Tom-lin, Tom-lin too much for Red Sox

BOSTON — Josh Tomlin could not believe what he was hearing. The famous fans who pack Fenway Park, the ones who have taunted and tormented so many opponents in Octobers past, were on their feet and mockingly chanting the name of the Indians pitcher on Monday night.

Tomlin was more amused than anything.

“I was surprised there were that many people that knew my name, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said with a laugh.

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Standing in the back of the Fenway Park visitors’ clubhouse, a smile on his face, Tomlin was able to joke about the moment after the Indians’ 4-3 win over the Red Sox. That was because the victory in Game 3 of the American League Division Series finished off a series sweep of Boston, set off a rowdy party and punched the Tribe’s ticket to the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays.

Tomlin played a key role in the win, turning in five strong innings to put manager Terry Francona in position to leverage his bullpen in the same way he did in Game 1. The outing by the right-hander also fueled optimism that maybe — just maybe — Cleveland’s rotation can withstand the losses of Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco and actually win this thing.

Thanks in part to Tomlin’s effort, Cleveland can now set up its rotation how it sees fit for the ALCS, which begins Friday at Progressive Field (8 p.m. ET, TBS, SNET, RSD). The Indians did not announce anything after Monday’s win, but ace Corey Kluber would presumably be the Game 1 starter against Toronto.

“Tito will do what he wants,” Kluber said. “But, I think we showed this series, no matter what people think, we …

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