CLEVELAND (AP) ― Carlos Santana didn’t mind the postgame pounding he took from his teammates Thursday. In fact, he enjoyed it.
Santana was greeted by his enthusiastic teammates after the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on his RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning.
“I didn’t care if I got hurt or not,” he said. “They were hitting me everywhere, but I feel great. I’m so happy.”
Santana’s clutch hit capped a two-run 11th. He was mobbed by his teammates in a celebration that spilled onto the outfield grass after Cleveland won its fourth straight.
The comeback was the Indians’ second of the day. The Mariners led 4-0, but Cleveland scored a run in the seventh and Jose Lopez hit a three-run homer off Steve Delabar that tied it in the eighth. Even though Seattle scored a run off Joe Smith (4-1) in the top of the 11th, the Indians still felt confident.
“Everyone in the dugout said, ‘Let’s get two, we can do it,’” said Indians manager Manny Acta.
Michael Saunders’ run-scoring double in the top of the inning gave Seattle a 5-4 lead, but closer Brandon League (0-3) extended his startling lack of success against the Indians. League has blown seven saves in nine chances in his career against Cleveland, including two this season.
“You don’t get to closers very often,” Acta said. “The guys were pretty confident since we had done it before against him and we could do it again.”
