ON BRINK OF HISTORY
Cubs victory away from reaching Series for 1st time since 1945
LOS ANGELES — After deciding against using ace Clayton Kershaw in Game 5, the Dodgers sent out the ghosts against the Cubs on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
But Jon Lester was nine months old when Steve Garvey kept the Cubs out of the World Series in 1984. And Addison Russell was in fourth grade when Eric Karros stood at first base for the doubleplay relay that never came in the fateful eighth inning of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in 2003.
How do you believe in ghosts when you can’t see them?
After Garvey and Karros finished whipping the crowd into a pregame frenzy with a surprise introduction of broadcasting legend Vin Scully, Lester and Russell went to work to put the Cubs on the brink of silencing 71 years of much bigger franchise ghosts.
Lester continued his October of dominance with seven more strong innings, and Russell hit his second big home run in as many nights as the Cubs beat the Dodgers 8- 4 to take a 3- 2 lead in the NLCS.
‘‘ The city of Chicago’s got to be buzzing pretty much right now,’’ Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
For the third time since 1945 and the first since 2003, the Cubs are one victory from the World Series as they head home for Game 6 on Saturday.
And if the apparent imminence represents another historic hurdle — a target, even — Maddon said it’s something the Cubs plan to embrace, much like they did their role as favorites this season.
‘‘ That’s been our goal all year,’’ he said. ‘‘ Now that we’re very close to it, I want us to go out and play the same game. We’re not going to run away from anything. It’s within our reach right now. I want to go after it like, ‘ Let’s just go play our Saturday game and see how it falls.’ ’’
The Cubs will face Kershaw in Game 6. But thanks to their victory in Game 5, their long- elusive World Series doesn’t depend on beating the best pitcher in baseball.
‘‘ You’d much rather go home under those circumstances than the other,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘ It’ll be a formidable event.
‘‘ Nothing has been decided, obviously. We have to go back home and play our ‘ A’ game.’’
The Cubs backed up Lester’s pitching with seven runs from the sixth inning on to beat the Dodgers for the second consecutive game after falling behind 2- 1 in the series.
Lester, who started both Game 1 victories for the Cubs this postseason, allowed one run in his seveninning stint.
Russell, who snapped out of a postseason- long slump Wednesday, hit a two- run homer in the sixth that put the Cubs ahead before they added five more in a sloppy eighth inning by the Dodgers.
‘‘ Just rounding the bases, it was pretty exciting,’’ Russell said. ‘‘ I was pumped up not only for myself but for the team.’’
Lester stymied the Dodgers on five hits and one walk.
‘‘ This guy is an ultimate competitor,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Lester. ‘‘ He’s going to find a way to get outs.’’
Second baseman Javy Baez made the defensive play of the game on Adrian Gonzalez’s bunt in the seventh, then added a threerun double in the eighth. He came up limping after the play but stayed in the game and said afterward he was fine.