrote the ace's misfire off as a one game incident, it was a harbinger of things to come.

After two straight road losses in New York, the Indians were looking for the familiar comforts of Progressive Field to right the ship. For the decisive Game 5, Tribe Manager Terry Francona again handed the ball to Kluber, expecting a return to form. Francona would be disappointed.

Kluber went 3.2 innings, giving up three hits, three earned runs and two walks along the way. He did strike out six batters though. The off-kilter start was the beginning of the end.

While the bullpen managed to temporarily stem the bleeding, the Tribe's offense managed to scrounge up two runs. There was comeback magic in the air. But then the 9th inning happened. With two outs, Gardner stared down reliever Cody Allen and smacked a single into right. It was the middle of the end.

Photo from AP Photo, Phil Long