The Cleveland Indians won Game 1 of the World Series. No, let me rephrase that. The Cleveland Indians dominated Game 1 of the World Series.
In a historic night for the city of Cleveland, cheers for the Tribe could be heard from Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cleveland Cavaliers received their 2016 NBA Championship rings and explosively opened their season against the New York Knicks. If the Cavs’ success is any indication of what’s to come, I think Cleveland might actually explode.
In a valiant effort, catcher Roberto Perez once again showed that postseason play is all that matters, hitting two home runs and leading the Tribe to a 6-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. To put it in perspective, Perez has hit three home runs in nine postseason games, which is as many as he hit in his 61 regular season appearances. But per usual with this Indians’ team, it wasn’t just Perez who won the game. If I could run up and give every member of the Indians roster a big fat kiss I would.
In case you needed another reason to love him, Francisco Lindor stole second in the first inning to win every American a Doritos Locos Taco from Taco Bell, the first exciting moment of many.
Corey Kluber was absolutely unreal again, though you’d never know it from his almost chilling calmness. With unbelievable persistence and a “filthy” slider, according to Cubs catcher David Ross, Kluber pitched his way to a World Series record, striking out eight batters in the first three innings. The “Klubot” boasts a 3-1 record with a 0.74 ERA this postseason, striking out 29 batters in 24 ⅓ innings.
As if that’s not menacing enough, Kluber had Andrew Miller backing him up, the scariest reliever in baseball. Miller was back at it last night, managing to pitch himself into and out of a messy seventh inning when Cubs second baseman Javier Baez loaded the bases with a single. Miller got the outs and the game moved on.
Even though it wasn’t his usual pristine performance, Miller proved that he’s equipped to handle almost anything, and he can be that dependable guy for the Tribe. Lucky enough for us, Cubs’ ace Jon Lester wasn’t on top of his game either, allowing the Indians to score some key runs.
Cubs’ fans everywhere have got to be a little worried, especially as the Indians continued to show their rock solid defense and excellent bullpen rotation.
Tonight’s game, however, could be a different story. The Cubs are sending Jake Arrieta to the mound against Trevor Bauer, and I absolutely hate that matchup. Bauer is a loose cannon, who easily loses his temper and gets in funks. Quite frankly, I’m not confident in his ability to win Game 2.
Arrieta is one of my favorite Cubs pitchers, a guy with raw talent and a killer sinker. To go 2-0 at home, the Indians must rely on their team chemistry and Tito’s 9-0 record in World Series games.
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