#202---CLE @ TEX, 4/3/2017

This was a very entertaining opening day game between two division winners from the prior season, that I remember primarily for watching a major league manager act like a complete idiot in the top of the third. The Indians had runners at second and third with one out. Francisco Lindor flied to center; Abraham Almonte tagged and scored while Carlos Santana got caught up between second and third and was eventually tagged out. Rangers manager Jeff Banister came out and argued about this. If I were to give him the benefit of the doubt, I would say he was arguing that Santana was retired before Almonte touched home, but it seemed more that he thought the run just shouldn’t count.

Rougned Odor hit a homer off Corey Kluber for the second straight inning to give Texas a 5-1 lead after three. Jose Ramirez hit a two run homer in the fourth to cut the lead in half (2 is half of 4, which announcers don’t seem to know when they use this expression). In the seventh, Yandy Diaz (who was making his big league debut), doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a second wild pitch that came on Abraham Almonte’s strikeout and allowed the latter to reach first, driving Yu Darvish from the hill.

Edwin Encarnacion, playing his first game with the Tribe, tied it with an eighth inning longball, and the Indians plated three off Rangers closer Sam Dyson in the ninth to win it. Sam Dyson would not have a long tenure as Rangers closer.