Terry Francona’s Bold Bullpen Moves Pay Off Vs. Red Sox, But At What Cost?

Share this: Terry Francona wasn’t about to make the same mistake as Buck Showalter. The Cleveland Indians manager saw his starter, Trevor Bauer, labor through a few rocky innings Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field. So, in the fifth inning, with Bauer at just 78 pitches and Cleveland holding a one-run lead, Francona decided to take drastic action, pulling Bauer after 4 2/3 innings in favor of star reliever Andrew Miller. Francona’s daring move worked. Miller stopped any momentum the Red Sox’s offense had gained after Sandy Leon’s fifth-inning home run, allowing just one Boston hit over the next two innings while striking out four. After getting two outs in the seventh from right-hander Bryan Shaw, Francona called on closer Cody