Game Recap; World Series

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.