Cubs-Indians. I bet you didn't have that as your World Series pick back in Spring Training (Cubs, sure, but very few people had Cleveland). But here we are, the first-ever all-Central World Series between two teams that have waited a collective 176 years since their last championship. For fans in either Cleveland or Chicago, the drought will finally end. So either way, this World Series is going to be historic.
First a little perspective about the sheer remarkableness of some of the numbers involving these two teams. We all know it's been 108 years since the Cubs last won the World Series. In fact, Game 1 will be their first World Series game in 71 years. That was so long ago that World War II had just ended, there were 16 teams in the Majors, the World Series wasn't yet broadcast on television and the thought of playing it at night was blasphemous. Oh yeah, and all the players were white. That's right. It was two years before Jackie Robinson. When Dexter Fowler leads off the opener, he'll become the first black Cubs player ever to appear in the World Series.
For the Indians, it's been 68 years. And their last title came three years after the Cubs' last appearance. Cleveland, of course, has come much closer to a title since. The Indians went to the World Series twice in the mid-90s, losing to the Braves in 1995 and that memorable Game 7 to the Marlins in 1997. Now, 19 years later, they're back, looking to keep Cleveland's incredible 2016 going.
How great has 2016 been in Cleveland sports? Well, this should tell you all you need to know. The Indians are hosting Game 1 of the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Meanwhile, LeBron and the Cavs will be receiving their rings and seeing their banner raised on the NBA's Opening Night. The two games are happening at the same time in venues that are next door to each other. Downtown Cleveland is gonna be rocking!
Cleveland has been utterly sensational this postseason. The Indians are 7-1, and their only loss came in Game 4 against Toronto when they were going for a sweep with Kluber pitching on three days' rest. They shut down the incredible offenses of the Red Sox and Blue Jays, mainly thanks to their dominant bullpen (well, mainly ALCS MVP Andrew Miller). It's made even more incredible because they've done it with really two and a half starting pitchers. We'll see if Trevor Bauer is able to pitch (what kind of an idiot cuts his finger on a drone in the middle of the playoffs?!), and Danny Salazar has been added to the World Series roster, presumably to start Game 4, which I think is kinda risky seeing as he hasn't pitched in a month.
The Cubs are making a risky roster move of their own by activating Kyle Schwarber to DH in the first two games. Schwarber was supposed to be their starting left fielder this year, but was lost for the season when he broke his leg after running into Dexter Fowler in early April. He's an outstanding power hitter (remember the homer on top of the Wrigley scoreboard in last year's NLCS?), but it's definitely a gamble to insert Schwarber into a lineup that has been clicking ever since Game 4 of the NLCS. Especially since he'll really only be able to pinch hit during the games at Wrigley.
And, before I get going with the pick, first a shout out to the managers. Terry Francona and Joe Maddon have proven that they are both among the best managers in the game. Francona won that curse-breaking title with the 2004 Red Sox, then Boston won another three years later. (By the way, the 2013 Red Sox are everywhere. Lester and Lackey are on the Cubs, Coco Crisp and Mike Napoli are on the Indians with Francona. I guess they're the World Series equivalent of the 2008 Phillies in the NL playoffs.) Maddon, meanwhile, took Tampa Bay to the World Series eight years ago and now looks to exorcise the Cubs' demons.
We know that one of these two long-suffering fan bases will finally have something to celebrate in a little more than a week (if not sooner). But which one will it be? Either way, the parade's going to be epic.
Anyway, the Indians' greatest strength is their pitching. Especially the bullpen. However, the Cubs' starters match up evenly with them, if not hold the advantage, in every game. And the Cubs boast the World Series experience of Lester and Lackey, who've both won clinchers before. You never know if that's going to be a factor, but it's not insignificant that they've been here before. Cleveland wants to get it to Miller and Allen, while the Cubs really can get away with six from the starter before figuring out the seventh, then Strop/Rodon and Chapman. If there's a slight edge on the pitching front, I give it to Chicago.
Meanwhile, the clear advantage on the offensive end goes to our friends from the North Side. Ever since Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell started hitting in Game 4 of the NLCS, the Cubs' bats have been on fire. We saw Cleveland shut down two powerful AL lineups, but the Cubs are more complete than either the Red Sox or the Blue Jays. The Indians don't have nearly as many weapons as the Cubs. When the series shifts to Wrigley, that'll be even more of a factor. Especially since they'll have to decide between sitting Carlos Santana or sitting Mike Napoli.
Then there's this. When one LCS extends significantly longer than the other, the advantage tends to go to the team that hasn't had the time off. In this case, that's the Cubs, who finished off the Dodgers on Saturday night. The Indians, meanwhile, wrapped up the ALCS on Wednesday afternoon. They'll have a full week off. Is that enough to base a pick on? No. But the trend has been true for so long that it's too much to ignore.
I've thought all year that the Cubs were the best team in baseball. Prior to the start of the playoffs, I compared them to the 2009 Yankees. But the 1998 Yankees might be a more appropriate comparison. That team was the best team of the Yankees Dynasty and probably the best team of this generation (certainly the best of the wild card era). They didn't face much adversity during the year...until Game 4 of the ALCS, when they were down 2-1 and faced their first must-win of the season. They didn't lose again.
That was almost an identical situation for the 2016 Cubs. They didn't face any adversity until Game 4 of the NLCS, when they trailed 2-1 after having been shut out in the last two games. Three wins later, they ended their 71-year World Series drought, without Steve Bartman or the Billy Goat in sight. These Cubs seem immune to the pressure. Mainly because so many of them are too young to care.
If you think about it, the hard part is over. Getting to the World Series was the big hurdle for the Cubs franchise. Now that they've made it here, there's only one way you can envision this story ending. And what better way to celebrate a century of the Cubs at Wrigley by raising the W flag in the last game of the year? After 108 years, it's time to party on Sheffield & Waveland. Because Cleveland won't be making it back-to-back championships. The Chicago Freakin' Cubs (yes, the Chicago Cubs) are going to win the World Series. Four games to two.
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