NEW YORK — Usually, teams do everything in their power to avoid facing the flame-throwing closer, Aroldis Chapman.
Terry Francona willingly welcomed it.
Well, sort of.
Francona would have much happier pulling the Game 3 strings with the benefit of a late-game lead, but after Greg Bird launched a solo homer to the second deck in right field off Andrew Miller in the seventh — just the second homer to a lefty Miller has surrendered this season — the manager was now juggling a desire to win the game Sunday with some next-level gamesmanship that could potentially impact Monday's Game 4 at Yankee Stadium.
Lose a battle, win a war? How the Indians' late-game strategy could possibly impact the Yankees in Game 4
