Schwarber rejoins Cubs as DH for opening game
Torn up knee in April was expected to end OF’s season.
T h e d o c t o r s t o l d Kyl e S c hwarber t he day a f te r the Chicago Cubs slugger tore two ligaments in his left knee April 7 that his season was over.
Funny how months of rehab and a chance to play in the World Series can speed up the healing process.
Schwarber batted fififth and picked up his fifirst hit of the season — a double offff the wall in right fifield in the fourth inning — for the NL champions in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against Cleveland ace Corey Kluber.
The lined shot by the Cubs’ designated hitter came 201 days after Schwarber’s collision with teammate Dexter Fowler while chasing down a flfly ball against Arizona. It was Schwarber’s fifirst time on base since homering in Game 3 of the 2015 NLCS against the Mets.
Even Schwarber is surprised he’s here.
“I took regular visits to the doctor every month or two, and he kept telling me, ‘It’s going to be spring training,’ ” Schwarber said. “Then this past doctor’s visit I had right before we went to L.A. for the (NLCS) he looked at my knee, he’s like: ‘Man, it’s great. You’re strong. I’m not going to hold you back from doing anything.’ ”
Certainly not the chance to end Chicago’s century-plus c h a mpi o n s h i p d r o u g h t . Schwarber played two games in the Arizona Fall League, going 1 for 6 with a double and two walks, before flflying to Cleveland late Monday. One last checkup later, the guy who blasted a club- re- cord fifive home runs during the 2015 playoffffs found himself on the World Series roster, giving the Cubs another powerful left- handed bat.
While Schwarber is healthy enough to swing a bat, it’s unlikely he’ll do much outside of pinch-hitting when the series shifts to Chicago for Games 3-5. Manager Joe Maddon said he will see how Schwarber’s knee responds, but he isn’t counting on using Schwarber in the outfifield at Wrigley Field.
Game 2 time change: The start time for tonight’s Game 2 was moved up an hour to 7:08 p.m. ET because there’s rain in the Cleveland forecast.
Indians: The last time Trevor Bauer pitched, the mangled pinkie finger on h i s r i g h t h a n d wa s g r o - te s quely dr i ppi ng bl ood onto the pitching rubber in Toronto during the ALCS. The right-hander is confifident the mound will be blood free when he starts Game 2 tonight. Bauer tested the fifinger — notoriously hurt while he was tinkering with a drone — during a simulated game Monday. He wore gauze over the fifinger — a no-no during an actual game — just to see if it could withstand the pressure placed on it when Bauer grips the ball and lets it rip. When Bauer unwrapped the fifinger after throwing about 20 pitches, he exhaled. “We took it offff and it was completely white, so it was a non-issue,” Bauer said. Chicago will counter with righthander Jake Arrieta.
Red Sox: Boston plans to operate without a full-time general manager. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski named Eddie Romero, 37, the team’s new senior vice president and assistant general manager. Fo r mer GM Mi ke Ha z e n left the team this month to become vice president/GM of the Diamondbacks. the