Opinion: Cleveland-Chicago World Series would be a match made in heaven
October 19, 2016
The Chicago Cubs haven’t won the World Series in 107 seasons, and the Cleveland Indians haven’t won the World Series since 1948 (to give that some context, that was the same year that President Harry Truman was elected into office).
It’s a safe assumption to say that these loyal fan bases are dying for their respective championship droughts to come to a fulfilling end. A Cleveland-Chicago series is a matchup made in baseball heaven, and we may be less than two weeks away from seeing one of those historic streaks broken.
However, the Los Angeles Dodgers might have something to say about that. Back-to-back dominating performances by starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill have put the Dodgers in the driver’s seat of the National League Championship Series. Heading into Game 4, the Cubs find themselves reeling on their heels.
With the exception of the 8-4 onslaught in Game 1, the Dodgers have been able to silence the powerful Cubs lineup that helped yield 103 wins during the regular season. Big names like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward have been shut down by the top of the Dodgers pitching rotation.
In order for the fans to witness the historic Chicago-Cleveland matchup, the Cubs need to tighten their boot straps and play like the team that lead the major leagues in wins during 2016.
On the other hand, the Indians had little trouble in the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays. Game 4 was the only time in the series that the potent Jays lineup showed the same zest that brought them this far in the AL pennant.
Excluding Game 4, 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson and important Jays players like Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista were silenced by the stifling Indians pitching. For the first three games of the series, Cleveland successfully relied on the best bullpen in the majors, lead by closer Andrew Miller, to lock down the potent Jays lineup.
Mariano Rivera-esque pitching, strong outings from starters and clutch hitting from the bats of Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli and Jason Kipnis helped the Indians make quick work of Toronto.
No matter who you’re rooting for this postseason, it’s difficult to ignore the looming possibility of an exciting Cubs-Indians World Series. The heartbreak for both franchises throughout their histories will make that series — if it happens — a must-see.
The closest the Indians have come to winning the World Series was in 1997 when they lost to the expansion Florida Marlins team in Game 7 of the World Series. The closest the Cubs have come to winning the World Series was in 2003 when they lost to the Florida Marlins in the NLCS.
Now, each team may have the opportunity to play spoiler in baseball’s biggest stage.
Israel Galarza III is a columnist, contact him at [email protected].