Bullpen at its best for Indians in ALDS

BOSTON — The pitches piled up for Cody Allen — five 3-0 or 3-1 counts in eight batters, full counts to the final four, all of them waiting for a pitch to send into the Boston night, add a chapter to the Red Sox’s October heroics and carry the American League Division Series at least one more day.

All the while, the Indians’ bullpen was still.

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“He was going to finish,” manager Terry Francona said, “one way or another.”

Even Allen admitted, as the count went full once more on Travis Shaw with the tying run on second base, that he wasn’t sure which way it would go.

“It was one of those spots where I was pretty freaking nervous,” Allen said. “But you know what, I was trying to make one pitch at a time. I didn’t make some great pitches tonight. I fell behind guys. I got in a spot where I could’ve gotten beat. But you know what, we came out with a win.

“[Shaw] popped it up. He could’ve easily put the barrel on that ball and it could’ve been a tie game, but it worked out in our favor.”

And as Shaw’s fly ball landed in right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall’s glove, sealing a 4-3 win and a Cleveland sweep, it also completed an impressive bullpen performance for a team that needed it to have a chance. The Tribe took three straight to advance to the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays, but with the Indians down to three healthy starters, the margin of difference had a lot to do with the relief corps.

Cleveland’s bullpen combined for 10 1/3 innings of two-run ball with four walks and 14 strikeouts for the series. Allen, Andrew Miller and Bryan Shaw combined for all but one of those innings.

“It’s impressive, because we got it done,” Miller said. “This offense that we faced, this team, is so great, but particularly from the …

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