Post-game
The “W” flag flies over Wrigley Field as the crowd, down and out just 24 hours ago, are suddenly revived thanks to a hard fought, tense victory in the ballpark’s last game of the season. Skipper Joe Maddon had the courage to go to his closer and ask him to complete an eight-out save, a strategy that worked to a tee.
Now the Cubs, still down 3-2 in this series, head to what will be a piping hot cauldron of fire, Cleveland’s Progressive Field, where Jake Arrieta will try and bridge the gap to a decisive Game 7 where Corey Kluber would face Kyle Hendricks.
This World Series, easily the most widely followed in many years, will continue to yield on Tuesday night for what should be another marquee night in the baseball history. The Guardian will be there for another live, inning-by-inning report. Until then, wherever you are, good morning, good afternoon and goodnight.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, Final
Ramirez waves at a fastball and the ball game is over! Cubs win and this World Series will continue on Tuesday night in Cleveland!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 9th
Another ball in the dirt makes it 3-1...then Santana pops to right - can of corn, Heyward puts it away.
Two down, and here’s Jose Ramirez, who gave Cleveland the lead way back in the second inning with a solo home run. he struck out against Chapman in the seventh.
It’s 0-2...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 9th
Chapman calls for time, then throws a ball riding low and in - it’s 2-1 to Santana...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 9th
Napoli bounces out to short - one down! Santana is next...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 9th
So here comes Chapman looking to cap off an old-school save with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Cuban, whose Twitter handle is @AChapman_105 for a reason, started his career with the Reds, moved to the Yankees and is now looking to try and make history with these Cubs, having never pitched beyond the 2.1 inning mark. He’s already thrown 33 pitches as he faces Mike Napoli...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 8th
Chapman swings through an Allen fastball and we go to the ninth, with Chicago an inning away from sending everyone back to Cleveland!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 8th
Heyward steals third! It’s 2-2 on Chapman...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 8th
Baez is in the hole 0-2 but lays off a high fastball to stay alive.
Now Allen misses with a fastball to even the count.
Then Baez waves at a junk ball away. Two down for Chapman, who still looks scary as hell with a bat.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 8th
Heyward makes contact on more than one occasion and strikes a single to right field. Baez comes to the plate, with Chapman on deck, holding a bat and laughing hard with amusement.
Meanwhile, Heyward steals second! Kipnis had him but couldn’t hold on to the ball.
Cleveland pitching coach Calloway comes out for a chat with Allen...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 8th
The Cubs come to bat looking for that all-important insurance run.
Cody Allen strikes out Russell to start the home eighth. Here’s, Heyward, who is looking for that golden sombrero.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
Randazzo rings up Lindor on a fastball that looked low! Wrigley erupts and the Cubs are three outs away from boarding a puddle jumper to Cleveland!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
It’s 2-2 to Lindor - Wrigley crowd is going bananas - on their feet!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
Kipnis, a fly ball working towards foul ground - Zobrist is there to make the catch on the base of the bullpen mound - a tough play and a precious second out for Chicago.
Now Lindor steps in looking for his second RBI of the game...and Davis steals third!
So now Cleveland can tie it with a wild pitch or a balk (and a lot of other stuff)!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
The count is even after Kipnis chases two balls away - catcher Contreras comes out for a chat with his hurler...
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
Davis - a MASSIVE jump - steals second, and this game ratchets up another notch.
It’s 2-0 to Kipnis.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
Chapman battles back from a 3-0 count to work the count full. Davis - a liner down the right field line - Rizzo has it but where is Chapman? He didn’t cover the bag! Davis is fast so it may not have mattered but that is what they call ”bad optics”.
It also means the tying run is on with a stolen base threat at first. One down for Kipnis, who is 0-3 with two strikeouts tonight.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 8th
It’s not often that Brazilians face Cubans in baseball and that’s exactly what’s happening here.
Chalk one up for the Cubans - Gomes is toast on a slider. One down - here’s Davis.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Zobrist pops to short - Lindor puts it away. Threat over, inning over. Here comes Chapman looking for part two of what would be a three-part, eight out save.
He’s never pitched linger than 2.1 innings, which happened this July, against Cleveland, incidentally.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Bryant is caught looking - two down for Rizzo, who is being walked intentionally with two outs.
Tito wants to face Zobrist, 1 for 2 tonight, who breathes deeply from his mouth as he steps to the plate.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Fowler hangs in there at first base and now Allen faces Bryant with one down.
And there goers Fowler - it’s the old I’m hurt stolen base gag, and it works like a charm!
So the Cubs have that insurance run 180 feet away with one out - Bryant is down in the count 1-2...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Allen’s opening act hits Fowler in the foot - the Cubs center fielder is shaken up and being looked at by the trainer and Maddon.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Here comes Tito to get Shaw, who leaves the hill in favor of Cleveland’s closer Cody Allen. Yan Gomes replaces Roberto Perez behind the plate - it’s a double switch that means Cleveland will avoid leading off with the pitcher’s spot next inning.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 7th
Tito sticks with Shaw, who gets Contreras to bounce out to third. One away.
Seventh inning stretch!
Eddie Vedder surfaces to deliver Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and dedicates it to David Ross, who has finished his last game at Wrigley Field.
He seems to be sober, unlike this clip from our way back machine.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
Perez grounds out weakly to second base and the inning is over! Chapman’s got six more outs to extend this season into November!
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
Contreras manages to pick up a three-digit ball in the dirt, preventing the runners from advancing.
Now it’s 1-2 to Perez...
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
Guyer is grazed on the left thigh and walks to first, lucky to be alive. Roberto Perez is next, trying to get that tying run home for Cleveland.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
Aroldis Chapman, the big right handed hurler from Holguin, Cuba reaches the Wrigley Field mound, set to try and take his Cubs all the way to the tarmac and beyond.
He faces Jose Ramirez and promptly blows him away with a101MPH of pain.
Two down: here’s Guyer.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
Santana flies out out left - it’s not deep enough to advance Napoli.
With one down and a runner at second, here comes Aroldis Chapman, in the seventh, to try and shut down any and all Cleveland threats.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
The ball gets away from the catcher! Contreras can’t handle Edwards’ offering, and it’s a passed ball. Napoli to second and the tying run draws even closer.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
So instead of Lester, you get Carl Edwards Jr, who promptly allows a lead-off single to Mike Napoli.
Meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman starts his warm up throws in the Cubs bullpen, very early indeed.
There are no tomorrows for Chicago.
Santana at the plate for Cleveland.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 7th
So yeah, Lester is done after six innings and 90 pitches. The man did his job, here’s the line:
6IP 4H 2R 2ER 0BB 5SO 1HR
I leave Lester in, at least until another speedy runner reaches base. This is a bit much from Maddon.
Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 6th
Baez also goes down on strikes and it’s Ross’ turn at the plate, except Cubs skipper Joe Maddon pinch hits for Lester’s personal catcher with Miguel Montero.
That means that Lester is almost definitely done for the night.
Montero strikes out, Shaw mows down all three hitters he faces and the inning is over.
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Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 6th
Bryan Shaw replaces Clevinger - he’s yet to allow a run in this series and is one of the filthy triumvirate of Shaw, Miller and Allen out in the Tribe bullpen.
He starts by striking out Heyward, that’s three straight k’s for the right fielder, who’s well on his way to a golden sombrero.
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CAUGHT STEALING! Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 6th
David Ross fires a strike to Baez at second and Lindor is OUT!
That is a huge play as the veteran backstop picks up his throwing challenged hurler (what an crazy thing to write) and the Cubs hang on to their slim lead in the sixth!
RUN! Indians 2 - 3 Cubs, top of the 6th
Lindor floats a fly ball that’s hanging, hanging and DOWN! Fowler traps the ball on the grass as Davis comes around to score and the Cubs’ lead is down to a single run!
Mike Napoli comes to the plate with Lindor at first, for now, with two down!
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Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 6th
Lester delivers - and I don’t know where that pitch missed. Randazzo says it’s away and, well, he’s the boss.
Count is even for Kipnis and he’s down looking! A fastball on the corner dismisses Cleveland’s second baseman.
It’s up to Francisco Lindor who bats as Davis taunts Lester on the bases...
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 6th
There goes Davis - Ross bobbles the ball and that’s a stolen base, finally.
Meanwhile, Kipnis is behind in the count 1-2.
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 6th
Cleveland’s Game 3 hero Coco Crisp grounds out to third for the first out, but Davis comes back with a base hit to left.
The Tribe haven’t tested Lester’s ability to hold runners yet, and so now might be a good time to run, run and run some more.
Kipnis at the plate now...
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 5th
Russell lines to right field but Guyer is there to end the threat. Inning over.
That’s a missed opportunity by Chicago - they’ve stranded five so far.
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Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 5th
Clevinger misses away and Addison Russell comes to bat with runners at the corners.
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 5th
Bryant is running and Perez airmails it into center field! Now Bryant is 90 feet from a fourth Cubs run!
Full count now to Zobrist...
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 5th
Trevor Bauer is done for the night - he was great, until the fourth inning.
Here’s his line:
4IP 6H 3R 3ER 0BB 7K 1HR
Now Mike Clevinger is on for Cleveland - he pitched a scoreless inning during garbage time during Game 2.
He gets Fowler to pop up to left before walking Bryant. Then Rizzo flies out to center field - Davis puts it away.
So now there’s two out and one on for Zobrist.
Did Kris Bryant wake up Cubs bats with this fourth inning blast?
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 5th
Lester muscles out of trouble in the fifth! Perez grounds out and the Cubs survive a lead-off double!
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 5th
Lester looks angry, but he usually does. Now he’s huffing and puffing after being denied two close pitches on the outside portion of the plate by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo.
The count is full - Guyer wastes two pitches as Lester approaches 70 pitches on the night.
A stoic Vince Vaughn watches as Guyer fouls yet another pitch off. Who wins this war? Lester! Guyer watches strike three - a pitch that looked a whole lot like the other two Randazzo called balls.
Two down now and here comes Roberto Perez, with Coco Crisp ready to pinch hit if the catcher can reach base.
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 5th
Lester, pitching from the stretch, entices a ground ball to short - Russell has to hurry his throw but it’s in time thanks to another great pick atfirst base by Rizzo. Santana advances over to third base on the play, and Brandon Guyer steps to the plate with one down.
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, top of the 5th
Santana - into the gap in right - he’s got a double to get Cleveland going in the fifth! Now Ramirez, who homered in the second, comes to bat for the Indians.
Indians 1 - 3 Cubs, bottom of the 4th
Lester is down on strikes.
It takes 29 pitches for Bauer to get three outs, but not before Chicago hang a crooked number in the fourth, rattling graves all over Chicago.