After knocking on the door all night, Cleveland waited until the ninth inning to explode on Toronto, grabbing a 5-4 win with a game winning grand slam home run by Travis Hafner to cap a 5-run inning.
Trailing 4-0 entering the ninth, Cleveland got a lead off single from Travis Buck and a double from Matt LaPorta to put runners at srecond and third off Blue Jay relief pitcher Frank Francisco.
Jack Hannahan, batting .216, followed with a walk off Francisco to load the bases before Toronto manager John Farrell went to Luis Perez, (1-2) who entered the game without a Major League save. He left the same way. After getting Michael Brantley on strikes for the first out of the inning, Perez allowed an RBI single to Asdrubal Cabrera to bring Hafner to the plate representing the winning run.
Cleveland now has a 5-game win streak at home against the Blue Jays and have won nine of the last 11 against Toronto.
Hafner’s eighth home run gave the Blue Jays their fifth loss this season after leading a game entering the ninth inning. For the Indians, it was the second time this season they have won a game with a grand slam home run in their final at-bat at home. Carlos Santana gave the Indians a 9-5 victory over Detroit back on April 29 with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth.
Tony Sipp, (3-1) who allowed a ninth inning home run by Jose Bautista, was the winner.
Cleveland, winners of five of its last seven, was unable to get to Toronto starter Carlos Villanueva, who retired the Tribe in order in only the sixth inning. Despite leaving the bases loaded in the first and seeing Cleveland strand at least two runners in two other innings, Villanueva left after six with a 3-0 lead, allowing six hits and two walks to go with seven strike outs.
Toronto, now losers of six of eight and eight of 11, tallied once in the second on an RBI single by Travis Snider and twice in the fourth on RBI singles by J.P. Arencibia and Rajai Davis against Zach McAllister, who was making his Major League debut.
The Blue Jays then added one more in the ninth when Bautista hit his 29th home run off Sipp, the sixth Cleveland pitcher.
McAllister went 4.0 innings, allowing three runs, two earned on five hits with three walks and four strike outs. McAllister was acquired last year in a mid-season trade with the New York Yankees for Austin Kearns, who returned to the indians this winter as a free agent.
Cleveland rookie infielder Lonnie Chisenhall left the game in the second after being hit in the head with pitch from Villanueva.
After drawing more than 100,000 fans for a 3-game set with the Yankees, including a sellout of 40,676 on the Fourth of July and at least 30,000 for each of the other two date, 18,816 took in the Thrusday evening opener of the 4-game series with the Bue Jays at Progressive Field.
