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Indians rookie Merritt: 'It's an honor' to start Game 5

David Maxwell / Getty Images Sport / Getty

About a month ago, Ryan Merritt was pitching against Instructional League hitters in Arizona - a directive from the Cleveland Indians, who wanted the 24-year-old farmhand to stay sharp in case he was needed in the postseason.

On Wednesday, the young left-hander will start Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, taking the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of a ruthless Rogers Centre crowd as the Indians try to ensure passage into the World Series and stop the best-of-seven showdown from shifting back to Cleveland.

No pressure, kid.

"I think I'll be ready for it," Merritt told reporters after his club fell, 5-1, in Game 4, squandering an opportunity to sweep Toronto with ace Corey Kluber on the mound. "The crowd is going to get hyped when they get a hit or whatever. But I'll just move on to the next hitter, get him out and keep pitching to my strengths and not let it sneak up on me."

Good plan, rook. All Merritt has to do, after all, is find a way to stay calm in front of 50,000 rabid Torontonians and neutralize a lineup that, despite struggling through most of the league championship series, still boasts plenty of firepower between Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, and Troy Tulowitzki. If you're keeping score at home, that's a combined 17 All-Star berths.

Merritt, a 16th-round pick in the 2011 draft, doesn't even have 17 innings of big-league experience. This summer, Merritt pitched almost exclusively in Triple-A, posting a 3.70 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 24 starts with Columbus before making two appearances - one start - with the Indians as a September call-up. In his lone MLB start, Merritt allowed just one run while fanning four over five innings in a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.

But, catcher Chris Gimenez said Merritt's lack of big-league experience could be plus in Game 5.

"He's our secret weapon," Gimenez said. "Just because he's unknown. If there's one guy that's not going to be rattled by the situation, it's him. To him, it's just another day."

Related: Bautista expects Indians' Game 5 starter will be 'shaking in his boots'

That may be an understatement. With just 11 major-league innings under his belt, Merritt - who landed the starting assignment following Trevor Bauer's drone-related mishap - is poised to become the least experienced starter in the history of the league championship series.

If he's nervous, though, he's hiding it well.

"It's an honor to be pitching this game," Merritt said.

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