ALCS Preview: Blue Jays vs. Indians

(photo credit: Getty Images)

The American League Championship Series begins Friday, October 14 as the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians square off in a best-of-seven series to determine the American League representative in the 2016 World Series.

Cleveland reached the League Championship Series by continuing the regular season success they had straight into the playoffs. The 94-67 record the Indians finished with earned them the Central Division crown and left them one win behind the Texas Rangers (in one less game played) for best record in the AL. Cleveland faced the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series and proceeded to dispatch of them in a 3-game sweep. Game 1 was a 5-4 nailbiter, followed by a 6-0 pounding in Game 2, and concluding with 4-3 clincher in Game 3.

The Indians were powered by a team-high five hits and four runs from third baseman Jose Ramirez. Five different players had a home run each, and Lonnie Chisenhall led the team with four RBIs during the three games they played. Cleveland's three starting pitchers (Corey Kluber, Josh Tomlin, and Trevor Bauer) combined for 16 2/3 innings pitched, giving up five runs on 13 hits and four walks, with 17 strikeouts along the way. The bullpen pitched 10.1 innings, giving up just two runs on eight hits with 14 strikeouts.

Toronto earned their way into the postseason by qualifying for a one-game wildcard against the Baltimre Orioles, winning in dramatic, walk-off fashion courtesy of an extra-inning home run by Edwin Encarnacion. From there, the Blue Jays powered their way through sweeping the Texas Rangers, raking 10 home runs (3 by the red-hot Encarnacion) on the heels of four different players (Encarnacion, Troy Tulowitzki, Ezequiel Carrera and Josh Donaldson) putting up six hits each in the three games of the series.

The Indians enter the league championship series hoping to end the 68-year drought since the last time Cleveland won the World Series, in 1948. The Blue Jays won in back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993, including Joe Carter's championship-clinching, walk-off homerun to win the Series in 1992. 2015 was the only playoff appearance for the team since the '93 championhsip. The Indians made it to the World Series as recently as 1997, only to fall to the upstart Florida Marlins, and 1995 before falling to the Atlanta Braves.

Game 1 begins at 8:00 pm ET, with Corey Kluber taking the mound for Cleveland, and Marco Estrada getting the nod for Toronto.