CLEVELAND _ The Indians' wild, improbable ride through October has ended, and their bid to give Cleveland its second championship parade this year came up just short.
The Indians nearly pulled off one of the great comebacks in World Series history Wednesday night, erasing a three-run deficit in the eighth. But, in the 10th inning, the Cubs finally got the best of them, and the Indians couldn't respond a second time in an 8-7 loss in Game 7 of the World Series at Progressive Field.
Four and a half months after the pure elation of the Cavaliers' title, Cleveland fans felt a kind of pain on the reverse end of the spectrum, a dream season falling just short, and the second time in 19 years a World Series Game 7 ended in heartbreak.
True to form, the Indians were behind most of the night but fought back. They trailed the Cubs 6-3 with only four outs to go and with Aroldis Chapman on the mound, time quickly running out and Cubs fans counting down the minutes until their celebration could begin.
Then, absolute bedlam.
With Jose Ramirez on first, Brandon Guyer ripped a double to right-center field to cut the Cubs' lead to 6-4. That was nothing for what was to come.
Rajai Davis, who received the start over Tyler Naquin, then drilled a two-run home run to the Home Run Porch in left field to tie it 6-6, pulling off an improbable comeback in the eighth inning of Game 7. Progressive Field rocked. The Indians, trailing nearly the entire night, once again had defied the odds.
A throwing error by Yan Gomes in the top of the ninth put the go-ahead run on third with one out. Bryan Shaw struck out Javier Baez on a failed bunt attempt, and shortstop Francisco Lindor made a terrific play up the middle to keep it tied and send it to the bottom of the ninth.
But the Indians couldn't put anything together against Chapman. After a short rain delay, the Cubs put the finishing touches on their dream season in the top of the 10th inning.
With two runners on and one out, Ben Zobrist sent a double down the left-field line off Shaw to put the Cubs ahead, 7-6. Miguel Montero then added an RBI single, the decisive blow in a heavyweight fight for the title.
But, the Indians kept fighting in the 10th. Guyer reached first with a two-out walk, took second base and then scored on Davis' RBI single to center field. The Cubs then turned to Mike Montgomery to face Michael Martinez, who grounded out on a weak roller to third to end it.
With that, the Cubs mobbed each other behind the mound, and a 108-year drought was ended while the Indians were denied their perfect ending.
The Cubs took the lead on the fourth pitch of the game, instantly sending a ripple through the crowd, which featured plenty of Cubs fans. Corey Kluber left a 2-1 offering over the middle of the plate, and Dexter Fowler hammered it for a solo home run to dead center field.
It was the first leadoff home run in Game 7 of the World Series in baseball history and the first leadoff home run Kluber had allowed all season.
The Indians came back to tie it in the third. Coco Crisp opened the inning with a double to left field and scored on Carlos Santana's RBI single just over the glove of Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and into right field.
But for the first time in the postseason, a lineup was able to knock around Kluber, in part thanks to further poor defensive play by the Indians' outfield in the series.
Kris Bryant opened the fourth with a single and Rizzo was hit by a pitch. With runners on the corners and one out, Addison Russell sent a fly ball to shallow center field. Davis' throw home forced Perez to leap in the air just enough to allow Bryant to slide under the tag and put the Cubs ahead, 2-1.
Willson Conteras then drove a double off the wall in center field to add another run in the inning. Davis might have had a play on it but took a step in before charging back to the wall.
Kluber's first pitch in the fifth inning was crushed by Baez for a solo home run, giving the Cubs a 4-1 lead as Hendricks continued to pitch well and Jon Lester, the Game 5 starting pitcher, warmed in the Cubs' bullpen.
The Cubs continued to add on against Andrew Miller. With Rizzo at the plate, he and Bryant executed a hit-and-run to perfection. Bryant took off and Rizzo lined a ball into right field for an RBI double.
It put the Cubs ahead 5-1 against the two pitchers the Indians rode through the postseason, in part stunning the home crowd.
The Indians punched back in the bottom of the fifth with some help by the Cubs. Santana walked and Jason Kipnis singled, with both advancing on an error by Davis Ross. With both in scoring position, a wild pitch by Lester bounced away from Ross, hitting off his mask and easily allowing Santana to score. As the ball trickled away, Kipnis charged around third as well, diving head-first just ahead of the throw to cut the Cubs' lead in half and make it 5-3 with a play reminiscent of Kenny Lofton's famous dash from second in the 1995 ALCS against the Seattle Mariners.
Ross answered in the top of the sixth by taking Miller deep to center field, blasting a solo home run to extend the Cubs' lead to 6-3. Kluber and Miller combined to allow six runs on 10 hits and struck out only one batter in 61/3 innings pitched, a sharp reversal from their postseason performances prior to Wednesday night.
But, the 2016 Indians as a club stayed true to their nature, punching back until time finally ran out. This time, the Cubs had the answer.
