Jake Arrieta made Cubs history in Game 2 of the World Series
By his standards, Jake Arrieta had an average 2016 season, posting a 3.10 ERA and 3.8 WAR in 197 1/3 innings.
That's the perception when you put up a 1.77 ERA and 7.3 WAR across 229 innings in the prior season on the way to winning the National League Cy Young.
Entering Game 2 of the World Series, the Chicago Cubs needed that Arrieta after dropping the first game of the series to the Cleveland Indians. In two postseason starts this year, he had allowed 12 hits and six earned runs in 11 innings, so which guy would show up Wednesday?
The Indians got the Cy Young-caliber Arrieta, as he turned in a dominant performance in a 5-1 win for Chicago and even made some Cubs postseason history: Arrieta is now the Cubs' all-time leader in postseason strikeouts.
He set that record in the first inning of Game 2 and finished the night with six total strikeouts, putting him at 44 total his postseason career with the Cubs.
Even cooler, though, is that Arrieta took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up a hit to Jason Kipnis with one out.
He allowed another hit and a run before being pulled. His final line:
Arrieta's no-hit bid was the third-longest in Cubs World Series history and only two outs away from tying the franchise record:
How good was the Cubs' night? Arrieta wasn't the only Cub to make history.
Kyle Schwarber enjoyed a cool moment himself, too.
With that strikeout of Kipnis, Jake Arrieta passes Kerry Wood for sole possession of first on #Cubs career #Postseason strikeout list (39)
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 26, 2016
Strong performance by @JArrieta34 this evening. pic.twitter.com/MP2841GoHK
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 27, 2016
#Cubs longest #WorldSeries no-hit bids
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 27, 2016
6.0 Ed Reulbach 1906 G2
5.2 Mordecai Brown 1906 G4
5.1 Jake Arrieta 2016 G2
