With the World Series before us, the excitement for the finale of postseason baseball has increased tremendously. Two essentially cursed baseball franchises are to meet this week, fighting for the highest honor of the MLB: a World Series Championship ring. The Chicago Cubs have not made a World Series appearance since 1945, and have not won since 1908, the longest gap in MLB history. The Cleveland Indians have not won a ring since 1948, and have not been amidst the World Series scene since 1997. These teams' postseason droughts and underdog demeanor are foreshadowing an extremely unpredictable next few days.
The title is anyone's at this point, as both teams showcase particular strengths and managing tactics that have contributed to their teams' success during the regular season, as well as during the nail-biter NLCS and ALCS games. The Cubs' John Lester has demonstrated incredible control and consistency this season, and most notably, sports a .86 ERA during the postseason. Cleveland's Andrew Miller has been the closing ace, giving up zero runs during his postseason appearance and striking out 21. Even with Miller's stellar statistics, he will still have to face former Yankee teammate, Aroldis Chapman, who is arguably one of the best relievers in the league. The Cubs had their eyes on Miller, but his associated price tag was too much to handle, causing them to settle for the Yankees' other offer of Chapman. Miller's magic must stay consistent if the Indians expect to take advantage of the Cubs late in the game. Without early runs from the Cubbies, Chicago will find themselves struggling against such talented Cleveland relievers.
The Cubs will be relying heavily on infielders Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez as they step up to the plate. With Rizzo's lack of energy during the first NLDS games, the Cubs' morale was impacted. As soon as Rizzo put the ball in play, the rest came naturally. Baez is seen as reliable both at the plate and in the field, truly putting him to the test these next few games as his versatility is in the spotlight. In addition, Kris Bryant's offensive success can launch the Cubs towards victory, as his RBI single in Game 6 kickstarted the morale of the final victory. Cleveland's victories will be driven by their success against right-handed pitchers, which to their advantage, they will be facing a significant amount of during this series. Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana can bring the Cleveland much offensive success, and in addition, the Cubs inability to pick off runners could prove to be detrimental, as Cleveland's Rajai Davis leads the league in bases stolen this season.
With one team's faults comes another team's success, making for an incredibly exciting and unpredictable series. These two teams are here to prove themselves. They are emotionally driven to win the World Series for their cities, and regardless of who wins, we'll all be watching history unfold right on our own television screens.
