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The Forest Scout

The Student News Site of Lake Forest High School

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Game One, No Fun: Cubs Blanked by Indians 6-0 in World Series Debut

It was a feeling like no other. Watching the World Series every year is fun for me, but when your local team is in the World Series for the first time since 1945 it just isn’t the same. The hype before game one of the World Series was a source of energy many Cubs’ fans have never felt. Spirits were riding high going into the Cubs’ first World Series game since October 3rd 1945. The Indians had their mind set on raining on the Cubs’ parade.  After the first inning concluded, some knew already that they would be in for a long night.

Tuesday was just one of those days. We’ve all seen them before. The Cubs couldn’t produce early and the circle on the scoreboard for the Cubs never changed. The Indians, just like the Cubs, had their ace pitcher on the mound. Corey Kluber now holds a 0.98 ERA in the postseason after 6 shutout innings for the Indians. He faced off against Jon Lester, the Cubs’ ace, and when you add those two pitchers together the projected scoring outcome is minimal.

One of the biggest headlines coming into game one was Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber tore his ACL in early April in a game against Arizona when he had a scary collision with Dexter Fowler in left center field. He had been playing in the Arizona fall league for a little while so he could get near game ready condition. One of the biggest surprises of the season occurred when Joe Maddon added him to the 25 man roster; then, on Tuesday the biggest surprise was when Schwarber made the starting lineup batting as a DH in the five spot. Schwarber made postseason history by starting the fewest amount of regular season games and still getting a start in the World Series. In game one he met and exceeded some of his expectations. After a shaky first at-bat, Schwarber hit a double in the fourth that was nearly a home run. He was also very patient and smart with his selections at the plate. Despite two strikeouts last night, it seems likely that he will continue to be a part of the Cubs’ World Series starting lineup. 

After Kluber struck out two Cubs batters in the top of the first en route to a 1-2-3 inning, the Indians attacked Lester right away. To begin with, it seemed like Lester wouldn’t have much trouble getting through the first inning. He began the bottom half of the first retiring the first two batters. All seemed placid until Cleveland began to get on base. Before you knew it, Jon Lester found himself in a bases loaded situation. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jose Ramirez hit an infield single down the third base line that scored a run. The hit almost seemed like a perfectly placed bunt. Neither Bryant or Lester would have had a chance at getting the ball in time to first to beat out Ramirez. So it began. Following Ramirez’s at-bat, Jon Lester had an 0-2 count on Brandon Guyer. At that point, it seemed like Lester would get out of the inning only allowing one run, but in his next pitch he hit Guyer in the back knee. Since the bases were loaded, it automatically scored a run. After the first inning finally came to a conclusion the Cubs deficit was two at 2-0. In the fourth, Cleveland would score one more run off of Lester on a Roberto Perez solo home run to left field. A disappointed Jon Lester would leave the game in the 6th allowing the most runs he has let up in a single game this postseason.

Lester was not the only person to blame for the Cubs’ troubles on Tuesday night, however. The Cubs offense was at its worst point in this postseason. Yes, the Cubs did get seven hits, five more than they got in game two of the NLCS when they had to face Clayton Kershaw, but the hits aren’t my main concern. In the seventh inning, the Cubs got the bases loaded with no outs. Cubs fans thought for sure that they would at least get one or two runs out of the inning, but the Cubs didn’t score a single run in the seventh and left the inning with a giant goose egg next to their name on the Progressive Field scoreboard. To make matters worse, nearly the same scenario occurred in the 8th. With men on first and third for the Cubs they still couldn’t get a run in. They left 6 total men in scoring position last night, which is concerning at this stage in the playoffs. They had the hits, but now they need to focus on getting runners to cross home plate.

Corey Kluber had one of the best pitching outings that he has had all year. Kluber had a total of nine strikeouts, eight of which came in the first three innings, a new World Series record. When he was put in a situation where the Cubs were threatening to score he was able to get out of it and Kluber went six innings without allowing a run.

As expected, the Indians bullpen was lights out. The Cubs did push ALCS MVP Andrew Miller around while he was in relief, but the Cubs never got anything out of it. Miller pitched the 7th and 8th innings for the Tribe, then turned the ball over to Cody Allen in the 9th to complete the Indians game one victory.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, Roberto Perez hit a three run jack to secure the Indians 6-0 victory over the Cubs.

Before Cubs fans get into panic mode, we need to take a step back. The Cubs have had nights like this before. When they played the Dodgers in the NLCS, the Cubs went 18 straight scoreless innings. Then, the following day the Cubs managed to put up double digits on Los Angeles. It all just takes one big hit to get this thing started. If the Cubs can get their one big hit before the Indians do in game two I’d expect that the Cubs would go onto win. On Wednesday Jake Arrieta will face up against Trevor Bauer. It is important to note that game two has been moved from 7:00 CT to 6:00 CT due to late night showers in Cleveland. Hopefully, the showers begin early as the Cubs look to pour runs on the Indians in game two. The following morning after every World Series game go to The Forest Scout to get the full Cubs post game wrap-up. Tomorrow night we will know if the Cubs will be traveling back to Wrigley in a tied series, or trailing by two games.

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About the Contributor
Joe Thomas, Author
Joe Thomas is a staff writer for The Forest Scout who has a burning passion for sports. He covers high school football, hockey and baseball along with the MLB and college basketball. He constantly dreams of being a writer for a professional sports organization when he is older. You can find the majority of his work in the In Between The Lines section.
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