Cubs look to finally snap Series drought

Chicago takes 3-2 lead home, but has been here before

All that’s left for the Chicago Cubs to do is make history.

The Cubs came home to Wrigley Field with a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L. Championship Series and a chance Saturday night to end a more than seven-decade wait to return to the World Series.

“We’re not going to run away from anything,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s within our reach right now. But I do want us to go after it as though it’s, again, hate to say it, but Saturday. Let’s just go play our Saturday game and see how it falls.”

For a franchise defined more by heartbreak and losing, this will be no ordinary Saturday. Then again, this has been no ordinary season.

The Cubs led the majors with 103 wins and ran away with the N.L. Central title. They won more games than any Cubs team since 1910, and if they beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, they’ll face Cleveland in their first World Series since 1945.

That, of course, will put them on the verge of their first championship since 1908.

But before they can think about that, they have to get to the World Series, and their first opportunity comes against one of the game’s most dominant pitchers in Kershaw. The Cubs will go with major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks in Game 6.

Game 7 would be Sunday, if necessary.

“We’ve won two games in a row before,” said Los Angeles’ Adrian Gonzalez. “Nothing says we can’t do it Saturday and Sunday.”

The Cubs put themselves in this position by shaking off back-to-back shutout losses and combining to score 18 runs in the past two games.

Former A’s prospect Addison Russell has gone deep in back-to-back games and is 5 for 10 after going 1 for 24 to start the postseason. Anthony Rizzo is also connecting, with five hits and a homer over the past two games after going 2 for 26. Javier Baez continues to come through with big hits and making sensational plays at second base.

Now, it’s up to Kershaw on to cool off the Cubs.

The three-time N.L. Cy Young Award winner is 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance this postseason and has been erasing a reputation for struggling in the playoffs. He came through with two decent starts against Washington in the NLDS and closed out the series-clinching win.

Thirteen years ago, the Cubs returned home up 32 over the Marlins in the NLCS. And, well, fans still have nightmares over that one. Chicago was five outs from the World Series with Mark Prior on the mound only to see everything come apart.

A fan named Steve Bartman reached up for Luis Castillo’s foul as Moises Alou leaned into the stands. The ball deflected off Bartman’s hands. Alou went wild. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez later booted a potential inning-ending double play. Prior melted down on the mound.

The Cubs lost that game, and they went on to drop the series finale even though they had Kerry Wood starting.

“We’ve heard the history, but at the same time we’re trying to make history,” Dexter Fowler said.

The Indians’ pitching n staff may have reinforcements in the World Series. Starter Danny Salazar, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 9 because of tightness in his right forearm, has thrown well in recent bullpen sessions and might be able to pitch for the first time in this postseason.

Salazar will throw a three-inning simulated game Saturday and the Indians will assess his status before deciding whether to have him on their World Series roster.

The Indians are also hoping Trevor Bauer will be available after his Game 4 start in the A.L. Championship Series lasted less than an inning when his stitched right pinkie opened up and he had to be replaced because of excessive bleeding.