【Puri for Rent (2025)】

Indians: 2,Puri for Rent (2025) Jose Bautista: 0

In what's become a recurring beef between Cleveland and the Blue Jays' slugger, the Indians chalked up another troll point on Wednesday night.

Bautista was talking smack — again — before Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday, saying Indians' rookie pitcher Ryan Merritt couldn't handle the Blue Jays' big bats.

"With our experience in our lineup I'm pretty sure he's going to be shaking in his boots more than we are," Bautista said before the game on Wednesday.

Apparently not.

Merritt strolled through four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out three en route to a Cleveland victory that ended the series and put the Indians through to the World Series.

After the game, the Indians made sure to swing back at Bautista, who was hitless against the 24-year-old Merritt.

Jason Kipnis on Bautista's shaking-in-his-boots comments regarding Ryan Merritt: "That’s why you don’t say dumb s**t." #ALCS

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) October 20, 2016

Shakin' in his boots pic.twitter.com/jYr6W4N6Xt

— Corey Kluber (@CKluber) October 20, 2016

A pair of Cowboy boots was just held up in clubhouse. "Sign em and send em to Joey Bats!!!" an Indians player I cannot identify yelled.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 19, 2016

That's two masterful trolls for the Indians, none for Bautista, who on Monday made some absurd comments about "circumstances" working in Cleveland's favor. The Indians responded perfectly.

It's been a rough 2016 for Bautista. His offensive production tanked, he hit .182 in the playoffs and he got clocked in the face earlier this year.

Oh yeah, and to make things worse for Joey Bats, the Indians are going to the World Series, as we mentioned earlier.

Happy birthday! Headed to the World Series!! #LetsGoTribe !!!! pic.twitter.com/wIf35qt2zK

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) October 20, 2016

#ShakingBoots are going to the #WorldSeries!!!!! #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/dOEQW7nc0c

— Jose Ramirez (@MrLapara) October 19, 2016

So make that:

Indians: 3, Jose Bautista: 0