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⚾ ROUND TABLE REACTS — INDIANS 19, RED SOX 5
“Cleveland didn’t flinch. Boston barely had time to breathe.”
🎙️ Mike Francesa
deep inhale, eyes half-closed, steam building
“Look… this wasn’t a baseball game. This was a mismatch. The Red Sox? Great story. First postseason in seventeen years. All that excitement… and then Cleveland comes in and just absolutely demolishes them in Games 2 and 3.
Nineteen runs? Twenty-one hits? Everybody on Cleveland hit the ball hard. Campbell, Satiago, Hughes, Amero — they’re hittin’ home runs like it’s a Home Run Derby. Boston’s pitching? It was a disaster. Total meltdown. Every guy they brought in — Vargas, Carrillo, Diaz — they all got pummeled.
And listen… this is what real playoff teams do. You lose Game 1? You don’t panic. Cleveland didn’t blink. And now? Their reward is Houston. One hundred and eighteen wins. Good luck.”
🤪 Mad Dog Russo
yelling before Francesa even finishes, arms everywhere
“MIKEY, THE RED SOX GAVE UP TEN RUNS BY THE FOURTH INNING! TEN!! THE GAME WAS O–VER FIVE MINUTES AFTER IT STARTED!!
THE INDIANS — THEY JUST KEPT POUNDING, MIKE! CAMPBELL HITS TWO HOMERS! SATIAGO — WHAT A SERIES!! THREE HOMERS! SEVEN RBIS!! THE MAN HIT .545!! HE WAS TED WILLIAMS OUT THERE!! AND HOW ABOUT AMERO?! MENDEZ?! EVERYBODY’S HITTIN’ BOMBS!!
Boston? Great job getting back to October, but COME ON!! YOU CAN’T GIVE UP NINETEEN RUNS IN AN ELIMINATION GAME!! NOT NINETEEN!! I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS SINCE… SINCE… I DON’T EVEN KNOW, MIKE!!!”
pounds the desk
“And now Cleveland’s gotta play the 118-win Astros! OHHH HO HO, GOOD LUCK BOYS, BETTER BRING THE BATS!”
🕊️ Bob Costas
gentle, reflective, weaving the narrative
“Baseball can be unforgiving, especially in a short series. For Boston, returning to the postseason after 17 long, wandering years, there was hope — real, tangible hope — that this group could create something memorable.
But Cleveland showed what separates the merely excited from the truly composed. After dropping Game 1, they stayed poised. They trusted who they were. And in Games 2 and 3, they unleashed an offensive performance that bordered on breathtaking. Campbell, Satiago, Mendez — all delivering in ways that echo the great October moments of years past.
For Boston, this will sting. For Cleveland, it’s a statement. And in a matter of hours, they’ll shift from the thrill of victory to the enormous challenge of facing the 118-win Houston Astros — a team that has looked, at times, almost historically dominant.”
📺 Colin Cowherd
grinning, leaning back, dropping comparisons
“This is what I always say: there are levels in sports. Boston is a fun story — the plucky team finally back in the playoffs. Cleveland? That’s a grown-up ballclub.
Boston wins Game 1 and gets a little chest-puffy… Cleveland says, ‘Okay, nice little moment,’ and then detonates them. Nineteen runs? That’s not offense — that’s an audit. That’s a forensic teardown of your pitching staff.
And now Cleveland has to face Houston — a team with 118 wins, which is basically baseball’s version of Amazon. Efficient. Ruthless. Everywhere at once.
Cleveland earned it. But they’re walking into a buzzsaw.”
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