Opinion

CHICAGO — So, 71 years later, this is what it looks like when the Chicago Cubs storm into the World Series…

Anthony Rizzo hitting everything Clayton Kershaw threw him on the screws: a double, a long ball, a fly ball in the first inning that Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Andrew Toles plumb dropped. Was that a goat impeding his vision?

Clayton Kershaw's worst postseason misadventures have mostly been tales of his having it and then losing it.

In Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, he never had it.

The 2016 World Series could be set on Saturday night with the Chicago Cubs looking for their first berth in the Fall Classic since 1945 with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

While the two National League teams continue to duke it out, the American League champion Cleveland Indians patiently wait to know who their opponent will be when the best-of-seven series kicks off on Tuesday from Progressive Field. 

The Chicago Cubs offense finally came to life over the past two games of the 2016 National League Championship Series to push the drought-stricken organization within one victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers of reaching its first World Series since 1945.

The 2016 Major League Baseball playoffs are nearing an end, and the Chicago Cubs are seeking to clinch their first World Series berth since 1945 with a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday. 

The Chicago Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman because he's a flamethrower.

In the 2016 postseason, he's ignited a disconcerting number of fires.

Yes, Chapman can melt the radar gun with his triple-digit heater, and he's impersonated his unhittable self in stretches.

The recent numbers, however, paint a less flattering picture.

Don’t be mistaken by the optics of the Detroit Tigers’ 2016, one that saw the organization miss the playoffs by a mere 2.5 games.

They’re stuck in one of the worse places in today’s win-or-rebuild world of baseball.

LOS ANGELES — Here they go again: The Los Angeles Dodgers, one loss away from clocking out for the final time in 2016, are handing the ball to Clayton Kershaw.

Poor guy. Already, he missed two-and-a-half months this summer with a herniated disk in his back. And this keeps coming up. Pray the Dodgers pack the proper back brace to protect him in Chicago.

The Chicago Cubs are one win away from the World Series, and Jon Lester is back among the pantheon of postseason studs.

On Thursday, the Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 at Chavez Ravine to grab a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series. Game 6 will be played Saturday at Wrigley Field.

At the beginning of the postseason, I predicted that the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series this year and end the organization's famous title drought. I'm sticking to my guns, folks.