Indians blank Blue Jays to earn trip to World Series

TORONTO — A pitcher Jose Bautista predicted would be “shaking in his boots” Wednesday afternoon ended up having the Blue Jays swinging out of theirs.

And he helped put the surprising Indians in the World Series.

Rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt, though he didn’t get the win, far exceeded even the most optimistic expectations set for him, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the Indians took out the Blue Jays, 3-0, in front of 48,804 loud but ultimately disappointed fans at Rogers Centre.

The Indians, who defeated Toronto in five games, won their first AL pennant since 1997. They will play either the Cubs or Dodgers in the World Series, which starts next Tuesday in Cleveland, trying for their first title since 1948 and looking to give a formerly woebegone sports city its second crown of 2016.

The 24-year-old Merritt, who brought a career resume of four big-league appearances, including one start, into the afternoon, allowed two hits before manager Terry Francona called on a bullpen that has been lights-out all postseason.

Bryan Shaw pitched a scoreless inning, giving way to incomparable lefty Andrew Miller, who pitched an efficient 2 2/3 scoreless innings, needing only 21 pitches.

Cody Allen, despite allowing a leadoff double to Bautista, earned his third save of the series with a scoreless ninth.

Merritt carved up the slugging Blue Jays, setting down the first 10 hitters he faced, with a fastball that sat in the range of 86 mph and a looping low to mid-70s curveball.

The Indians, who outscored the Blue Jays 12-8 in a series dominated by pitching, had six hits, including solo homers by Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp.

Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada, the loser in Game 1 after allowing two runs over eight innings, allowed three runs and five hits over six innings on Wednesday. Mike Napoli’s double in the first drove in the first run, Santana’s third-inning blast made it 2-0 and Crisp’s shot in the fifth made it 3-0.

The Blue Jays put only two runners in scoring position in the game. The first occurred in the fifth when Russell Martin singled off Merritt with one out and pinch hitter Michael Saunders singled off Shaw. The reliever, however, struck out Ezequiel Carrera and Kevin Pillar to end the threat.

Bautista was the only other Blue Jay to reach second and he didn’t go any farther.

Merritt had a lead before he took the mound.

Francisco Lindor’s two-out single brought Napoli to the plate. The DH, who homered and doubled in Cleveland’s Game 3 victory, pounced on a 1-and-1 changeup and hammered it off the top of the wall in left-center, the double bringing in Lindor to make it 1-0.

Merritt showed little in the way of nerves when he took the mound. His first pitch was a called strike to Bautista, the free-agent-to-be who eventually grounded to third. Josh Donaldson, the star of Game 4, grounded to second and Merritt ended the 14-pitch inning with a called third strike, a looping 72-mph curveball to Edwin Encarnacion.

Cleveland pushed its lead to 2-0 in the second when Santana crushed a 1-and-0, belt-high fastball to right for his second homer of the series.

Crisp’s solo shot to right, off a 2-and-2 changeup, with two outs in the fourth made it 3-0, further sucking the life out of the crowd.