Teams embrace historic moment
Seventy-one years have passed since Wrigley Field hosted a game this late into the season. The wait is nearly over. The anticipation for what will be an electric atmosphere ahead of the first World Series game at the ballpark since 1945 has the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs eagerly awaiting Friday’s Game 3.
Some fans were so determined to find a way to be part of Friday’s experience that by 6 p.m. CT Thursday, a line half a block long had formed along a barricade on Clark Street across from the Ernie Banks statue in front of Wrigley Field. Armed with blankets, hats and chairs, fans braved the 40-degree weather in hopes of having an opportunity to buy tickets before Friday’s game.
The magnitude of what Game 3 represents isn’t lost on Cubs manager Joe Maddon.
“I know people that have been waiting for this for a long time are going to savor it, and hopefully on our part we can do something to really make it even better,” Maddon said.
Even Indians manager Terry Francona appreciates the challenge that awaits his team. He experienced firsthand the emotions of a championship-starved fan base when he managed the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title in 2004, the franchise’s first championship in 86 years.
With tickets on the secondary market starting at nearly $2,000 per seat for Game 3, Indians fans will have a tough time finding a way to invade the ballpark the way Cubs fans did for the first two World Series games in Cleveland.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a ton of people cheering for us,” Francona said. “But then that’s where it comes in the feeling in the clubhouse, because it is going to be us against the world.”
Indians first baseman Mike Napoli said he watched on TV when the Cubs won Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the World Series. He was amazed by the crowds in the streets. Now he’s going to get an up-close look at the mayhem in Wrigleyville.
“Going into this, watching the National League play, I wanted to play against the Cubs because I knew the atmosphere would be unbelievable,” Napoli said. “Early in my career I got to come here, and there’s just so much history. It’s a park you want to come to and play.”
Chicago-area native Jason Kipnis called the opportunity to play at Wrigley Field in the World Series a dream come true. The Indians second baseman will have family and friends in the stands, making the experience even more special.
But other than Kipnis’ supporters — he was able to secure eight tickets for Friday’s game — and the few other Cleveland fans and players’ families in the stands, there won’t be any vocal encouragement for the Indians. The key, Kipnis said, will be turning it into white noise and using it in the Indians’ favor as adrenaline.
“It’s a rowdy stadium, passionate fans and exactly what you want for a baseball environment,” Kipnis said.
David Ross has spent 15 years in the big leagues with seven teams, the last two with the Cubs. He considers Cub fans to be a rare breed and embraces the role the team has not only with fans but also with the city of Chicago.
Ross enjoys dining out in the city and walking to Wrigley Field, and that tends to include interacting with fans, who often congratulate him on the team’s success — though some of those encounters have been a bit personal.
“I’ve gotten people coming up, without asking, hugging me and putting their arm around me,” Ross said. “I think they feel a part of this group.
“It makes me laugh sometimes after they walk away, like, ‘ Who walks up to strangers and hugs them without permission?’ ” Ross added, laughing. “I think that’s what makes it more special is that you don’t have a ton of just arrogant, high-priced talent that’s just going out and trying to do their job and then going home. We’re really engaged in each other and the city.”
Wrigley Field is poised to host its biggest party in decades Friday.
“This is why you come to Chicago,” Ross said. “This is why if you’re a professional athlete that wants to do something special, you go to a city and try to change history, and that’s what we have an opportunity to do.”