CHICAGO -- Miguel Montero delivered one memorable swing, Javier Baez stole home with a daring dash down the line and Jon Lester turned in another steady performance.
Business as usual this year for the Chicago Cubs, who are off and running in the NL Championship Series.
Montero snapped an eighth-inning tie with the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history, and Chicago beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 in Game 1 on Saturday night, moving the Cubs a step closer to their first pennant in 71 years.
Game 2 is Sunday night, with the Dodgers once again in need of a clutch performance from ace Clayton Kershaw. Major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks pitches for the Cubs, chasing their first World Series title since 1908.
Lester pitched six effective innings, and Dexter Fowler homered after making two diving catches in center field - breaking his belt on the second grab. Left fielder Ben Zobrist threw out Adrian Gonzalez at the plate, helping Chicago to its first NLCS win in 13 years (see full recap).
Miller dazzles, Indians edge Blue Jays 2-1 in Game 2 of ALCS
CLEVELAND -- They don't have a true superstar, an embarrassment of All-Stars or a celebrity following. That's the NBA champion Cavaliers, who play next door.
The Indians, though, have depth, chemistry, one of baseball's best managers and quite possibly the most dominant bullpen weapon in the game.
MLB
Andrew Miller has Cleveland two wins from the World Series - and Toronto batters flailing.
Josh Tomlin baffled Blue Jays batters for nearly six innings and Miller, acquired just ahead of the trade deadline for exactly these pressure-packed October moments, blew them away as Cleveland edged Toronto 2-1 on Saturday to take 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.
Carlos Santana homered off 20-game winner J.A. Happ, and Francisco Lindor had an RBI single for the Indians. They won the second straight tense game in this series and have won five straight postseason games for the first time in their 116-year history (see full recap).