Francisco Lindor's Grand Slam Leads Cleveland Comeback; Justin Turner Drives In 5 As Dodgers Take Game 1

Players of the Day for Friday, October 6, 2017

American League

Houston took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five ALDS with their second straight 8-2 win over Boston. Carlos Correa socked a two run homer off Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz and plated two more with a seventh inning double.

Jose Altuve, who belted three home runs in the first game, went 2-for-3 and is batting .714 in the series.

In Cleveland, the Indians rallied from an 8-3 fifth inning deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in 13 inning, 9-8, taking a two-games-to-none lead in their best-of-five series.

Lindor: Grand Slam

The Yankees mostly built their lead off ace starter, Cory Kluber, who lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer by Gary Sanchez in the first innings and an Aaron Hicks three run belt in the third.

Starlin Castro drove in another run in the four-run third. Greg Bird ripped a two-run home run down the left field line to increase the lead to 8-3 in the fifth.

The large lead did the Yankees no good. Francisco Lindor delivered a grand slam in the sixth inning to cut the lead to one run, and Jay Bruce tied the game with a solo shot over the high left field wall in the eighth.

Neither team could muster another run until the 13th inning, when Dean Betances opened the inning by walking Austin Jackson, who promptly stole second. The next batter, Yan Gomes, singled home the game-winner. Game finished 2-for-5, including a key double in the sixth, which kept Cleveland's inning alive for Lindor's eventual slam.

Lindor's home run was his first and only hit of the series, but by no means a fluke. A dangerous hitter, Lindor had 33 home runs and 89 RBI during the regular season.

The series shifts to New York on Sunday, with the Yankees facing elimination in game three, as do the Red Sox in their series with Houston. New York hosts Cleveland Sunday at 7:38 pm ET. Earlier, the Red Sox host the Astros at 2:38 in legendary Fenway Park.

National League

Justin Turner got the Dodgers' post-season started off with a blast, specifically, a three-run, first-inning home run off Arizona starter, Taijuan Walker, who lasted just one inning, giving up four runs. The Dodgers piled on for a 9-5 victory in game one of the NLDS.

Turner: 3-5, HR, 5 RBI

Turner also singled home another run in the fourth inning and completed the Dodgers' scoring with an RBI single in the ninth, totaling five RBI in a 3-for-5 effort. One of the best hitters in the majors, Turner batted .322 during the regular season, tied for second in the NL with Washington's Daniel Murphy. The home run was the third in post-season play for Turner. In 60 post-season at-bats, Turner is batting .383 with three homers and 17 RBI, suggesting that the 32-year-old infielder may possibly be the new "Mr. October."

Clayton Kershaw took the win for LA, holding the Diamondbacks to one run over the first five innings, but giving up three solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings before hitting the shower. J.D. Martinez touched one off in the sixth. Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis went back-to-back in the seventh, ending Kershaw's night.

LA has a 1-0 lead in the series, which continues Saturday in Los Angeles at 9:08 pm ET.

In the other NLDS, Chicago's Kyle Hendricks held the Washington Nationals scoreless on two hits over seven innings as the Cubs took game one, 3-0. Hendricks squared off with Stephen Strasberg, both pitchers putting zeroes on the scoreboard until the Cubs broke through for two runs in the sixth.

Washington hosts the Cubs in game two, Saturday, at 5:38 pm ET.