"Even when Gomer wasn't getting hits, there were so many other ways that he was helping the team win," Francona said. "I told him that last week [that] catchers have so much impact on the game, and I wanted him to understand how much we appreciated him."
Gomes made a major impact Thursday in the Indians' 4-3 victory over American League West leader Houston. He reached base in all three of his plate appearances and was 2-for-2 in throwing out attempted basestealers.
The latter included gunning down Jose Altuve carrying the potential game-tying run in the ninth inning, making Gomes 6-for-12 in that category this season.