Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox during game one of the American League Divison Series at Progressive Field on October 6, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Francisco Lindor's homer capped Cleveland's three-homer rampage in the third inning against 22-game winner Rick Porcello, and the Indians held on for a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night in their AL Division Series opener.
Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Robert Perez went deep in the third off Porcello, who lasted 4 1/3 innings in his shortest outing this year.
Before a sea of red-towel waving, screaming fans, the Indians landed the first blow in the best-of-5 series against David Ortiz and the AL East champions.
Andrew Miller, acquired by Cleveland in a July trade for an October night like this, pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Summoned by manager Terry Francona earlier than usual, the lefty struck out Ortiz with two on to end the fifth and threw a season-high 40 pitches.
Bryan Shaw gave up a leadoff homer to Boston's Brock Holt in the eighth that made it 5-4 before Cody Allen struck out Xander Bogaerts with the tying run at third to end the inning. Boston put a runner on with two outs in the ninth but Allen fanned Dustin Pedroia on a checked-swing, his 40th pitch, for the save. Pedroia was livid, and Red Sox manager John Farrell went onto the field to question the call.
Ortiz went 1 for 4 with a double in the first game of his final post-season.