The Chicago Cubs will live to fight another day after beating the Cleveland Indians 3-2 at home Sunday night at Wrigley Field in Game 5 of the 2016 World Series.
After a somewhat shaky start in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, Jon Lester went six strong innings for Chicago. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and struck out five.
Trevor Bauer started well but lasted only four innings after giving up three runs. Although he struck out seven, a couple of critical mistakes allowed the Cubs to take control.
Jose Ramirez got the Indians on the board in the top of the second with a solo home run to left field. The 24-year-old third baseman hadn't homered on the road since getting two during a doubleheader on May 23 against the Chicago White Sox.
MLB.com's Daren Willman showed that Lester couldn't have placed his fastball much better in the strike zone:
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan thought the most impressive part of the sequence was the throwing of the home run ball back into the field of play:
Getting the first run was big for Cleveland, considering it hadn't surrendered a lead throughout the postseason.
Bauer couldn't maintain the advantage, though, surrendering three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Kris Bryant led off with a solo home run to left field to tie the game at 1. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted the homer brought the Wrigley Field crowd to its feet:
Anthony Rizzo stepped to the plate next and doubled to right field. A single from Ben Zobrist put runners on the corners with nobody out, and Addison Russell plated Rizzo with an infield single. After Jason Heyward struck out, the Cubs loaded the bases on a bunt single by Javier Baez. David Ross then made it a 3-1 game with a sacrifice fly.
Bauer struck out Lester to end the inning. The Ringer thought the Indians dodged a bullet having allowed the right-hander to finish out the inning:
The Cubs rode their luck with Lester a half-inning later and appeared to get a helping hand from home plate umpire Tony Randazzo.
Carlos Santana led off the fifth with a double, and the left fielder moved to third on a groundout by Ramirez. Brandon Guyer came up next and struck out looking on a 3-2 fastball. FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan showed the pitch looked off the plate, and he added how much the call impacted the game:
Roberto Perez grounded out to end the threat and maintain Chicago's two-run lead.
An inning later, Francisco Lindor trimmed the deficit with an RBI single to center field to bring home Rajai Davis. The 22-year-old shortstop has had a great postseason, and Baseball America's Ben Badler believes he's a great ambassador for the game:
MLB Network's Jon Morosi also shared words of admiration toward Lindor from Cubs manager Joe Maddon:
Lindor got caught trying to steal second to end the inning. Ross made a great throw, and Baez's quick tag nailed Lindor.
Lester's issues throwing over to first are well-documented, and the Indians have exploited that in both of his World Series starts. The New York Post's Joel Sherman tweeted that Ross and Baez are the perfect combination to eliminate the problem:
The Indians mounted another offensive charge in the top of the seventh, which prompted a surprising move by Maddon.
Carl Edwards Jr. replaced Lester to start the inning. He allowed a single to Mike Napoli, and a passed ball moved Napoli to second base. After Santana flied out for the first out of the seventh, Maddon brought on his closer, Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman struck out Ramirez. He then hit Brandon Guyer with a pitch to put runners on first and second but got Perez to ground out for the final out.
As ESPN's Jayson Stark noted, the left-hander got out of the jam with blunt force:
Chapman was in another jam in the eighth after allowing Davis to single with one out. The veteran outfielder stole second and then third, putting the tying run 90 feet away from home plate. But Lindor stranded Davis at third after striking out on a 101 mph fastball.
Lindor had little chance of reaching the pitch at the bottom of the zone, as Sullivan argued:
Chapman stayed out for the ninth and sent Napoli, Santana and Ramirez down in order to earn the win.
The series will head back to Cleveland for at least one more game. First pitch in Game 6 is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Josh Tomlin will take the mound for the Indians, with Jake Arrieta going for the Cubs. Tomlin went 4.2 scoreless innings in his first World Series start, while Arrieta allowed one run in Game 2 as Chicago picked up its first win.
A key for the Indians will be that Andrew Miller had Sunday night off, giving him two rest days before Game 6. That should allow the dominant left-hander to potentially go two innings if need be Tuesday.
Of course, Chicago will have the luxury of Kyle Schwarber in the lineup with the designated hitter back in play.
While the Indians remain in the driver's seat, the Cubs can change that with a victory in Game 6.
Postgame Reaction
Indians manager Terry Francona praised Chapman for pitching the final 2.2 innings, per the Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato: "Chapman, that was a big ask. And he answered. That was impressive."
Maddon had prepared for the potential of using his closer earlier than expected.
"I talked to Chapman before the game, and he was aware of being ready in the seventh inning," he said, according to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball.
The Indians have a bit of a buffer in the event they lose Game 6; Corey Kluber would take the mound if necessary in Game 7. Kluber has been excellent in the postseason, allowing three earned runs in 30.1 innings.
Jason Kipnis would rather Cleveland not have to rely on the 2014 Cy Young Award winner.
"You don't want to give lineups like that momentum, or teams to start feeling good about themselves," he said of the Cubs, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "So the best thing to do is kind of put them away before they can do that."
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