2016 American League Division Series

Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto won the series, 3–0.

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox

Cleveland won the series, 3–0.

Texas vs. Toronto

This was the second meeting between the Blue Jays and the Rangers in the postseason, the first being the 2015 American League Division Series in which the Blue Jays defeated the Rangers after losing the first two games at home, which was marked by a controversy-laden deciding Game 5 defined by José Bautista's bat flip. It was also the first series between the two teams since May 15, a game which featured multiple bench clearing skirmishes and the infamous Rougned Odor punch of Bautista.

Game 1, October 6

The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the third inning with five runs, highlighted by a bases clearing triple by Troy Tulowitzki. Rangers' starter Cole Hamels ended the third inning throwing 42 pitches, the most pitches in an inning he had ever thrown. Hamels would only last 3 ¹⁄₃ innings having given up seven runs. After Hamels exit, the Rangers bullpen tossed 4 ²⁄₃ scoreless innings. Bautista would hit a three-run home run in the ninth amid boos from the Rangers crowd, giving the Blue Jays a 10–0 lead. Blue Jays' starter Marco Estrada went a strong 8 ¹⁄₃ innings having given up only four hits and one earned run on 98 pitches.

Game 2, October 7

In Game 2, Texas sent out Yu Darvish, who was unable to participate in Texas's 2015 playoff run due to recovery from Tommy John surgery. In return, the Jays responded with 20-game winner J. A. Happ. The Rangers offense (which had mustered only four hits in Game 1) erupted for 13 hits in Game 2. However, three runs was all that Texas could get on the day, as their dismal hitting with runners in scoring position failed to bring home any more baserunners (the Rangers went 2-for-18 in RISP situations, and left 13 men on base). Meanwhile, Darvish gave up only five hits through five innings; however, four of those hits were home runs (which tied the MLB playoff record for most home runs given up by a pitcher in a single game). After Francisco Liriano was removed from the game in the bottom of the eighth inning due to taking a line-drive off his head (Liriano would later be diagnosed with a concussion), Toronto manager John Gibbons called upon his closer Roberto Osuna to get a five-out save. Osuna would allow a leadoff double to Adrián Beltré in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. The next three Rangers batters went down in order without being able to advance Beltre, giving the Jays a 2–0 series lead heading to Toronto for Game 3. With the loss the Rangers dropped to 1–11 in Division Series home games.

Game 3, October 9

Looking to eliminate the Rangers from the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the Blue Jays sent American League ERA leader Aaron Sanchez to the mound in Game 3. The Rangers countered with starter Colby Lewis. The Rangers took their first lead of the series with a walk to Carlos Gómez, a stolen base and back-to-back groundouts. The Blue Jays responded with a two-run home run by Edwin Encarnación and a solo shot by Russell Martin to take a 3–1 lead. The Rangers tried to claw back in the third with a solo shot by Elvis Andrus to cut the score 3–2. The Blue Jays pulled ahead on an RBI double by Josh Donaldson that just stayed fair down the right field line and knocked Lewis out of the game and an RBI single by Encarnación to make it 5–2. The Rangers made it a one run game again with a two-run home run to dead center by Rougned Odor. Sanchez would pitch into the sixth inning, leaving with two runners on and a 5–4 lead. Joe Biagini would allow a double to Mitch Moreland that just got out of the reach of Kevin Pillar that scored two runs and gave the Rangers a 6–5 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, a passed ball by Jonathan Lucroy allowed Troy Tulowitzki to score the tying run. The game would go into the tenth inning tied at six. Rangers pitcher Matt Bush, pitching his third inning of relief, gave up a leadoff double to Josh Donaldson. After intentionally walking Encarnación and striking out José Bautista, Russell Martin hit a groundball to shortstop Elvis Andrus. Andrus flipped the ball to Odor, who recorded the out at second and then threw on to first base. The throw went wide of first, drawing Moreland off the base and allowing both Martin to reach safely and Donaldson to score the winning run. Rangers manager Jeff Banister called for a video review to see if Encarnación interfered with the throw to second but the call was upheld to end the game and series. Odor's error was first time in MLB history that any postseason series ended on an error.

Composite line score

2016 ALDS (3–0): Toronto Blue Jays beat Texas Rangers

Cleveland vs. Boston

The Red Sox–Indians series marked the fifth postseason meeting between the two teams, with each team winning two series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2007 American League Championship Series, in which the Red Sox overcame a 3–1 deficit to win the American League pennant.

Game 1, October 6

Dustin Pedroia led off Game 1 with a double to right field off of Trevor Bauer, then moved to third on Brock Holt's single and scored two outs later on Hanley Ramirez's double, but Holt was thrown out trying to score too to end the inning. Jose Ramírez led off the bottom of the second with a double off of Rick Porcello and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall's single to tie the game. Andrew Benintendi's lead off home run in the third put the Red Sox back up 2−1, but in the bottom of the inning, solo home runs by Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis, and Francisco Lindor gave the Indians a 4−2 lead. The Red Sox cut the lead to one on Sandy Leon's lead off home run in the fifth off of Bauer, who was replaced by Andrew Miller with two outs in the inning. In the bottom half, Perez hit a leadoff double, moved to second on a sacrifice fly, and scored on Kipnis's single off of reliever Drew Pomeranz. Holt's leadoff home run in the eighth off of Bryan Shaw made it 5−4 Indians, but Cody Allen pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings for the save.

Game 2, October 7

Corey Kluber pitched seven shutout innings in Game 2, allowing three hits and three walks while Dan Otero and Bryan Shaw pitched a perfect eighth and ninth, respectively. Red Sox's David Price, after a perfect first, allowed three straight one-out singles in the second, the last of which to Brandon Guyer scoring Carlos Santana, before Lonnie Chisenhall's three-run home run put the Indians up 4−0. In the fourth, Price allowed a leadoff single to Guyer, then walked Roberto Pérez with one out before being relieved by Matt Barnes. Rajai Davis hit into a forceout at third before Jason Kipnis's single scored Perez. Guyer hit a leadoff single off of Barnes in the sixth, then moved to third one out later on Dustin Pedroia's fielding error before scoring on Davis's sacrifice fly off of Brad Ziegler to make it 6−0 Indians, who went up two games to none in the series heading to Boston.

Game 3, October 10

The Indians struck first in Game 3 off of Clay Buchholz when with runners on second and third in the fourth with one out, Tyler Naquin scores them both with a single to right field. In the fifth, Xander Bogaerts singled with one out off of Josh Tomlin and scored on Andrew Benintendi's double to make it 2−1 Indians, but in the sixth, Jose Ramirez draws a leadoff walk off of Drew Pomeranz then Coco Crisp homered one out later to put the Indians up 4−1. Dustin Pedroia singled to lead off the bottom of the inning off of Tomlin, who is relieved by Andrew Miller. Pedroia moved to third on Mookie Betts's double and scored on David Ortiz's sacrifice fly. In the eighth, pinch hitter Travis Shaw singled with one out off of Bryan Shaw. After Betts hit into a force out, Cody Allen relieves Shaw and walks Ortiz before Hanley Ramirez's RBI single made it 4−3 Indians, but Allen pitched a scoreless ninth despite allowing a single and walk as the Indians completed a sweep of the Red Sox.

Composite line score

2016 ALDS (3–0): Cleveland Indians beat Boston Red Sox