2016 World Series

[ShepCock]

Cubs back on track, could win World Series at Wrigley
 
CLEVELAND – Just like that, the Cubs’ World Series Express is back on track. They beat the Indians, 5-1, Wednesday night to knot the Series at one game each, as the Fall Classic returns to Wrigley Field for the first time since 1945. Game 3 is set for Friday night.
 
“I can’t imagine,” Cubs utility star Ben Zobrist said, contemplating how the faithful will react to actually seeing something that most have never experienced in their lifetimes. “The fans are probably more excited than we are. It’s been a long time. They’ve been waiting patiently, and they deserve to have these games played there.”
 
Eight wins in the books for the Cubs this postseason, three more to win the championship that has eluded Major League Baseball’s one-time “lovable losers” since 1908. With the next three games in this best-of-seven series set for this weekend, the Cubs have a chance to win the whole thing at home. Oh, my.
 
There were two basic storylines to Game 2.
 
First, there was Jake Arrieta, the Cubs’ Cy Young Award-winning pitcher in 2015. For 51/3 innings, Arrieta was his unhittable self, and the Indians never recovered against the Cubs bullpen.
 
Then there was the offense, keyed by Eureka native Ben Zobrist and the 23-year-old Kyle Schwarber, who was playing in only his second game since April. They combined for four hits, two walks and drove in three of the Cubs’ five runs.
 
Arrieta didn’t have his best stuff. He had trouble finding the strike zone in the first inning, when he walked Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli back to back. He went to full counts on three batters in the first three innings, and he also walked Jose Ramirez in the fourth. His missed the plate badly on quite a few pitches.
 
But sometimes there’s something to be said for being a little wild. Arrieta’s pitches didn’t come loaded with the filth that the Indians’ Corey Kluber threw at the Cubs in Game 1. But they proved every bit as unhittable.
 
“I kind of had my foot on the gas a little too much at the start, trying to do more than I needed to,” Arrieta said.
 
The Indians had figured they could use their speed to generate offense and disrupt Arrieta’s rhythm. But other than the three walks, they couldn’t get on base to raise havoc.
 
They didn’t get a hit until the sixth inning, when Jason Kipnis doubled to center field with one out. He advanced to third on a groundout to the right side, then Arrieta wild-pitched him home. After Napoli singled, Arrieta was lifted and the Cubs bullpen took over.
 
Lights out for Cleveland.
 
It was the longest a no-hit bid has lasted in a World Series game since 1969, when the Mets’ Jerry Koosman threw six hitless innings against the Orioles, also in Game 2.
 
Meanwhile, the offense was timely and predatory.
 
Anthony Rizzo drove in Kris Bryant for a run in the first inning, putting the Cubs on top. More important, though, the Cubs made starter Trevor Bauer work. Hard. He threw 51 pitches in the first two innings, facing every batter in the Cubs lineup. Next time around, the Cubs punished him.
 
With two out in the third, after a Rizzo walk, Zobrist singled. Then Schwarber, the feel-good story of the Series, singled to center to drive in Rizzo.
 
Schwarber injured his knee in the spring and was declared out for the year. But he fought his way back and was activated on Tuesday. He went 1-for-3 with a deep double in Game 1, then broke loose in Game 2, driving in another run in the fifth.
 
“It’s crazy,” Zobrist said. “Just having him in the lineup is a morale boost. To see him not only get quality at-bats against tough pitching, but get big hits and RBI for us is big. To be gone all that time and come back and hit like he has … I don’t know that anybody else in the league could do that. He’s a stud. A really special player.”
 
Zobrist has proven himself a special player, too, especially in postseason. After a three-hit night while his teammates were shut down in Game 1, he returned with two hits and a walk in Game 2. That included a triple off Indians reliever and former Chillicothe IVC star Zach McAllister in the fifth.
 
Credit the Indians pitchers for keeping the score under control, because it could have been a lot worse.
 
The Cubs got eight hits. Indians pitchers issued eight walks. And an error put yet another Cub on base in the fifth. But the Cubs stranded 12 base runners, leaving the bases loaded twice. Four times, Indians pitchers squashed threats with strikeouts to end the inning.
 
Now it’s on to Chicago, and a World Series championship for the Cubs is so close, you can smell it.
 
And yet...
 
“We have a long way to go,” Schwarber said.
 
That’s what makes it hard. And fun.

 

[ShepCock]

Kyle Schwarber becoming a Cubs legend in World Series
 

 
CLEVELAND — It no longer defies imagination, but assaults the senses, wondering how sheer and utter fantasy could become reality.
 
How in the world could a baseball player spend six months just learning to walk again after a devastating knee injury, not playing in a single game, and lead the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series victory since 1945, with a 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians, evening the Series at 1-game apiece?
 
"It’s the 'Legend of Kyle Schwarber,' " catcher David Ross said.
 
And the way this narrative is playing out, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant predicts, it will soon be coming to a movie theater near you.
 
"I can’t even describe what he’s doing right now," said left fielder Ben Zobrist, who’s hitting .625 this series and is like a back-drop to center stage. "No one’s ever seen anything like it."
 
There has never been a position player in baseball history whose first hit of the season was in the World Series until Schwarber came along. He doubled off Cleveland ace Corey Kluber in Game 1, and then went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk in Wednesday’s victory.
 
"He better not take one single swing in the offseason," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.
 
Indeed, the dude is making a total mockery out of spring training, let alone rehab assignments.
 
This is a guy who had no hits in four at-bats in April before he blew out his left knee. He had one hit in eight at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. Now, on baseball’s greatest stage, he is hitting .429, reaching base five times in nine at-bats, with a double, two singles and two RBI.
 
If he keeps this up, and Schwarber leads the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908, there will be generations of Schwarbers who will never have to pay for a drink or adult beverage in their lifetimes in the city of Chicago.
 
"If we win three more," Rizzo said, "he doesn’t have to take another swing in his life. Take your time, and enjoy your life."
 
Considering that Schwarber has all of four months of baseball experience on his bubble-gum card, and is baseball’s ultimate gym rat, there’s a better chance of him conducting hitting lessons when he’s 80 than ever giving up this gig.
 
"He’s just a dirt bag," Rizzo said. "He’s always around the field. He’s always watching baseball. Always watching film. Sometimes, too much.
 
"When he was on the DL, he’s there watching film, studying scouting reports, and I would yell at him, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' "
 
Who realized all along that Schwarber was secretly plotting his comeback?
 
"Baseball’s a crazy game," Schwarber said. "It will do crazy things to you."
 
So crazy, that he went along with the Cubs’ narrative, that he would be out for the season. When you tear two knee ligaments, no one expects to see you until next season. If he had only sustained the injury earlier, maybe in spring training, he’d have a chance, but not during the season.
 
And even if he was physically able to return before the end of the season, there would be no time for a minor-league rehab assignment, no time to get down his timing, no time to see major-league pitching.
 
"That’s why we’re calling it 'The Legend of Kyle Schwarber,' " Ross said. "That’s who does this. It just blows my mind what he’s doing. He’s doing things that are unheard of."
 
Yet, on baseball’s biggest stage, in front of millions on national TV, Schwarber is turning the World Series into his own reality TV show.
 
Watch Schwarber become the Cubs’ first DH in World Series history. Watch Schwarber hit. Watch Schwarber run. Watch Schwarber drive in two runs.
 
Oh, and if you need to tug at the heartstrings too, watch Schwarber become emotional talking about his 10-year-old friend, Campbell Faulkner of Cave Creek, Ariz.
 
Faulkner, diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease, has a team of 13 doctors. He struggles to stand and walk for extended periods of time. He needs two feeding tubes in his stomach just to provide him with nutrition. He missed nearly 100 days of school last year because of his illness and doctor appointments.
 
Schwarber met him in spring training and saw him last weekend before meeting the Cubs in the World Series. Faulkner is his friend, and Schwarber wears a bright green wristband in his honor to make those aware of the disease.
 
"Really young, smart kid, and he’s just always got a big smile on his face," Schwarber said. "You know, that draws your attention to him. He’s living life to his fullest, even though he’s got something to overcome.
 
"He’s just a good kid. How could you not like him?"
 
It’s all part of the legend of Schwarber, the 23-year-old who became the Cubs’ all-time postseason home run leader last year by hitting five homers in just 27 at-bats, and now is doing what no one can possibly believe they’re seeing.
 
"For a guy to be able to do something like this," winning pitcher Jake Arrieta said. "is just ... I’m kind of speechless."
 
In the words of Cleveland manager Terry Francona, who suffered his first World Series loss a manager in 10 games: "I can see why Theo (Epstein) sent a plane for him. I would too. That’s a lot to ask, but special players can do special things."
 
Epstein, president of the Cubs, was stunned when the six-month medical reports last week revealed Schwarber was a month ahead of schedule. Schwarber was so excited, he asked for permission to go to the Arizona Fall League, to see how he looked. He played two games, did all the agility drills, ran the bases, slid, and with Epstein watching the video of him on his computer, took the gamble. He sent a private plane for him Monday, and on Tuesday, was in the starting lineup batting fifth.
 
Now, the question an inquiring, starving, championship-drought fan base wants to know: Could the Cubs dare put him in the field this weekend against the Indians? They are going back to National League rules. There will be no DH at Wrigley Field. Can he possibly play the field when he hasn’t played the outfield since tearing two knee ligaments on April 7?
 
"He may be catching for all we know," Rizzo said.
 
Well, it’s safe to say he won’t be catching until next spring, but considering the way he’s running the bases every time he’s aboard, there’s a certain manager who will be pushing for the cause.
 
"I'm waiting to hear from our guys from our medical side," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, "because obviously he looks good. He looks good at the plate. Running the bases, he looks pretty good so far.
 
"There's nothing about watching him that tells me that he's inhibited right now.
 
"He’s a different cat, he absolutely is."
 
It’s one thing if there had been the scintilla of discussion that Schwarber could possibly be ready for the playoffs, even privately among the Cubs’ front office. Or even if Schwarber had told a few teammates that this was his secret plan all along. But nothing. Absolutely nothing.
 
Sure, there were times during the season when Schwarber would tease his teammates, saying he’d be back for that day-night doubleheader in August against the Milwaukee Brewers, and everyone would laugh. It was a running joke all season. The laughter stopped when Rizzo was having dinner with strength coach Tim Buss before Game 3 of the NLCS in Los Angeles.
 
"I said, 'What?' " Rizzo said. " 'Seriously? For real?' I couldn’t believe it."
 
The Cubs still can’t.
 
"I just took it day by day," Schwarber said. "There were days I just wasn’t feeling it. My teammates picked me up and I had some guys come over and say to me, 'World Series, you’re coming back.’ I’d just laugh it off.
 
"Then, when it came to reality, it was a shock."
 
Imagine how the rest of us feel.
 
"The Legend of Kyle Schwarber," Ross slowly said again.
 
Stay tuned. The sequel is Friday, the first World Series night game in Wrigley Field history.
 
"They are going to go nuts," Ross said.

 

[Superb Owl]

What is this Cleve-land you speak of?

 

[ShepCock]

What is this Cleve-land you speak of?

The same one that is on the verge of winning a World Series for the first time since Truman was president.

Now if only something could be done about the factory of sadness.

 

[ShepCock]

Why the Cubs still have a fighting chance to win the World Series
 
Although they trail 3-2 in the World Series and are bidding to become the first team since 1985 to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship, the Chicago Cubs feel good about their chances.
 
Here are several factors that buoy the Cubs’ hopes as the series heads back to Progressive Field.
 
Third time’s the charm
 
In an era in which teams aim to minimize starting pitchers’ exposure to hitters even within an individual game, injuries leave the Indians little choice but to roll out Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin on short rest. The Indians’ wins have come in games started by Kluber and Tomlin, and Tomlin will make his second and final start Tuesday in Game 6.
 
Should the Cubs force Game 7, they’ll get a third crack at Kluber, who was historically dominant in winning Game 1 and very good (six innings, five hits, six strikeouts) in winning Game 4.
 
Chicago can hope — and perhaps it’d just be a hope — that Kluber’s returns will diminish further in a Game 7.
 
“For us to get a chance to go back, (win) Game 6, and get a chance to hit Kluber again, in a third game, that’s what we’re looking for,” the Cubs’ Ben Zobrist said after their Game 5 win. “We’re excited about that opportunity. And we’re really excited about going to the city of Cleveland.”
 
Designated hammer
 
This might be the first time in World Series history that the National League team has the advantage when the DH is in play. Yet that’s how unique the circumstances are regarding the Cubs and Kyle Schwarber, whose return from knee surgery enabled him to serve as DH in Games 1 and 2.
 
He reached in five of nine plate appearances in Cleveland, and his presence in the lineup seemed massive in Game 2, when all nine Cubs reached base in a 5-1 victory.
 
When the series moved to Chicago and Schwarber was relegated to one pinch-hit appearance, Chicago was shut out in 24 of 26 innings, lost two of three games and barely survived Game 5. A decisive third-inning rally was fueled by a swinging bunt by Addison Russell and an actual bunt from Javier Baez. So yes, despite surviving, the Cubs could use a jolt.
 
“It’s a big piece of our lineup back,” catcher David Ross said.
 
Kid rock
 
At times, Baez has looked badly overmatched in this series, expanding his strike zone badly and striking out nine times in 21 at-bats.
 
And then there’s his artistry, such as the key bunt in Game 5 and the amazing tag he laid on Francisco Lindor to snuff out a rally.
 
Will the Cubs’ kids, such as Kris Bryant, Baez, Willson Contreras and Russell, lean toward embracing the moment or shrinking from it?
 
“Sometimes our greatest strength is our youth; sometimes our greatest weakness is our youth,” Ross, 39, noted philosophically.
 
So what will it be in Game 6 and (maybe) Game 7?
 
“We never quit,” Contreras insisted. “We play until 27 outs every single game. We’re going to Cleveland to play our best baseball Tuesday and Wednesday: make adjustments, be a little bit patient at the plate.
 
“Young guys bring a lot of energy to the team, a lot of emotions. It will be helpful for anybody in this game.”
 
Indeed, a little youthful obliviousness might help. They’ll face a crowd that, according to ticket data, will be far more raucous for the Indians than the first two games in Cleveland that featured a large Cubs contingent.
 
“We‘re writing our own history. We’re making history. Why stop?” Russell said. “This is entertaining to us. It’s fun, and we live for this. We see a lot of challenges ahead of us, and we embrace them.
 
“That’s what we’ve been talking about since spring training. We definitely have embraced that.”

 

[SimpliQQ]

I hate the Cubs

 

[ShepCock]

Taco Bell giving away free tacos today 

 
 
CLEVELAND -- Thank you, Francisco Lindor.
 
Because the Indians’ shortstop stole a base in Game 1 of the World Series, Taco Bell is rewarding all of America with a free Doritos Locos Taco.
 
Claim your free food between 2-6 p.m. today (Wednesday, Nov. 2).
 
Only one free taco per person.
 
The Chicago Cubs tied up the World Series 3-3 Tuesday night, forcing a Game 7 tonight.

 

[ShepCock]

Game 7 For Cubs and Indians
 
CLEVELAND - This is what we wanted all along, right? Well, we sure got our wish.
 
Game 7.
 
This riveting World Series with the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians deserves to go the distance, with a heart-stopping, , nerve-racking final game of the season between the two teams with the longest combined championship droughts in history at 178 years. One franchise will revel until February. The other will be tortured for another grim winter.
 
The Cubs made it all possible Tuesday night by routing the Indians, 9-3, trying to become the first World Series team since the 1985 Kansas City Royals to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
 
Game 7, the greatest words in sports, is about to happen, with standing-room only tickets at Progressive Field already going for $2,000, and box seats selling for as much as $20,000 apiece on the secondary market.
 
“Can I sell mine?’’ Cubs catcher David Ross said. “I’m looking for a job after tomorrow.’’
 
Yes, the game could be that epic, destined to be replayed for generations.
 
“People trying to say it’s just another game,’’ Cubs pitcher John Lackey says, “they’re lying to you. It’s not a normal game. I’ve been there. You’re going to wake up and feel different for sure. You’re going to feel different emotions. You try to use those and channel them in the right direction.’’
 
Lackey, who won Game 7 in 2002 for the Los Angeles Angels as a 24-year-old rookie, says tonight will be a game everyone will forever cherish, but if you lose, all of the pleasure the Cubs and Indians have cherished all season, will be ruined.
 
“You’re not having fun when you’re out there competing,’’ Lackey said. “Winning is the only thing that matters. The end result is the only fun part.’’
 
This Game 7 certainly could be one of the most highly-anticipated games in baseball history. Corey Kluber, who could win his second Cy Young in three years, is making his third start of the Series for the Indians. Kyle Hendricks, who had the lowest ERA in the major leagues, is going for the Cubs.
 
“This is the ultimate dream,’’ Hendricks said. “When you’re out in your backyard as a kid, playing Little League at the field with our friends, this is the moment you dream of. Game 7, 3-2, two outs, bottom of the ninth.
 
“But it’s always Game 7 of the World Series.’’
 
Kluber will become only the seventh pitcher in the last 30 years, and the first American League pitcher since Jack Morris of the 1991 Minnesota Twins, to make three starts in a series. The winning pitcher in Game 1 and Game 4, he now will be vying to become the first starting pitcher to win three Series games since Mickey Lolich of the 1968 Detroit Tigers.
 
It’s the man the Indians want on the mound to win their first World Series title since 1948. Kluber has been virtually unhittable this postseason. He’s 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA in five starts, and 2-0 with an 0.75 ERA in the World Series, yielding a .205 batting average with 15 strikeouts in nine innings.
 
“That’s a good feeling,’’ Cleveland manager Terry Francona said, “and I know they love their guy too. You’ve got two really, really good pitchers. It’s an honor to even be a part of it.
 
“It will be exciting to come to the ballpark. Shoot, I might just wear my uniform home. I might get ice cream on it, though, so maybe I better not.’’
 
This will be only the second Game 7 in Cubs World Series history, the last in 1945, when they lost 9-3 to the Detroit Tigers. It has taken them 71 years just to get back.
 
“Obviously, with the history of this team,’’ Cubs reliever Mike Montgomery said, “what better way to do it than come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the World Series?
 
“This team has a flair for the dramatic.’’
 
The Indians have been here before in modern times. They forced a Game 7 in 1997, and were two outs away from winning the championship, until blowing the lead and falling to the Florida Marlins in 11 innings. They lost in six games in the 1995 World Series to the Atlanta Braves. And in 1954 they were swept by the New York Giants. Now, here they are again, trying to fend off a winter of despair while momentum is driving the Cubs’ bandwagon.
 
The Cubs, trying to become the first World Series team since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to overcome a 3-1 deficit by winning the final two games on the road, have been cruising since losing Game 4 at Wrigley Field. They have now led for 14 consecutive innings, shortly after Kris Bryant’s homer in the fourth inning of Game 5. And it was Bryant again who ignited the uprising with a two-out, two-strike first-inning homer in Game 6, becoming the first Cub to hit two homers in a World Series since Frank Demaree in 1935. The beauty of the early homers, Bryant says, is simply to make sure that Indians relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen remain seated in the bullpen. Miller has not pitched now since Saturday.
 
“Obviously, you don’t want to let them get to Miller and Allen,’’ Bryant said. “They’re two of the best in the game. So that’s kind of been the game-plan the whole series. Try to get up early, so that they can’t use them when they’re [behind].’’
 
As for Game 6, well, the only intrigue after Addison Russell’s third-inning grand slam was Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s decision to summon closer Aroldis Chapman with a 7-2 lead, and two outs and two on in the seventh.
 
“I thought the game could have been lost right there if we did not take care of it properly,’’ Maddon said. “It was the meaty part of their batting order. If you don’t get through that, there is no tomorrow.’’
 
But come on, a five-run lead, and you don’t want to save him? Chapman even went out to start the ninth with a 9-2 lead, until being pulled after walking leadoff hitter Brandon Guyer. Sorry, Maddon says, he just wasn’t about to take any chances.
 
“Listen, I’ve been at this ballpark when we were up by seven or nine [runs],’’ Maddon said, “and they came back in the last [inning]. Cleveland has this tendency, and this tradition, so I don’t want that to happen.’’
 
Maddon’s move perhaps revealed how little faith he has in the rest of his bullpen, which means that in Game 7, he could call upon ace Jon Lester and Lackey and Jon Lester in relief.
 
“We’re going to have an expensive bullpen for sure,’’ Ross said. “It’s going to be high-priced talent down there. They’re jacked. Their levels will be really high. Lack was already talking about it today, “Can’t wait. You let me know when I need to go down there.’’’
 
Anything, and everything, is possible for Game 7. We could see the entire Cubs’ rotation pitching in relief after Hendricks. We could see Miller and Cody Allen pitching more innings than Kluber and Hendricks combined, too.
 
“I can’t wait to see the anxiety level of the fans back home,’’ Ross said. “ “Game 7! Oh my God! How are we going to do it? Really, it will be like that for both sides.’’
 
Perhaps Anthony Rizzo, the heart and soul of the Cubs whose two-run Game 6 homer made removing Chapman simpler, said it best:
 
“If you’re a fan of baseball, this is the best night you could possibly hope for,’’ he said. “A Game 7. The Indians not winning it since 1948. Us not winning it since 1908. History is going to be written one way or another.’’
 
Yep, just the way we wanted.

 

[ShepCock]

CUBS WIN!!! 

 

 

[ShepCock]

Plenty of heroes, no goats: An epic Game 7 finally delivers Cubs a World Series

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/believe-it-chicago-cubs-win-classic-game-7-to-win-first-world-series-since-1908/2016/11/03/99cfc9c2-a0b3-11e6-a44d-cc2898cfab06_story.html

 

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City to hold Cubs World Series parade Friday

The city will honor the World Series champion Chicago Cubs with a Friday "parade to stand the test of time," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday.  The mayor, speaking shortly before noon at an unrelated event, said the parade will be held "around this time." Specifics are being worked out "as we speak," he said.

He had no specifics on the route, telling reporters "just stand somewhere in the middle of the city and you'll see it."

"I just talked to Tom Ricketts. I talked to him yesterday a couple times, I talked to him this morning again," Emanuel said when asked about the parade. "I think all of us would just want 20 minutes of consistent sleep, then we're gonna — Here's the thing: we're going to have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time. It will be a parade that 108 years have waited for. It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind's eye, have been envisioning. We're going to make it a reality in the city of Chicago."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-parade-world-series-20161103-story.html