3. The Second Inning
The bottom of the second was when the Tribe’s bats exploded– for seven runs to be exact.
After Encarnacion recorded a double in the lead-off spot, he scored on an RBI double from Jose Ramirez in the next at-bat.
The Angels’ Jesse Chavez walked the Indians’ next three batters, scoring Ramirez in the process to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead.
But it was Bradley Zimmer who broke the game open at the top of the order, rocking his first career grand slam over the center field wall on a 3-1 pitch to extend the Indians lead to 6-0.
Two batters later, Brantley followed Zimmer with a solo shot to center of his own.
Both Zimmer and Brantley’s homers came off of pitches in the heart of the strike zone, and both capitalized when it mattered.
When all was said and done, the Indians made it through their entire line-up and then some before the third out.
This inning was crucial, as the Tribe didn’t score again until Encarnacion’s grand slam. With Zimmer and Encarnacion’s bases-clearing homers, the Indians had their first game with two grand slams since September of 1999.
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