Tonight featured game one of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. It was Corey Kluber vs. Jon Lester in a possible Cy Young duel. The Indians jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning 6-0. The Cleveland Indians take game one of the series, here’s what to take away from the matchup.
Cleveland Indians Take Game One
Corey Kluber Puts on a Historic Show
Kluber proved why he should be the American League Cy Young winner. He put on a historic performance in game one. Through three innings, Kluber racked up eight strikeouts. No pitcher in World Series history had accomplished that before tonight. He had the Cubs completely fooled with his two-seam fastball. Chicago went down looking up and down the lineup.
Kluber went six innings, giving up just four total hits. He finished with nine strikeouts. He didn’t give up a run during his outing. Terry Francona, the Tribe’s manager, told media earlier that Kluber would go again in game four and game seven if needed. The Cubs are going to have to figure out how to hit such an elite pitcher. However, this young lineup is coming off a big victory against another dominant pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. Don’t rule out a different type of ballgame when Kluber gets the ball again.
Roberto Perez Tattoos the Ball
Perez, the Indians catcher, came into the game hitting just .174 in the postseason, with two runs driven in. He was a completely different hitter against the Cubs in game one. He smashed two monster shots, one of the solo variety and the other a three-run blast.
Perez has just 13 home runs in his career, two of which came tonight. He isn’t considered a power hitter and wouldn’t even be starting had Yan Gomes not been hurt. Yet, stars are made in the spotlight and that’s exactly what Perez is proving. He showed up to play in the biggest game of his short career.
Andrew Miller Pitches Well
Andrew Miller has been dominant in the postseason thus far. He continued his phenomenal work tonight. He went two strong innings and gave up just two hits. Unlike his innings in the previous postseason games, he gave up two rare walks, though he did strike out three. Miller has yet to give up a run in this postseason and, given his usage, the Cubs are going to have to change that if they want to win.
There was a positive for the Cubs against Miller, as they forced him to throw 46 pitches, the most he’s thrown to this point. Miller has a devastating slider, and while the Cubs didn’t hit it well, they did see it on occasion. They showed good discipline at times against the breaking ball and worked a lot of deep counts. This is going to have to continue, as they may have changed Miller’s availability to doubtful for Game Two.
Game Two Preview
The Indians will look to take a 2-0 lead as the Cubs try to even the score in Game Two. They play on Wednesday night in Cleveland. The game is being pushed up an hour due to weather concerns later in the evening. The pitching matchup will be Jake Arrieta for the Cubs vs. Trevor Bauer for the Indians.
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