Relieveland! Title not without Merritt

TORONTO — Ryan Merritt sprinted out of the visitors’ dugout at Rogers Centre and was the first Indians player on the field. The pitcher ran across the turf, jumped over the first-base chalk line and plucked the baseball from the mound dirt before getting ready for some warmup tosses.

That display at the start of the third inning Wednesday made one thing very clear: Even with a trip to the World Series on the line, Merritt was not overwhelmed. The small-town kid from Texas was eager and ready to take on Toronto’s lineup, and his name will now be remembered for decades by Tribe fans after the Indians’ 3-0 win over the Blue Jays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

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“I loved it,” fellow Indians starter Josh Tomlin said amidst the champagne mist in the visitors’ clubhouse. “I loved every second of it.”

Game Date Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 14 CLE 2, TOR 0 Gm 2 Oct. 15 CLE 2, TOR 1 Gm 3 Oct. 17 CLE 4, TOR 2 Gm 4 Oct. 18 TOR 5, CLE 1 Gm 5 Oct. 19 CLE 3, TOR 0 • ALCS coverageShop for postseason gear: Blue Jays | Indians

Merritt was counted out before the game even began. With a fastball that registers around 86 mph — slower than Carlos Carrasco’s changeup — the Blue Jays’ lineup was supposed to be licking its chops and sending souvenirs into the left-field seats. Instead, Merritt flirted with the edges of the zone, pumped strike after strike after strike, worked into the fifth and helped push the Indians to their first World Series berth since 1997.

• World Series Game 1: Tuesday on FOX

Circumstances led to Merritt being in this position. With right-handers Danny Salazar and Carrasco injured, Cleveland’s rotation has been whittled down to three: Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Tomlin. Merritt was not even going to be on the ALCS roster, but plans changed when Bauer cut open his right pinkie finger Thursday night. The Indians went with Merritt as insurance, and then handed him the ball for Game 5.

Before the game, Indians manager Terry …

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