O, pen! Tribe manages to stagger Sox

CLEVELAND — Too many times in Octobers past have the Red Sox played the role of tormentor for the Indians. The way Progressive Field shook on Thursday night was evidence enough that Cleveland had had enough, and the power display by the Tribe issued a statement that this team wants to erase the bad memories that linger on its fans’ minds.

In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Cleveland became the aggressor, shaking off old ghosts and claiming a rousing 5-4 victory over Boston, grabbing a 1-0 series lead. The Indians chased away Rick Porcello, an AL Cy Young Award contender, before the fifth. Catcher Roberto Perez emerged as the unlikely October hero. And the Tribe used an onslaught of home runs in the third inning to seize the night’s momentum.

Game Date Time Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 6   CLE 5, BOS 4 Gm 2 Oct. 7 4:30 p.m. BOS @ CLE TBS Gm 3 Oct. 9 4 p.m. CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 4 Oct. 10 TBD CLE @ BOS TBS *Gm 5 Oct. 12 TBD BOS @ CLE TBS *- If necessary | All times listed ETShop for postseason gear: Red Sox | Indians • Complete Postseason coverage

“Unbelievable feeling,” Perez said of homering in his first postseason at-bat. “Before the game, I was talking to [Mike] Napoli. He’s had a lot of experience in the playoffs, so he was telling me don’t try to do too much, just try to put the ball in play, [have] good at-bats and good things will happen.”

The Red Sox will try to bounce back in Game 2 (4:30 p.m. ET on TBS) when David Price takes the ball against Indians ace Corey Kluber.

Indians manager Terry Francona, who once guided the team in the visitors’ dugout to a pair of World Series triumphs, is now aiming to end the 68-year drought that moved from old Cleveland Stadium on the lakefront and now lives at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Francona displayed the city’s sense of urgency, too, turning to his bullpen with a slim lead in the fifth after a decent showing from Trevor Bauer.

The AL East-champion Red Sox ran to a 1-0 lead in the first and had a 2-1 edge by the third, when rookie Andrew Benintendi temporarily hushed the crowd with a leadoff blast off Bauer. It was not long before Cleveland took the reins of the game, though. In the bottom of the third, Perez led off with a shot to the right-field stands, and Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor followed with home runs of their own.

“That’s why we worked hard to get home-field advantage,” Lindor said. “When we’re home, we’ve got to take care of business. They’re a great team, they played a great game. Hats off to them. But everybody did their thing today. It was a great team win — I’m proud of the guys.”

The trio of blasts — Kipnis and Lindor’s coming in back-to-back fashion — gave the Indians a lead they would not relinquish. Bauer bowed out after 4 2/3 innings, as Francona opted to hand the ball to his relief ace Andrew Miller, and the army of arms behind him. Miller worked two shutout innings, allowing time for Kipnis to add an RBI single in the fifth to give the Tribe a 5-3 advantage.

“He’s unbelievable,” Perez said of Miller. “I think he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever caught, and I think everybody is confident about him coming into the game. Oh man, he was awesome tonight.” 

All five runs were charged to Porcello, who turned in his shortest outing of 2016 (4 1/3 innings), while matching season highs in runs allowed and home runs surrendered (three).

Indians setup man Bryan Shaw followed Miller, ending the seventh unscathed before running into trouble in the eighth. Boston’s Brock Holt led off with a shot to the right-field seats, trimming the Tribe’s lead to one run. The price Francona paid for using Miller so early was then asking closer Cody Allen to retire …

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