CLEVELAND -- The guest list for Ryan Merritts upcoming wedding could be growing.Clevelands rookie pitcher has made a lot of new friends.A most improbable October hero for the Indians, Merritt has been overwhelmed by the generous outpouring from some Cleveland fans for sending wedding gifts to him and his fiancee, Sarah, after the 24-year-old pitched so well in the AL pennant-clinching victory over Toronto on Wednesday.Not long after Merritt worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings and the Indians earned their first World Series trip since 1997, fans found the couples wedding registry online and flooded them with gifts.Now Merritt is up to his neck in blenders, wine glasses, oven mitts and muffin tins.At first I thought it was all a joke, the soft-spoken Texan said Friday as the Indians prepared for Game 1 on Tuesday night. Its the last thing I thought was going to come out of all of this. Its pretty emotional. Awesome.As he met with reporters, Merritt, an unknown to most Cleveland fans days ago, nervously struggled to express his gratitude toward the strangers, who have made him feel so welcomed even though he just joined the team.Merritt was a late addition to the ALCS roster following a series of setbacks to Clevelands starting rotation. But handed the ball to start Game 5, Merritt, who pitched just 11 innings for the Indians during the regular season, shook off stomach butterflies and shut down the Blue Jays on two hits before manager Terry Francona turned things over to Andrew Miller and the rest of his devastating bullpen.Merritt gave all he had, and Indians fans repaid him with dozens of gifts. Hes been humbled by their expression of thanks.Sarah checked our registry this morning and I think we only have three gifts left to go, he said shyly with a smile. I hope theres some things left for my friends to buy. I might have to register for some other stuff for them to buy something. Its great. You just get the support that Im getting from the Cleveland fans, and that they not only care about my career but they care about my personal life, too.Merritt was introduced to Sarah Brushaber by a minor league teammate, pitcher Mitch Brown. The couple has set Jan. 27 as their wedding date in her home state.Minnesota. So were going to have a cold wedding, Merritt said with a shiver.There will certainly be some nerves that day, but the left-hander has already shown that he can handle big moments.Francona said the team had no hesitation in using Merritt in the most critical game this season.That was a lot to ask of that kid, Francona said. We all thought he could handle it or we wouldnt have done it. But for him to kind of come through the way he did. I remember before the game, I told the guys that were up there, hes going to grow from this game, whether he does well or not. The experience he got in 4 1/3 innings is going to help him down the road for sure.Merritt, who was selected with the 488th overall pick in the 2011 draft, said he found out something while pitching under pressure unlike anything he had ever felt.I think you learn that you can handle the stress of the game, he said. You can handle those types of moments. That its really tough to stay calm in. And I guess I can get hitters out. Can probably name off a lot more things, I just cant think of them at the moment.Merritts performance may have earned a larger role in the World Series, but he hasnt been told what the Indians have in mind.Im just here if they need me, he said. If they want me to start, Ill start. If they want me to come out of the `pen, be a long guy, its fine. Whatever they need me to do, Im here.And if he comes through again, Merritt and his bride-to-be might have to consider sending out more wedding invitations.Thats fine with him.If more people want to come, I guess they can come, he said. I dont care who shows up, I guess. Michael Lorenzen Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Scooter Gennett Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. http://www.redsjerseyscheap.com/?tag=pete-rose-jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Discount Reds Jerseys Online . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Youth Reds Jerseys . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. CHICAGO -- Wrigley Field was dark and empty when a loud cheer reverberated throughout the neighborhood surrounding the iconic ballpark.While the Chicago Cubs decided to delay their party, their long-downtrodden fans were ready to celebrate.Chicago wasted its first chance to clinch the NL Central title when pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett delivered a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning Thursday night, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-4 victory. But St. Louis 6-2 loss at San Francisco completed the Cubs season-long dominance of the division.It appeared manager Joe Maddon and his players were long gone when the West Coast game wrapped up. But the final out in San Francisco touched off a celebration in Chicago that included honking horns and chanting in the streets.This is just the first step, Maddon said before the Cardinals lost. I mean, we have much larger baseball fish to fry in our skillet.The Cubs (93-53) were hoping to begin a 10-game homestand with a boozy celebration of their first division title since 2008. But Keon Broxton homered and Orlando Arcia drove in two runs for Milwaukee, making Chicago wait a little while longer.Now the party shifts to Friday, right after the Cubs afternoon start against the Brewers. It might be a bit anticlimactic for Maddon and Co., but they took all the drama out of the division race long ago.Led by a stellar pitching staff and MVP contenders Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago got off to a sizzling 25-6 start. After stumbling into the All-Star break, the Cubs pulled away with a 22-6 August that turned the NL Central race into a mere formality.But the division title is not how this group of Cubs will be judged, not this year. After running roughshod over the rest of the majors for most of the season, they are trying to end the franchises famous championship drought that goes all the way back to when the Cubs beat the Tigers in the 1908 World Series.Weve got a lot ahead of us. We really do, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said before the loss to Milwaukee. It kind of all boils down to how you perform in October.Its only the fourth time the Cubs have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons. They got in as a wild card last year and made it to the NL Championship Series before they were swept by the New York Mets.The offseason additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward only added to the anticipation for the Cubs loyal fan base, and they have delivered up until this point.dddddddddddd But many of those same fans also were around for the last division title, when the 2008 Cubs won 97 games and then were swept by the Dodgers in the division series.Theres no team Id rather be going into October with, Epstein said. But there are never favorites in October the same way there are in the regular season.Jorge Soler hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who had won three of four. Mike Montgomery pitched six solid innings and helped himself with a tying single in the fourth for his first career hit.Justin Grimm (1-1) replaced Montgomery in the seventh, and the Brewers put runners on first and third with one out. Gennett, batting for Jimmy Nelson (8-14), blooped an 0-2 curveball into the corner in left for a 5-3 Milwaukee lead.I was just trying to put the ball in play, Gennett said. Hes a guy who throws a lot of curveballs so its important not to get too big or try to do too much. Its really just, get a good pitch to hit and put it in play.The Cubs got one back on Heywards RBI double in the eighth, but Tyler Thornburg threw a called third strike past pinch-hitter Willson Contreras with runners at the corners to end the inning.Thornburg also worked the ninth for his 10th save in 15 chances.It was just a flat-out good ballgame, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. Obviously, with where theyre at, there was great energy in the park tonight.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: RHP Michael Blazek (right forearm strain) threw a simulated game. Counsell would like to get Blazek into some games before the end of the season, but said theres no rush. The goal with Mike is just to go into the offseason healthy, Counsell said.Cubs: RHP Pedro Strop, who tweaked his right groin while working his way back from arthroscopic left knee surgery, threw a bullpen and said it went well. Hes getting close, Maddon said. Its not far off.UP NEXTMaddon likely will rest several regulars when the series resumes Friday afternoon. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 3.35 ERA) is scheduled to face Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (8-11, 4.53).---Follow Jay Cohen at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Stitched NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys ' ' '