Corey Kluber set the tone for the unflappable Indians in Game 1
Corey Kluber’s six-inning, nine-strikeout performance in Game 1 of the 2016 World Series won’t go down as one of the great pitching performances in the history of the Fall Classic.
It’s not on par with Bob Gibson’s 17-strikeout performance in 1968 or Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 or even Randy Johnson’s Game 2 performance in the 2001 World Series — so don’t make it out to be.
But the Cleveland Indians didn’t need that kind of performance in Game 1 — they needed someone to set the tone for the series.
Kluber did just that.
The performance might not have been all-time, but it was fearless. It was masterful. It was dominant.
It takes something special to overpower these Chicago Cubs, but for 18 outs, the Indians’ ace and should-be American League Cy Young Award-winner was mowing them down using a devastating three-pitch arsenal and gall.
It was as if Kluber was saying to the Cubs “we’re not intimidated by you” with every pitch.
For a team like the Indians – a team that plays with supreme confidence no matter what the situation is — it was critical to have Kluber on the mound in Game 1, setting the tone for the series.
The Indians won Game 1, 6-0, behind Kluber’s strong start, Andrew Miller’s 46-pitch, no-run performance out of the bullpen, and the near-anonymous Roberto Perez’s two home runs, the second being a three-run shot in the eighth inning.
But make no mistake, Kluber established the Indians’ attitude and his teammates followed suit in the contest.
The Cubs didn’t go quietly — they might not have put up a run Tuesday night, but they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh against Miller (no small feat) and then brought the tying run to the plate again the next inning. It’s hard to imagine that they will go wanting all series — they had their chances even in a contest against perhaps the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball.
But the near-misses by the Cubs only highlighted how impressive Kluber’s series debut performance was — they weren’t getting those close calls with him on the mound Tuesday.
The Game 1 win was critical for Cleveland — the Cubs’ starting pitching depth is prodigious and the Indians cannot match it, so they need to capitalize on the moments where the matchup is even or in their favor. Game 1 was one of those moments and there's no question the Indians capitalized.
Now the Indians are ahead in the count in this series, which is far more evenly matched than one might think.
Kluber’s performance might not have been historic, but it set the tone for a series that could be truly special.
