World Series: Heading into Game 7, the pressure is squarely on the Indians' shoulders
It can all change just … like … that.
The Chicago Cubs were dead to rights, down 3-1 in the World Series with only one home game remaining on the schedule. The drought was going to extend to 109 years.
What else could you believe? Only five teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series. The last team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the World Series were the 1985 Kansas City Royals — and as St. Louis Cardinals fans are quick to tell you, the Royals needed some significant help in making that happen.
The Cubs didn’t need that help — though they received some from Cleveland outfielder Tyler Naquin in the first inning — Tuesday night, winning 9-3 to force a Game 7.
The dropped fly ball gave way to a bases-loaded long fly — off the same Addison Russell bat — two innings later, giving the Cubs a 7-0 lead they had no problem maintaining.
After Game 4 Saturday, it was doom and gloom for Chicago. Now, before the Indians’ biggest game in 20 years, those clouds hang over the Tribe.
For all the talk about fastballs, curveballs, slugging percentages, bullpen usage and defensive shifts in the highly analytical world of baseball, there hasn’t been much discussion of the pressure on both of these teams.
You know how long it’s been since the Cubs won the World Series, but the Indians boast the second-longest title drought in the game at 71 years. The beauty of this series was that one of the teams would break their drought — the cruelty was that one team would get so close and lose.
You can feel it in the ballpark — tight chests and running thoughts. The World Series is supposed to be fun, but you can tell that to two fanbases that have seen their team win one. The teams can do whatever they want to pretend like the moment isn’t affecting them, but both yards have proven to be hostile work environments.
All of that pressure, all of that extrapolation of what could, and (in the minds of many in the crowd) ultimately will, happen is firmly on the shoulders of the Indians for Game 7.
The Cubs have felt that pressure for the last two games and while it wasn’t always pretty, no one can argue that they haven’t thrived. There are reasons for confidence in the Chicago clubhouse, even if there will still be plenty of consternation.
The Indians don't share that confidence. They’re hoping and praying that Corey Kluber, their ace pitcher, can continue to be superman — he has a postseason ERA of 0.89 — and give them a dominant performance — a la Game 1 — despite the fact that it will be his third start in nine days. But ultimately, no one knows what kind of life will be on his pitches or if he’ll be able to locate them Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the Cubs will turn to the man who didn’t appear to break a sweat in out-dueling Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 of the NLCS. You might know him as baseball’s ERA leader, Kyle Hendricks. He’ll be working on full rest.
Yes, the Indians have Andrew Miller sitting in the bullpen, but he’s not much use to them if they’re trailing early, as they were behind Josh Tomlin — who was working on three days rest — for Tuesday’s 9-3 loss.
Is having the best reliever in the game on the mound ready enough to instill confidence? Or will thoughts about Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor not getting much help from their teammates at the plate be the main brainwave of the ballpark?
The Cubs had no choice but to reach a Game 7 if they wanted to win the World Series, but a Game 7 is the last place the Indians want to be. The Tribe and their fans have less than 24 hours to come to grips with the new reality — that Cleveland could blow a 3-1 lead and take on the longest World Series drought in the process — and find a way to garner some positive thoughts.
