CHICAGO -- When contending teams reinforce their offense at the Trade Deadline, those deals usually come with the hope that it will pay dividends come playoff time. For the Guardians, that’s precisely what took place with Jo Adell when they needed him most.
Facing elimination in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday, it was Adell who ignited the offense by smashing a bases-clearing triple in the third inning, giving Cleveland a three-run lead in an eventual 9-3 victory over the White Sox.
José Ramírez will get most of the shine after finally breaking through with a signature performance with clutch plays both at the plate and with the glove. You can make a case, however, that Adell was truly the game-changer in this one.
The Guardians’ offense played a large role in going down 2-0 in this series. Cleveland’s hitters were lifeless through the first two games, combining to go 7-for-61 (.115) and hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position, including two instances where they stranded the bases loaded in Game 1.
In what was Cleveland’s first real opportunity to do damage Wednesday, Adell ensured there would be no repeat of those offensive inefficiencies. Facing Hagen Smith with two outs and the bases loaded after Steven Kwan had tied it up with an RBI single earlier in the inning, Adell sliced a 1-2 fastball down the first-base line and into the right-field corner, producing the big hit that had previously eluded the Guardians.
“It was huge,” Adell said. “Really just proud of how I cleaned that at-bat up. I was in a hole and I really had to adjust my plan to what I wanted to do. I was able to execute. I wasn’t trying to take the big swing when I got into that two-strike count. I was able to shoot something the other way.”
Adell’s clutch knock silenced a raucous crowd at Rate Field and energized Cleveland’s dugout by providing a lead that was never relinquished.
“It was a touchdown play,” Kwan said. “It felt like a big, deep breath that we were able to take. The first couple of games, we were getting the baserunners on but we didn’t get the big hit. We got the big hit there, and it definitely felt good.”
This is the dream scenario the Guardians envisioned when they struck a deal with the Angels back in August for Adell, whose 32 RBIs post-Trade Deadline led Cleveland and were tied with Junior Caminero and Salvador Perez for sixth-most RBIs in the AL during that stretch.
“When runners are in scoring position like that, all year long I’ve been doing my job,” Adell said. “To get it done in a moment that mattered like that was huge.”
For Adell, this is a dream start to his postseason career. After watching October baseball from afar during his first six big league seasons with the Angels, Adell is finally getting his first taste of playoff action, and he’s already made some impressive history in just three games.
Adell’s clutch knock was just the fourth game-tying or go-ahead triple in Cleveland postseason history, following Omar Vizquel (Game 2 of the 1999 ALDS, Game 3 of the 1995 World Series) and Vic Wertz (Game 1 of the 1954 World Series).
Having also tripled in the Guardians’ 4-3 loss in Game 2, Adell’s Game 3 triple grouped him with a Cleveland legend who once donned his No. 7 jersey in Kenny Lofton by becoming only the second Cleveland player with multiple triples in a single postseason series. Lofton notched his second postseason triple in the 1995 ALCS against the Mariners.
“I’ll say this, [Lofton’s] probably a lot faster than me,” Adell said with a smile. “But that’s pretty cool to have that moment. It’s crazy to think about. We were the same number, too. It’s kind of wild. Really cool. What a special player he was.”
The Guardians live to fight another day, thanks in large part to Adell, and they’ll enter Game 4 on Thursday feeling like their offense is firing again after finishing 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position in Game 3.
“It’s what we’re capable of,” said Adell. “When you’re putting the pressure on with runners in scoring position like that and finding a way to get the job done, it’s that next-guy-up mentality we talk about. Anything is possible.”