Carlos Santana and Franmil Reyes each homered and drove in four runs Sunday as the Cleveland Indians erased a four-run deficit in an 8-6 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to take two of three in a weekend series.
Cleveland will host the Yankees in the playoffs as the four seed. The Indians finished in a tie for second in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox, but owned the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Reyes hit a three-run homer, and Santana, who entered the game in a 4-for-41 funk, hit a two-run homer and two-run double. The Indians (35-25) saved their largest comeback win for the finale.
Jose Osuna hit a solo homer and an RBI single, Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a solo homer and Adam Frazier added a two-run double for Pittsburgh (19-41).
Cal Quantrill started in a bullpen game for Cleveland. He gave up two runs and four hits in three innings while striking out two.
James Karinchak (1-2), the sixth of eight Indians pitchers, struck out the side in the seventh. Brad Hand earned a four-out save, his 16th.
Pittsburgh starter J.T. Brubaker gave up five runs and seven hits in five-plus innings while striking out three and walking two. Nik Turley (0-3) gave up three runs and two hits in the seventh.
With two outs in the second, Pittsburgh's J.T. Riddle reached on a two-base error. Osuna singled him home to make it 1-0.
Hayes boosted that to 2-0 in the third with his fifth homer, to center.
The Indians tied it in the third. Cesar Hernandez reached on a bunt single ahead of Santana's eighth homer, to center.
In the fifth, Osuna led off with his fourth homer, to right-center, for a 3-2 Pirates edge. Frazier doubled. Hayes was intentionally walked. Frazier then scored as Colin Moran reached on Francisco Lindor's throwing error, the first error this season by a Cleveland shortstop.
Pittsburgh pushed it to 6-2 in the sixth. Riddle singled with one out and Osuna doubled him to third. Frazier drove in both with a double to right-center field.
The Indians drew to within 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth. After Jose Ramirez doubled and Santana walked, Reyes homered to center, his ninth.
In the seventh, Hernandez was hit by a pitch, went to third on Ramirez's double, and both scored on Santana's double for a 7-6 Cleveland lead. Santana scored on Reyes' sacrifice fly.
--Field Level Media
Pittsburgh | Cleveland | |
JT Brubaker | Player | Cal Quantrill |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.0 | IP | 3.0 |
3 | Strikeouts | 2 |
7 | Hits | 4 |
9.00 | ERA | 3.00 |
Pittsburgh | Cleveland | |
Jose Osuna | Player | Carlos Santana |
3 | Hits | 3 |
2 | RBI | 4 |
1 | HR | 1 |
7 | TB | 8 |
.750 | Avg | 1.000 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Pittsburgh | 9 | 2 | 18 | .250 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Cleveland | 11 | 2 | 21 | .344 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 |