Cleveland is ahead three games to one in the World Series for the first time since 1948, when they last won it, after a (7-2) win at Chicago, vs the Cubs, in game four Saturday night.
Corey Kluber allowed one run in six innings, to notch his second win of the series.
The game had the first lead change of either of the two LCS and World Series, in what was the 15th such game.
Carlos Santana homered to tie the game vs game 4 losing pitcher, John Lackey. Later in the inning, Lackey, the winning pitcher in home World Series clinching games for two different teams, 11 years apart (the Angels in ’02 and the Red Sox in ’13) was victimized by two errors from third baseman, Kris Bryant that enabled “Cleve” to take the lead in the same second inning.
Kluber’s slow grounder between home plate and third, an infield hit, with a second Bryant throwing error of the inning on the play, gave Cleveland the lead to stay.
Francisco Lindor, who later started another one run inning with a walk, singled in Jason Kipnis, to make it (3-1) in the third inning.
Kipnis, who grew up in Chicago, rooting for the Cubs, iced the game with a three run home run in the seventh inning.
In 1948, Cleveland was ahead three games to one and playing at home, but lost in that game 5 vs the Boston Braves. They won the title in Boston, where they had won a one game playoff for the American League Pennant, vs the Red Sox.
Tonight with Trevor Bauer opposing the Cubs’ Jon Lester, again the Indians will be underdogs, hoping this is the game and day, the team ends a 68 year title drought.
Before their game 3 win in this World Series, the last time the Cleveland Indians won a game 3 of the World Series was in 1995.
That night, a man named Murray, the quiet, often called sullen by the many babies in the sports media, Ed Murray, drove in the winning run.
I will take that type of “Murray” any day, compared to what I saw last night concerning celebrity, Bill Murray.
That Murray, for a long time, publicized as a big fan (try being a fan when you can not afford tickets and still go, to his credit not a Murray problem for at least three plus decades), talked of beer and then did a ridiculous rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
In days past I was home, and one year before the cable company greed and ridiculous blackouts in certain areas set in, I could watch the Cubs on WGN, their so called superstation eminating from Chicago.
An original, Harry Caray, led the song and I kept tabs of the boring games, not as boring as most baseball now, but boring enough, to not miss Caray, in the daylight, sing the song.
Why did they not just let it go when Caray died? Also in their tributes to departed Cubs, they rightfully cite Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and I guess Caray, though he should be best known for his work with the St. Louis Cardinals, but leave out their great announcer Jack Brickhouse.
This can not end soon enough, it is almost as bad as this so called “election cycle,” no not really, but I surely could have lived without Bill Murray last night? Oh yes, was he not at the White House last week, doing a not so funny bit.
It is all related, they “dumbed us down,” myself included, and now look at US.
They took my T-Bird and “fun-fun-fun” away, many moons ago.
Thus far in this World Series involving the Cleveland Indians, there has been quite a connection with the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Tuesday, both game 1 of the World Series and the first game of the Cavs’ new season, complete with a ceremony honoring last year’s title, were played. Both Cleveland teams were victorious.
Wednesday, the night of game 2 of the World Series, was a different story. On a dreary night in Cleveland, the Cubs squared the World Series with a (5-1) win. The Cavaliers were idle.
Last night, both teams won on the road, the Indians’ exponentially more important win in game 3 of the World Series, and the Cavs’ 3 point win at Toronto, vs the Raptors in just their second game of the season.
Tonight both teams play again, the Indians 6 to 5 underdogs at the Cubs in game four, while the Cavs host the Orlando Magic.
In “The Great Gatsby” “Nick Carraway” is looking for a business “connection.”
Cleveland took a two games to one lead in the World Series for the first time since 1948, the last time they won it, posting a (1-0) victory at Chicago, vs the Cubs in game three last night.
Coco Crisp, in his second stint as a Cleveland player, who caught the last out when the Red Sox completed a comeback from a (3-1) A.L.C.S. deficit under Terry Francona vs “Cleve” in 2007, drove in the game’s only run with a 1 out 7th inning single that scored pinch runner, Michael Martinez from third base.
Meanwhile 4 pitchers (Josh Tomlin, Andrew Miller, Brian Shaw and Cody Allen) combined to hand the Cubs their 4th shutout loss, (second in the W.S.), of this post-season.
Allen struck out the much hyped Javier Baez with runners on second and third to end yet another three hour plus game, this one at least, competitive, a 14th in as many L.C.S. and W.S. games, sans a lead change.
It seems much was made of the fact that 24 of the last 28 teams to win game 1 of the World Series went on to win the title.
As noted here, the team with home advantage in the series has won 24 of the 30 World Series contested since the advent of the best of seven LCS in both major leagues in 1985.
Only one team in the previous 30 World Series has won the title sans home advantage and after losing game 1.
That team was the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, who prevailed in six games winning the title on a Saturday night in Atlanta.
The last four teams to lose game 1 of the World Series on the road and win game 2 also on the road, eventually lost the World Series (the ’13 Cardinals, ’11 Rangers, ’97 Indians and ’93 Phillies).
Again it is the 1992 Blue Jays, who were the last to “defy” that pattern, riding Ed Sprague Jr.’s dramatic home run, to a game 2 win in Atlanta.
Tonight’s World Series game 3 involving Cleveland (Indians) vs the Chicago Cubs is infinitely more important than the NBA semis redux, matching the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers visiting Toronto (Raptors).
Cleveland semi’d Toronto, en route to the NBA crown last season.
In baseball, Cleveland also won a semi-final series vs Toronto, the recently completed Indians’ 5 game victory vs the Blue Jays.
On the night of game 1 of the World Series, the first World Series ever to open in Cleveland, not only did the Indians win a World Series opener for just the second time in 6 World Series appearances, but the Cavs were honored at home, for their 2015-2016 NBA title.
Game 2 was different, a dreary night in Cleveland regarding weather and the Cubs eased (5-1) in their first W.S. victory in 25,952 days. Chi led (5-1) after 6 innings in the two games, 71 plus years apart.
However, back then there were comebacks and exciting games, the Cubs eventually winning (8-7) in 12 innings to force a game 7, in which Detroit (Tigers) beat them decisively.
Toronto teams, the NHL Maple Leafs (0-3), Blue Jays (2-5) and Raptors (0-1) are a combined (2-9) in semi-final series since the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967.
“Jeopardy” host, Alex Trebeck (I preferred Art Fleming), narrated the 1967 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs highlights film. Of course, the Leafs have not been in a finals series since that time.
What follows below was written on MLB.com, if not other places. As you might know, I like this kind of “stuff.” I will add some notes following “their” note.
“After dropping Game 1 of the World Series, the Cubs bounced back on Wednesday night, with a 5-1 victory over the Indians at Progressive Field.
The series-evening triumph was the first World Series game win for the franchise since Game 6 of the 1945 Fall Classic on Oct. 8, 1945. That’s a span of 25,952 days, which is a numerical palindrome (the same number forwards and backwards).”
I “added” the following.
Here is how they determined the number: 71 years multiplied by 365 days, equals 25,915 days.
Add the one extra day, in the 18 leap years since 1945. That becomes 25,933. Then add the 19 days from (October 8th-October 26th) inclusive, which is 19.
The number is 25,952–the same number forwards or backwards, as stated above.
No World Series game, a bad football game, who cares as there is an incredibly great Dick Cavett Show, airing on Decades tonight at 8 P.M. Eastern time, to be repeated at 2 A.M.
The show is highlighted by Don Rickles, not the “pure kryptonite, sans the lead pipe,” one might hear in a nightclub, but non stop and truly priceless.
The great opera star, Beverly Sills, columnist Earl Wilson and actress Lucy Kirk all tremendous, were on the show as well.
I am so grateful to Decades for airing these type shows, I can forgive their rather poor efforts in sports, including Kerry Sayers saying Mickey Mantle played 17 seasons when he played “chai”/18 seasons.
There is a Rickles joke there but I will not attempt it. Watch the show. I laughed and that is a testimony to Rickles.
One of the best, if not the best, stand up comedians ever, the great Don Rickles pictured above.
Going from a former “Joe Buck” on “Ray Donovan” to the one on this World Series, I should have cited in the last post that in watching the 2 batters I did see in game 2, the far too small graphic indicating the score, read Cubs (1-0).
So of course, on a night their Kris Bryant won the Hank Aaron Award, and with Fox, the so predictable and annoying, Mike Lupica, the even more annoying, fine actor Jon Cusack and even some good people I know personally, rooting for them, the Cubs squared the 2016 World Series at a game apiece, with a (5-1) win in game 2.
The team scoring first is now (13-0) in the LCS and World Series and has never trailed in said game. Anthony Rizzo doubled home Bryant in the first inning, for that first run.
Kyle Schwarber, who has made an amazing return to the Cubs’ lineup had two big hits in the tilt, Mr. Zobrist of course, contributed, his triple started the 3 run Cubs’ 5th inning and Jake Arrieta, probably condemned by Russo, after 4 bad post-season starts, was masterful in victory.
Arrieta took a no-hitter into the 6th inning. Of course, as with almost all of the pampered properties, aka starting pitchers of this time, he needed help, hurling just the 5 and one third innings.
Some “streak notes,” Terry Francona’s nine of nine record in World Series play fell to (9-1) and now the Joe Maddon managed Cubs will be heavy favorites, to not only end a 108 year title drought, in which it must be noted they never came remotely close to Cleveland’s 1997 World Series “near miss,” but also make Maddon a victor vs Francona in three of three post-season entities, all at different levels (the 2008 ALCS and 2013 wild card game being the others.)
Before telling you I have some hope for Cleveland in game 3, with (Josh) Tomlin as a huge underdog, vs (Kyle) Hendricks, the Cleveland losing pitcher in #2 was (Trevor) Bauer, evoking Hank Bauer.
The latter Bauer holds the World Series record of hitting in 17 straight games and once told me, at the 1985 W.S. how Mr. Roberto Clemente, who hit safely in all 14 W.S. games in which he played, would have broken his record given more world Series games.
Perhaps I can gain perspective in noting Mr. Clemente was denied World Series entry via a heartbreaking game 5 NLCS defeat in 1972, and then denied life, losing his as a true hero, trying to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua, less than 3 months later.
Back to Bauer and not so meaningful notes, Hank was (4-0) as a World Series manager, guiding the Baltimore Orioles to a 4 game sweep over the heavily favored Dodgers in the 1966 World Series, famously saying “guys who make odds do not play baseball.”
I believe ex Yankees Bauer and Lou Piniella, managing the O’s and Cincy Reds respectively, are now tied with (4-0) records, the best such World Series managerial records, sans a defeat.
Obviously Francona’s record is stellar, but I fear it will not be rewarded with a third title. I think the Indians will get to play again in Cleveland, their best chance to do so is with big underdog Tomlin vs Hendricks, who will not be as great as last Saturday’s game 6 NLCS clincher, in game 3 on Friday.
There are many reasons that at 6:30 a.m. the next day I do not know which team won the first 7 p.m. Eastern Time start in World Series history, by the way, the decision to start earlier with rain in the forecast a rare case of my agreeing with the powers that be in major league baseball.
Joe Buck has too many of the bad habits, most notaly a behind the play, shortcut style of play by play his father Jack Buck, so often exhibited. Last night , (I watched 2 Cubs’ batters in the first inning), he got so excited on a ball, clearly to be foul.
In the glorious past, the 1965 World Series with greats Ray Scott and Vin Scully, you could count the times on one hand that during either game 5 or game 7 that the non play by play man spoke.
Surely John Smoltz knows far more technical baseball than I do, never mind specifically about pitching, but is it really necessary to hear, even know the non stop technical points he makes?
For the record in game 1 which I did watch and listen to, he compared Indians starter Corey Kluber to L.A. ‘s Clayton Kershaw in that in a certain situation, it was lights out for the hitter. The Cubs’ Ben Zobrist, one of the few players, I truly admire, promptly doubled.
It really hurts that again with additional reasons I have trouble watching the once glorious World Series. I will try harder to overcome the obstacles and watch the rest of the way.
Sadly, for many reasons it will not be easy.
When I think of the number 19, I want it to be the great John Unitas, pictured above, not the number of World Series on which Joe Buck has been the sole television lead announcer.
Nobody, not even Mel Allen who was on so many is even close, as remember the lead announcer duties were shared, during all the years, in which Mr. Allen broadcast.
Believe it or not, as with so many things in life, I must settle for the lesser of two evils, and at this point let Buck continue. Surely, whomever someday replaces him will be even further removed from what I might like.
