World Series Game 1 Recap: Cubs 0, Indians 6

Kluber and Co. Dominate.

Box Score, Play Log, Game Graphs

 

W - Kluber (1-0), called strike-three, looking.

L - Lester (0-1), dumb-sign guy, hitting with RISP, moving up tomorrow's game over weather.

 

Things to Take from This Game:

1. Schwarbird decloaking...

Yeah, take one guess who hit the only rocket off of Kluber. Schwarber struke out on a full count in his first at bat, then launched a 380 foot rocket of a double in his second AB. After a Zobrist single, Kluber got pulled with just 88 pitches for Andrew Miller. You have to wonder if Kluber would have left the game for Miller, if anyone other than Schwarber was coming up in that situation. Schwarber works a full count, and a walk, with what appeared to be a very good eye, as he was on a couple of pitches and laid off a couple other tough ones. Schwarber came up again against Miller, with a chance to tie the game, in the 8th. Again he worked a count, before K'ing.  A tough result in a key situation, but still: He's ready.

2. Kluber was terrific

I've had a chance to see some of Kluber's best games, and this was up there with anyone. When he's on, his fastball gets crazy horizontal movement, running left-to-right. And, dear god, he was on. 8 of the first 11 K, almost all of them looking.  He got pulled for Miller, who, after walking Schwarber, got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, and that was about it.

3. Lester had 2 bad moments.

Lester ran into some wildness and some balls-in-play problem with two outs in the first. That, and a line-drive homer by the 9-hitting catcher, Perez, gaves Cleveland an early 3-0 lead that they would not rescind.

4. Roberto F. Perez.

I couldn't have named Cleveland's catching tandem this year. Whatever happened to Yan Gomes? Oh well. Roberto Perez hit three home runs all year, but two today. In addition to the liner off of Lester, he hit more of a no-doubter, 3-run job, against Rondon in the 8th to put away the game.

Essential Questions

1. Miller's unavailable for tomorrow, right?

2. Roberto F. Perez isn't going to keep this up, right?

3. Everyone in the non-Zobrist (three hits) category will look better tomrrow, right?

4. Arrieta is better than Bauer, right?

 

Game Recap

Pregame/Top of 1st

• FOX telecast on TV, muted, listening to Pat and Ron on the radio. That's one giganto flag in the outfield, and someone I've never heard of before singing the anthem. Was in a bit of disbelief, still, seeing Schwarber come out in pregame introductions. A very breathy, whispy sort of approach to the anthem. If she were a teacher, I'd tell her to work on the voice projection over the classroom. But, eh, I can't carry a tune to save my life, so who am I to judge? Still not my stule of singer.

 

• Dexter Fowler becomes the first Cubs player involved in World Series action since, well, you know, and the first African American Cubs player to appear in a World Series, ever. I don't know why it blows my mind to think about how the Cubs haven't been to a series since before the start of integration, but it does. It was a world where a small businessman could be outraged over the strange new world where livestock no longer is permitted in the stadium, and not outraged over the same old world where African Americans were not permitted on the field.  But I'm getting too historically melodramatic here. (Hey, I'm a historian, and this is kinda a big deal, so I hope you'll cut me some slack?)  Anyway, the action.... Fastball, outside, 94 mph, ball one, starts the series.

 

• Fowler with a good hack at the next fastball in a similar spot, fouls it off. Fastball in, take, 2-1. Kluber elevates the sinker and Fowler rips it, but pulled fowler.  Two-seamer, and it runs back over the inside corner for called strike three looking. All fastballs so far.

 

• Bryant works a full count, and as Pat starts calling ball four and Bryant starts running to first, World Series Newbie umpire Larry Vanover eventually decides to call it strike three. FOX's zone shows it a bit off the plate and low. Gyeh.

 

• Rizzo pops to shortstop.

 

Bottom of 1st

•  Lester pours in fastballs for strike 1 and 2 looking. Davis, leadoff hitter of the .306 OBP, flails at a fastball out of the zone for strike three.

 

• Kipnis lines one to Rizzo's ankles for the out.

 

• Game's first runner comes with Lindor reaching out and bouncing one past Lester up the middle.

 

• Lindor goes on a 1-0 count, and the ball pops out of Ross's hand as he prepares to throw. Stolen base. 3-0 count, Lester gets a called strike on the fastball. Fastball, away and/or high, ball four.

 

• Ball one, fastball low and outside, on Santana. Outside again for 2-0. Again, for ball 3.  Ohhh boy....  3-1 count, walks on a fastball inside.  Back-to-back walks.

 

• Strike one down the middle to Ramirez. We get BABIP'd on a swinging bunt up the third base line that Bryant has to eat. 1-0 Cleveland.

 

• I completely forgot Brandon Guyer got traded to Cleveland.  I am losing steam in my autumn years. 0-2 to Guyer, and the fastball runs in and clips Guyer.  Lester is pissed as he swipes the ball with his glove on the throw back.  Got Guyer in the back leg. 2-0 Cleveland.

 

• Chisenhall up, pops foul by the third base dugout, runs head-first into the screen and bounces backward, holding on for the catch.  Nicely done. Inning mercifully over.

 

Top of 2nd

• Rizzo serves a liner to right-center, splitting the gap for a double. An elevated slider.

 

• Kyle Schwarber appears and we hear a faint "Let's Go Cubs" chant.  Something 90 with serious downward break (yowza) for ball one.  Ball two.  Swing and miss over something else that's 90 and with wicked down and in movement. Fastball, inside, 3-1.  Everything Kluber is throwing has freaky movement.  Take on a fastball that runs back over the inside corner, full count. Similar pitch, Kyle swings this time, strkes out. Timing was fine, but was a bit under a tough elevated pitch.

 

• 0-2 count after Baez tries to check on a biting slider down and away. Baez, oddly, appeals to first on his checked swing. A couple of sliders outside, 2-2.  Ron suspects Kluber will throw Javy as many breaking balls as possible until Javy shows he can lay off, or do something with them. Makes sense to me. Baez takes a called strike three on another fastball that starts at the left-handed batter's box and catches the corner. 4 Ks, 3 looking.

 

• 3-1 count to Coghlan, Kluber has worked some deep conts so far, 32 pitches at the moment. Cutter with downward movement again (this pitch has looked really filthy) and Coghlan swings over the top, 3-2 count. Coghlan takes strike three called, that's three K's in a row, 5 of 7, 4 looking. Another wicked pitch starting at the left-handed hitters batter's box, and breaking down and in over the plate.

Bottom of 2nd

•  Full count to Perez, who pops to Zobrist in shallow left.

 

• Davis bloops one over Rizzo but lands just foul, phew.

 

• Davis hits one up the middle, and Lester shoots out his left leg for it, deflecting it with his foot and doing the long underhand toss to first.   Pretty cool way to avoid what otherwise would have been an utterly routine grounder to Baez.

 

• Kipnis pops one down the right field line. Baez overruns it, reaches back, and catches the popup.

Top of 3rd

• Russell started with a curve looking for a strike Kluber misses his spot with a fastball and Russell lines it foul, and then K's, looking, at a curveball.  I sense a theme

 

• 1-2 count to Ross, he lines a single to left on a breaking pitch of some sort that again had crazy movement but broke into the heart of the plate.

 

• As Pat is pointing out, Cubs lefties (understandably) keep giving up on pitches inside that run back over the corner.  As he points that out, Kluber flais at a fastball that starts out inside and runs waaaaaay back over the plate to the outside corner, strike three. 7 of first 10 K'd.

 

• 8 of first 11. Bryant chases a breaking ball in the dirt and a foot off the plate.  This isn't on the Cubs, this is on Kluber being nastier than I can describe.

 Bottom of 3rd.

• Lindor takes a fastball away and rolls it into right for a single.

 

• Napoli K's looking on a cutter that catches the outside edge.  Lindor makes no sign of running.

 

• Lindor takes off before Lester delivers, and Lester steps off, makes a motion with his throwing arm, and Lindor scampers back.  This is reminiscent of how the Dodgers sort of deked themselves out of actually doing anything.

 

• Now Lindor goes, and Ross throws him out. A down and low pitch, Baez with another lightning-tag. Lindor thinks he's safe. Lindor is wrong. Indians don't even challenge. 

 

• Lester and Ross do not get the called strike on the low outside corner that Kluber has frequently gotten called.  Ross and Lester giving Vanover an earful as Santana walks.

 

• Ramirez lines a 1-2 pitch into center field. Reached out for a pitch on the low outside corner.  Runners on 1 and 2.  Santana comes up lame at second, no one is sure why, but he is having very serious right knee problems. Francona asks for something to drink, and we conclude it must be cramps. We have a big delay to let Santana deal with cramps. This is really getting a bit ridiculous, and Lester looks annoyed.

 

• Lester slows down his pace, and gets a fastball called strike 3 on the outside corner.  Politely chats with Vanover on the way to the dugout.

Top of 4th

•  Rizzo works a 3-2 count, and pops foul toward the Cleveland 3rd base dugout, where Perez has it.

 

• Rizzo bounces one into the 4-3 hole, where Kipnis gets it as Napoli correctly gets back to the bag for the putout.

 

• Schwarber swings at the first pitch and hits one high off the wall, just to the centerfield side of the 375 sign in right-center. A double. The wind had just started to blow in. 

 

• Baez also hits one deep to right, but Chisenhall has room for the catch, maybe 10 feet in front of where Schwarber hit his.

Bottom of 4th

•  Chisenhall chases a fastball away for the strikeout.  63 pitches so far for Lester

 

• Perez hits a liner down the left field line. It his the railing just above the yellow home run line, and bounces back onto the field for a very sudden and surprising home run.  3-0 Cleveland.

 

• Davis golfs one to the warning track in left for an out.

 

• Kipnis hits a popup blooper down the left field line, and Russell makes a nice running catch.

Top of 5th.

• 0-2 on Coghlan and, wait for it, a fastball that runs left-to-right back over the corner on Coghlan, called strike three.

 

• Russell flies out to center.

 

• Ross softly lines out to first, a blooper off the end of his bat that has Napoli ranging toward shortstop.

 

Bottom of 5th

•  Lindor hits a squibber that Ross pounces out on, while Lindor gives up on it, thinking the backspin will take it foul. Easy play at first.

 

• Lester K's Napoli on a changeup diving low and away.

 

• Lester K's Santana looking at a fastball on the corner, for strikeout number 6. 

 

Top of 6th

• Dexter attacks early in the count, but grounds a slider out to Kipnis

 

• We are told Schwarber is the first position player ever to get his first hit of the season in the World Series.

 

• Bryant reaches for a breaking ball and pops foul to Perez.

 

• Andrew Miller is warming up.

 

• Rizzo pops to Perez just in front of the plate.

 

Bottom of 6th

• Ramirez goes the other way with a nice swing, into the right-center gap for a double.

 

• Guyer takes a called strike three fastball looking, at the exact same spot on the low and away corner where Lester wasn't getting the call, early in the game.

 

• Chisenhall hits one the opposite way to Zobrist just in front of the warning track. Lester gets pulled. Strop in.

 

• There's a brief loss of lighting, but the game resumes without interruption.

 

• Strop K's Perez with an impressive curve, looking.

Top of 7th

•  Zobrist lines something that got out over the plate, and up, for a single into left.

 

• Andrew Miller in to face Schwarber.  Schwarber checks his swing but it's called strike one, and then a ball. Fouls the next pitch straight back on a good swing.  I'm now convinced Schwarber is good to go.  2-2 fastball is just high, full count.  Schwarber is seeing the ball well. Schwarber walks on a breaking pitch low.

 

• Baez comes up as the tying run, and falls behind, 0-2.  Goes to his no-stride approach and fouls one off.  Lines one into left for a base hit, Zobrist has to hold. A backdoor slider down and away, great hitting by Baez.  Contreras in to hit for Coghlan.

 

• Contreras hits a blooper into shallow center.  Davis gets a bad break on it, but his speed allows him to catch it.  Baez broke to second, but Baez throws home, allowing Baez to return. Runners hold. Schwarber looked fine hitting the breaks and scampering back to second.

 

• Russell K's swinging on a breaking ball diving toward his ankles.

 

• David Ross works a 3-1 count, as all Cubsdom prays for Grandpa.  Strike 2, a breaking ball, called.  Miller goes with another slider down and in, and Ross tries to check his swing, but can't, inning over.

Bottom of 7th

• Strop still pitching. Contreras stays in to catch, Almora in right.  Strop hangs a curve to Davis who pops it up.

 

• Wood in. Kipnis works a full count, and grounds to Russell.

 

• Grimm in. Lindor lines a fastball into right-center for a double. It looks like he almost hit Contreras's mask or arm on the swing as he flinched out of the way.  Further review makes it look like he was expecting something offspeed and got crossed up..

 

• Napoli taps to Rizzo swung around toward second, 3-1, to end the inning.

 

Top of 8th

• Miller still pitching, Fowler lines one to center, and Davis runs back on it to get it.

 

• Bryant manages to work a full count, and a walk.  Miller pumps his arm in frustration at the near miss on the slider.

 

• 1-1 count on Rizzo, Miller at 32 pitches.

 

• Full count to Rizzo. 36 pitches. Rizzo flies out to shallow center.

 

• Zobrist lines a single to right-center, Rizzo to third.  Guess who's up as the tying run.

 

• Schwarber continues to show his old ability to work counts, getting to 2-2 before striking out to end the inning. Slider inside.

Bottom of 8th.

• Grimm gets Santana to strike out on a check swing on a breaking pitch spiked into the dirt.

 

• Ramirez flies to center.

 

• Guyer battles to a full count before walking on a fastball outside.

 

• Chisenhall hits a 2-0 into left, over a leaping Russell. Rondon in.

 

• Perez up, and Rondon hangs a breaking ball that backs up over the plate, and Perez hits his second home run of the game, deeper into the left field bleachers. 6-0 Cleveland.

 

• Davis hits a sinking line drive to right for a single. Almora does a nice job of not letting it get past him as he slides.

 

• Kipnis taps one to Rizzo near the bag to end the inning.

 

Top of 9th

• Allen pitching. 0-2 to Baez, and Allen hangs a curveball that Baez watches go by for strike three.

 

• Contreras works a 3-1 count and inside-out ones to right. Chisenhall makes an awkward leap at the wall for it, just barely misses, and it's just barely still in the park, for a double.

 

• Russell swings at a fastball up in the zone for strike three.

 

• Montero hits for Almora. 2-2 pitch, swing and miss on a fastball, strike three, game over.

 

 

 

Parachat Recap

Pregame/1st Inning

• Me and mister_whipple soon joined by Brick, CTSteve. We practice our run-scoring "sent sound:" technique. 
• This is kind of silly.
• bizmarquis joins. waveland joins. RobG joins.
• How we're taking in the game.
• Zen, radical acceptance, whirled peas
• I forget to pour my beer into the Cubs tumbler glasses I have, instead they go into an Ale Asylum pint glass back from Madison. This is a horrific jinx....
• charlie joins.
• A vision of the future in which we can stream Drunk Keith Moreland and Carlos calling this series while Jeff Garland gets choked to death by Drunk Scottie Pippen.
• Crunch joins.
• Amy Winehouse's sobriety streak.
• Just_a_girl joins.
• Cleveland gets quieter. Is Drew Carey there? (heh, nice one, biz.)
• Taco trucks and taco trophies
• Just_a_girl's doppleganger joins.
• Angst.
• We demand Ross pick two people off with one throw, now.
• Ross's "World's Best Dad" mug that Lester owe's him
• The Gennett-Chisenhall furniture store.

Inning 2

• Not-Cubs-fan-relativese who are watching...
• Cubs-fan-relatives who are watching.
• The Schwarber AB.
• MorningtonCrescent joins.
• We are unimpressed with the anti-Cubs signs-guy that the camera keeps catching.
• Ugh, Joe West.
• Woah, it's pellmell!
• JAG with the Major League reference.
• Lester's underhand toss.

 

Inning 3

• People discussing some other fall sport. Or, evidently, a sex act?  I am now very confused.
• What Tom Verducci is seeing down low.
• Biz: Corey Kluber might be as good as Joe Buck thinks Clayton Kershaw is.
• charlie: in bed.
• The Rose/A-Rod/Big Hurt combo of analysts.
• Frank Thomas is a large, large man.
• Cleveland sign-man is real-life form of an internet troll who doesn't realize he's really bad at it.
• We hate commercials, and in game commercials.
• We love Grandpa Ross. And Baez-tags.
• The FOX pitch-tracking is rigged.  RIGGED!
• It's 1985.
• Sledgehammer, the show, and the music video. The dancing chickens were a bit much.
• Cramps.
• Lackey makes people angrier.
• Lackey/Lester angry-off.
• Guyer is funny-looking.
• An intense canned vegetable commercial.

Inning 4

• Cloverfield, doom, green beans, and Mahler.
• More green beans. And urologists. And murder.
• We love Schwarber.
• We are not happy.
• Ryno joins.
• 20th century dictators, and gingers.

Inning 5

• Dante's 37th level of hell.
• Political commercials.
• Protests
• Corner Gas
• Night Court
• We really love Night Court.
• The Wire.  Breaking Bad.
• Pizza-tossing.
• Better Call Saul.  You can tell we're losing.
• Even more TV commentary.  Cubs better start scoring, quick.

Inning 6

• Would there have been any sense in basically punting against Kluber, saving Lester for game 2 to better assure we win that game, and thereby improve our chance of taking 1 of 2 from Cleveland?  (Eh, in theory maybe, but no way any team would try it.)
• Biz is killing it:  Andrew Miller kinda looks like if Paul Assenmacher got drawn and quartered.
• Death by fly fishing.
• Pole enhancement.
• Game time switch, ugh, no.

Inning 7

• Should Kluber get pulled for Miller here?
• Should Schwarber get pulled for a right-hander here?
• Begging for an RBI.
• Political ads.
• What we'll do if we lose.
• Going to a postseason game in the other team's park.
• Harold Reynolds and Terry Francona

Inning 8

• Fantase basketball and other unimportant things.
• Wasting time at work.
• RALLY CAPS
• RALLY PARACHAT MEMES
• Group-poop if Schwarber hits one.
• Trever Bauer's drone-wound.
• Bosio looking unenthused.
• Long Live Flo.
• Which insurance mascots/spokespersons/spokesanimals we trust.

Inning 9

• Obscure relievers to blame for this.
• Young ballplayers rubbing off on each other. Oh my.
• Condolences, next time.