CHAP REFUELS CHICAGO FIRE!
8-out save keeps Cubs alive as Series heads back to Cleveland
CHICAGO – Having watched Andrew Miller dominate the postseason with one multi-inning performance after another, Aroldis Chapman reminded everybody that there’s another ex-Yankees reliever making an impact on the postseason. And because of the biggest and best outing of Chapman’s career, the Cubs’ championship dream remains alive. Joe Maddon called on Chapman to get the final eight outs of Game 5 Sunday night, a move that paid off in the form of a 3-2 Cubs win over the Indians that now sends the World Series back to Cleveland. “Joe talked to me this afternoon before the game,” Chapman said through an interpreter. “He asked if I could be ready possibly to come into the seventh inning, and obviously I told him, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready to go.’” Jon Lester allowed two runs over six innings, then Carl Edwards Jr. put the tying run on base in the seventh. Edwards Jr. got one out, but Maddon
wasn’t messing around.
“When it’s do or die,” catcher David Ross said, “you have to go to your best.”
Chapman had never recorded more than seven outs in a game – something he had done only once – and he had only topped the 40-pitch mark twice in his career. Sunday, he got eight outs on 42 pitches, holding a onerun lead despite the Indians having five cracks at him with the tying run in scoring position.
“This guy’s used to just getting three outs, and he goes what, two-and-two-thirds?” said Jon Lester, who allowed two runs over six innings. “That’s a huge, huge uplift for our team. He was fired up.”
Having employed a similar strategy with his bullpen all month, Terry Francona got a taste of life on the other side.
“Chapman, that was a big ask and he answered,” Francona said. “That was impressive. Kind of like what Andrew’s done, he kind of did the same thing.”
The Indians still hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues Tuesday night at Progressive Field. Jake Arrieta takes on Josh Tomlin, who will be pitching on short rest, as the Cubs try to force a Game 7 and the Indians try to wrap up their first title since 1948.
“I feel like we play our best with our backs up against the wall,” said Kris Bryant, whose solo home run against Trevor Bauer sparked a three-run fourth inning to help the Cubs to their first home World Series win since 1945.
With the series shifting back to Cleveland, the Cubs will attempt to become the first team since the 1979 Pirates to come back from 3-1 by winning the final two games on the road.
“We’re all about writing our own history,” Bryant said.
Jose Ramirez’s second-inning homer off Lester gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead. Cleveland had been a perfect 8-0 in the postseason when scoring first and 10-0 when holding a lead at any point in the game.
Bauer struck out five through three innings, causing the fans at Wrigley to sense the worst as the crowd noise was a mixture of excitement with nerves, terror and impending dread.
Bryant changed that with one swing, leading off the fourth with a home run to left-center, Anthony Rizzo kept the party going with a double off the ivy-covered wall in right field, then Ben Zobrist singled, putting runners at the corners. Addison Russell hit a soft grounder to third for an infield hit, scoring Rizzo.
With the bases loaded and one out, Maddon had a decision to make: fire his big bullet by pinch-hitting Kyle Schwarber, or stick with Ross, who was Lester’s personal catcher for 199.2 of his 202.2 innings this season?
Maddon went with Ross, who rewarded his manager with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 – which wound up being the game-winning RBI.
“I’ve had a storybook year,” said Ross, who is retiring after the season.
Lester gave up a run in the sixth on Francisco Lindor’s RBI single, but Ross caught Lindor trying to steal second. After dancing through the seventh and eighth, Chapman threw a perfect ninth, striking out Ramirez with 101 mph heat on his 42nd pitch of the night to save the Cubs’ season.
“When Chappy says he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go,” Rizzo said. “We rode him and he left it all out on the field for us.”