EXTRA: Beisbol heroics on Sabado from a pair of Latin American catchers

For those people who want to downplay the great significance that Latin America plays in modern-day professional baseball, Saturday was likely a swift kick to the huevos.
 

Carlos Santana became a Cleveland hero ...

For both the American and National leagues had more games in their ongoing quest to produce league champions who will face off against each other in this year’s World Series.

THE CLEVELAND INDIANS gave themselves a significant jolt in their chances of being one of those World Series-bound ball clubs – what with them beating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 to take a two games to nothing lead over their Canadian competitors.

While the Chicago Cubs started off their round of playoffs with an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three more wins, and the Cubs could have their first league pennant since 1945.

In both games, the big bats came from catchers who hail from Latin American nations – Carlos Santana of the Indians from the Dominican Republic and Miguel Montero of the Cubs from Venezuela.

Both men managed to hit home runs that gave their teams the leads they ultimately held. Both may well have had the highlights of their professional careers on Saturday.

FOR SANTANA, HE hit a line shot off Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ that managed to clear that 19-foot high wall they have at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, which may be as ridiculous a corporate ballpark name as Chicago’s new Guaranteed Rate Field.

 

... to be followed a few hours later in Chicago by a Cub

While Montero hit a four-run home run for the Cubs, coming in as a pinch hitter and breaking up a tied score that the Dodgers had just managed to accomplish.

Just at a time when the Dodgers thought they were going to outsmart the Cubs, a little bit of muscle broke the game open.

Just as how Santana broke up a double shutout game by putting the Indians on the board; creating a mood throughout Cleveland that had fans convinced that victory was theirs. And for at least a day made him the more important “Carlos Santana” than the legendary guitar player.

I WOULDN’T BE surprised if people in Cleveland and on the North Side were now gearing up for an Indians/Cubs World Series scheduled to begin Oct. 25. For what it’s worth, Halloween will be a travel day between games six and seven – if it turns out that those games need to be played.

 

For a day, he's just a guy named 'Carlos'

Although anyone with baseball sense knows nothing should ever be taken for granted until it’s a done deal. Anybody who has watched the Indians sweep the Boston Red Sox and handle Toronto thus far ought to be able to see they’re not going to be the least bit intimidated by the Cubs – no matter how much some people are determined to think it is inevitable that there will be an ultimate Chicago victory.

Toronto fans surely think things are about to change come Monday with the return of playoff games to Ontario, while Dodgers fans know that with six more games to play against the Cubs, they could still rebound.

Which is why baseball truly is the greatest of games, and only a fool will be paying any attention to the Bears Sunday as they play (and possibly lose to) the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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