CLEVELAND — Postseason pitching success: Priceless.
David Price continues to be a lost October soul. For all his riches — and he signed a $217 million, seven-year monster deal with the Red Sox before the season — Price can’t buy a victory in the postseason as a starter.
Money simply can’t buy postseason success.
This city is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and man, are the Indians rolling. They stunned the Red Sox and Price, 6-0 Friday at Progressive Field to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five ALDS.
What’s next, the Browns beating the Patriots here Sunday?
The Red Sox, who came into this postseason with such high hopes, now have to pull a 2004 October surprise all over again, this time winning three straight to avoid being knocked out of the party.
For Price, this was pathetic. His overall postseason performance is one of the most pitiful in baseball history. He has made nine postseason starts and has lost eight of them.
That’s hard to do with all his talent.
On Thursday, he promised this would be different. He had hopes of dominating the Indians and putting his October past behind him. He was smiling. He was happy.
A day later, he was out of the game in the fourth inning. In the second inning, he surrendered four runs, three coming on No. 8 hitter Lonnie Chisenhall’s rocket home run to right. Chisenhall, a lefty hitter, is 5-for-13 lifetime against Price with two home runs and a double. It was his first home run this year off a left-handed pitcher and his first postseason home run.
Price was charged with five runs, raising his postseason ERA to 5.74 as a starter. Dreadful.
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Perhaps Price doesn’t want to face the reality of such failure. When the carnage was complete, he said: “It stung for sure, but I’ll be ready when my number is called again. I’ll be ready to go out there and get outs.’’
Asked specifically about his postseason failures, he countered:
“I’ve got two wins in the playoffs, just not as a starter. I know good things are coming to me in October baseball. I didn’t have good things happen today. The Indians, they’re playing well.
“My fastball felt good, two of the best pitches I threw in the second inning, one was an infield single and one was a three-run home run. That’s part of it. It stinks to say it. It stinks to have it happen, but I feel good. I know this team is still confident. We’re going home where we play well.’’
Yes, but what about that 0-8 October record as a starter?
“I’ll move forward, make that one big pitch,’’ Price said. “That pitch Chisenhall hit out, that’s a good pitch, he put a good swing on it.’’
John Farrell, Boston’s manager and a former pitching coach, offered this view of the pitch: “In a hitter’s count, he’s trying to sink a ball down and in to keep it from getting extended. Doesn’t get to the spot. [Chisenhall] hits the ball for a three-run homer.’’
Price cruised through the first inning, but as soon as there was a hint of trouble in the second, he melted.
Price is the anti-Madison Bumgarner when it comes to October baseball.
The lefty became overly deliberate with each of his pitches. He tried so hard not to make a mistake, he made a huge one with Chisenhall.
On the other side of the Price ledger was Corey Kluber, who was making his first postseason start. Kluber went seven strong innings, allowing just three hits in the win.
Before the first pitch, the Indians trotted out NBA champion LeBron James and some of his Cavaliers teammates. LeBron fired up the crowd, saying of the Indians: “We all have to rally together for their championship run. Always believe something Cleveland, it’s always us against the world. Cleveland against the world.’’
The Indians have not won a World Series since 1948. Not as bad as the Cubs, but that is some drought.
Now, this is Believeland.