It’s a day some Red Sox fans probably couldn’t have imagined after the club finished 78-84 in 2015, but Boston will play the Indians in Cleveland for Game 1 of their American League Division Series on Thursday.
The Red Sox are going big for the series opener, too, as AL Cy Young contender Rick Porcello will be on the mound. The right-hander was brilliant in the regular season en route to a 3.15 ERA, which was the fifth best in the AL.
Porcello earned a lot of attention for winning 13 consecutive decisions at Fenway Park, but he wasn’t too shabby on the road, either. In away games, Porcello had a 3.31 ERA and held opponents to a .219 average. His three complete games this season also happened away from Fenway Park.
On the other side of the ball, the Red Sox’s batting order looks very similar to the one it was using in the final weeks of September. Brock Holt will start at third base against Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer and bat second, while shortstop Xander Bogaerts will bat out of the No. 6 hole again.
Here are the Red Sox’s and Indians’ lineups for Game 1 of their ALDS. All statistics are from the regular season.
RED SOX (93-69)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Brock Holt, 3B
Mookie Betts, RF
David Ortiz, DH
Hanley Ramirez, 1B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Sandy Leon, C
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Rick Porcello, RHP (22-4, 3.15 ERA)
INDIANS (94-67)
Carlos Santana, DH
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Francisco Lindor, SS
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jose Ramirez, 3B
Lonnie Chisenhall, RF
Coco Crisp, LF
Tyler Naquin, CF
Roberto Perez, C
Trevor Bauer, RHP (12-8, 4.2 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports Images
