Cleveland getting ready to rock
Indians aim to win at home, thrill home crowd
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Indians can feel it, sense it, even smell it, and now they’re allowing themselves to wrap their minds around the idea.
Just one more victory, and they can finally wipe away 68 years of dust on their mantle to make room for that coveted World Series trophy.
Their frenzied fan base is poised to erupt Tuesday (8:08 p.m. ET, Fox) at Progressive Field, celebrating not only an anticipated game-time temperature of 70 degrees for Game 6 of the World Series, but also witnessing the first Cleveland sports team to clinch a championship at home since 1964.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their first NBA title in June, they won Game 7 in Oakland.
There were the 1964 Cleveland Browns, knocking off the Baltimore Colts to win the NFL championship at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, before the Super Bowl was born.
There were the 1920 Cleveland Indians, who won Game 7 on Oct. 12 against the Brooklyn Robins at Dunn Field.
And here are the 2016 Indians, daring to go where none of their ancestors has gone in two generations.
“It’s incredible to even think about,” Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis says. “You start to think about it, as it gets this close, and you get chills.
“It will hopefully be rushed into a bottle of emotions if it happens, but it’s something you don’t want to think about too far ahead, especially because they have (Jake) Arrieta and (Kyle) Hendricks over there. “So we have a tall task ahead of us.” Yet if the Indians listened to the noise out there, you would never know they’re the ones who are up 3-2 in the World Series. You would dismiss the idea that their next two pitchers, Josh Tomlin in Game 6 and, if necessary, Corey Kluber in Game 7, have gone 6-1 with a 1.18 ERA this postseason.
You’d forget that their vaunted bullpen is so well-rested that you could see Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combining to pitch five innings in Game 6, if needed.
And you’d ignore the fact that only three teams in World Series history have recovered from a 3-1 deficit by winning the final two games on the road, and that the Indians are 58-29 at home this season.
“We’re the underdogs to everybody else but ourselves in this clubhouse,” Indians first baseman Mike Napoli says. “We never looked at it like we’re the underdogs. We’ve been in first place for 100-some games. And we won the AL Central. It’s not like we snuck in anywhere. (Best-of-7; x-if necessary) All games televised by Fox Cleveland 3, Chicago 2 Oct. 25: Cleveland 6, Chicago 0 Oct. 26: Chicago 5, Cleveland 1 Oct. 28: Cleveland 1, Chicago 0 Oct. 29: Cleveland 7, Chicago 2 Oct. 30: Chicago 3, Cleveland 2 Tuesday: Chicago (Arrieta 18-8) at Cleveland (Tomlin 6-9), 5:08 p.m. x-Wednesday: Chicago at Cleveland, 5:08 p.m. “We’re good.” Awfully, awfully good. The Indians have won 10 of 13 games this postseason, knocking off the heavily favored Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays to reach the World Series, only for everyone to believe the Series was over when it headed to Wrigley Field tied 1-1.
“Nobody gave us a chance to get out of Chicago,” Napoli said. “We kept hearing, ‘Oh, you’re not going to be able to get out of Chicago,’ and this and that. Well, we’re up 3-2, at home, where we play good.
“So, it’s not us against the world, like everybody’s saying. Everybody can pick who they want and say who they think is better, but we’re confident in each other. We know what we can do. “You’ll see.” So go ahead, the Indians say, keep on showering the Cubs with all of the hype. Let ’em watch all of the Rocky movies they want, blaring Eye of the Tiger as their walk-up music or even feigning a few punches after crucial base hits.
While Cubs manager Joe Maddon implored his team to wear Halloween costumes Monday on their early evening flight to Cleveland, the Indians are the ones who should be wearing their Rocky Balboa outfits trick-or- treating.
Let’s see, they have the ninth-smallest payroll in baseball, including a starting rotation that earned a combined $11.7 million — less than half of Cubs ace Jon Lester’s salary. They have been ravaged by injuries, leaving them without outfielder Michael Brantley for all of 11 games; Carlos Carrasco, their No. 2 starter, whose season ended Sept. 17 with a fractured hand; and No. 3 starter Danny Salazar, who has pitched one inning this postseason without a start since Sept. 9. And performance-enhancing drug suspensions ended outfielder Marlon Byrd’s season, and career, and kept Abraham Almonte ineligible for the playoff roster.
“I haven’t watched a game of baseball since my (June 1) suspension, except for the Indians games,” Byrd told USA TODAY Sports. “I couldn’t be happier for those guys. It’s such a great organization. Believe me, it’s hard to have all 25 guys like each other, or someone not liking someone of the staff, or in the front office, but it’s unbelievable there. That camaraderie is real. I’ve ever seen anything like it.
“I felt so bad when my suspension happened, but you look at what those guys are doing now, and they’re playing better without me. To see what they’re doing now, it’s a relief.
“I can’t wait to see that crowd react when they win. That city deserves it.”
Certainly, the Indians realize after nearly 70 years it won’t be easy.
In an era in which teams aim to minimize starting pitchers’ exposure to hitters even within an individual game, injuries leave the Indians little choice but to roll out Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin on short rest. The Indians’ wins have come in games started by Kluber and Tomlin, and Tomlin will make his second and final start Tuesday in Game 6.
Should the Cubs force Game 7, they’ll get a third crack at Kluber, who was historically dominant in winning Game 1 and very good (six innings, five hits, six strikeouts) in winning Game 4.
Chicago can hope — and perhaps it’d just be a hope — that Kluber’s returns will diminish further in a Game 7.
“For us to get a chance to go back, (win) Game 6, and get a chance to hit Kluber again, in a third game, that’s what we’re looking for,” the Cubs’ Ben Zobrist said after their Game 5 win. “We’re excited about that opportunity. And we’re really excited about going to the city of Cleveland.”
Designated hammer
This might be the first time in World Series history that the National League team has the advantage when the DH is in play. Yet that’s how unique the circumstances are regarding the Cubs and Kyle Schwarber, whose return from knee surgery enabled him to serve as DH in Games 1 and 2.
He reached in five of nine plate appearances in Cleveland, and his presence in the lineup seemed massive in Game 2, when all nine Cubs reached base in a 5-1 victory.
When the series moved to Chicago and Schwarber was relegated to one pinch-hit appearance, Chicago was shut out in 24 of 26 innings, lost two of three games and barely survived Game 5.
A decisive third-inning rally was fueled by a swinging bunt by Addison Russell and an actual bunt from Javier Baez. So yes, despite surviving, the Cubs could use a jolt.
“It’s a big piece of our lineup back,” catcher David Ross said.