Last teams standing: Jays, Indians primed for Game 1

“I haven’t noticed one difference, to be honest with you”.

“I think we’ve all, probably everybody in here at some point or another had a drone-related problem”, he joked.

“We like to make it seem bigger than what it is”, he said. Neither played much of a role in the Division Series however, as they went a combined 4-23 at the plate and could not drive in a single run.

“I would love to meet woman who donated the tickets and thank her”, he said.

The Indians present a considerable challenge. Cleveland also swept their division-round opponent, the Boston Red Sox. Toronto will exploit this weakness and win in six games.

The victory capped a franchise-record, 14-game winning streak for the Indians, and although it may have sapped them physically, the win had a positive effect.

CLEVELAND: With Cody Allen and Andrew Miller at the back end of Cleveland’s bullpen, the goal is clear: get a lead or tie to the eighth inning and hand the ball over. Abdeldayem said regardless of what happens, he will have no ill will toward Toronto fans. In one start this season against the Indians on July 2nd, Estrada pitched decently in a no decision outing going 5 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits.

Times have changed. Toronto drew 3.92 million to the Rogers Centre this season, averaging 41,878. Aaron Sanchez (15-2, 3.00 ERA), left-hander J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA) and Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48 ERA) all had strong seasons, and Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37 ERA) wasn’t far behind. 2 and 3 starters in their rotation, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, suffered season-ending injuries in September.

The Indians, however, still have their No.1 starter, Corey Kluber, rested and ready to start Game 1. Meanwhile, second baseman Devon Travis, who missed Games 2 and 3 of the ALDS with a bone bruise in his right knee, is also expected to return to the lineup. So what would be the most interesting World Series match-up: Toronto vs Chicago, Toronto vs Los Angeles, Cleveland vs Chicago, or Cleveland vs Los Angeles? That’s exactly what the Toronto Blue Jays are doing, seeking to replicate the success they saw in the ALDS in sweeping the Texas Rangers.

“An inning wouldn’t hurt him a bit”, Gibbons said. “It’s not just two, three, four guys that can hurt you. When we’re back home, we have very passionate, loyal fans, they’re loud, they’re energetic, they’re obnoxious to the other team and it gives us a true home-field advantage”. And so I guess if I have to guess, it’s going to be a tough series. The Blue Jays, as a team, hit just.248 in 2016; the Indians hit.262, however, a closer look shows the two teams nose-to-nose in on-base percentage, with the Indians at.329 and Blue Jays at.330. Like Toronto, Cleveland had one of the most potent offenses in Major League Baseball, in large part thanks to the emergence of third baseman Jose Ramirez.