Awaiting field access for postgame interviews Sunday night, one member of the Chicago area media said to a colleague, "That was the most intense game I've ever seen."
Perhaps he feared an Indians' rally against closer Aroldis Chapman would blow up his finished work on deadline. But after the Cubs scored three runs in the fourth inning and held on for a 3-2 victory in Game 5, there was a sense that the real World Series is about to begin.
The Indians left Wrigley Field with a 3-2 lead and the odds of winning their first championship since 1948 are still in their favor. Here are my likes and dislikes going into Tuesday night's Game 6 in Cleveland.
Like: Taking the Party to Napoli's home.
Every Indians player who spoke mentioned how much they looked forward to celebrating at home with their fans. They've enjoyed raucous clubhouse-soaking blowouts in Detroit, Boston and Toronto since winning the American League Central Division title.
I appreciate that sentiment for the fans' sake. I can't imagine the atmosphere in Progressive Field if the Indians win, especially since there will be thousands outside in the plaza whose screams will also be heard.
I also appreciate the Indians' confidence and optimism in spinning things forward. Part of me wonders if they chalked this one up to a bad pitching matchup and figured the tiny visitors' clubhouse in Wrigley Field, the Cubs' home park since 1916, wasn't the right setting for a World Series bash, anyway.
Dislike: The Cubs now have a gleam.
I guess I'm thinking of Marty Schottenheimer after the Browns' 1986 reunion last weekend. But in a perfect world, I wish the Indians would have stepped on the Cubs' throats and ended it Sunday, scoring enough runs before manager Joe Madden went to Chapman for an eight-out save.
I wish more Indians had the attitude of Sunday's losing pitcher Trevor Bauer. Asked about heading back to Cleveland, Bauer said, "Right now, it sucks. I wanted to win tonight."
Only six of the past 46 teams that fell behind 3-1 in the World Series came back to win, the last the 1985 Kansas City Royals. Of the previous 64 that led 3-2, 43 captured the championship. But now the Cubs believe they can do it, and that feeling will surely grow stronger if they force a Game 7.
"Why not us?" Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said after the game. "We're all about writing our own history. This team is a special one, and we look at so many times throughout the year where we haven't been playing good, but I feel like we turn that around. Someone told me today that 17 times this year we lost a game and went on to win three in a row, so why can't we do that now?"
Like: Hotter bats at home.
In the postseason, the discrepancy isn't as wide for the Indians' hitting at home compared to away, but they're still better. The Indians have hit .235 at home in the playoffs, .206 away. During the regular season, the margin was dramatic, .288 at home (third in the majors), .236 away (27th in the majors).
Individually, the Indians haven't hit well in the playoffs. But the numbers are still better at Progressive Field, most notably for Lonnie Chisenhall (.350, .053) and Jose Ramirez (.350, .185). Other notables (home-away): Mike Napoli (.200, .174), Francisco Lindor (.348, .370), Jason Kipnis (.217, .179), Carlos Santana (.158, .240).
The flaws in this logic are that the Cubs are hitting better on the road in the postseason (.238 away, .198 at home). Plus they'll have Kyle Schwarber back at designated hitter.
Dislike: Three days of rest.
Josh Tomlin starts Tuesday on three days of rest, with Corey Kluber slated to do the same for the third time in the playoffs if there's a Game 7. Kluber's numbers have been top notch in that situation. He allowed one run on five hits and struck out six in six innings of work and picked up the victory in Game 4 of the World Series. In Game 4 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, he went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out seven and taking his first postseason loss. Sending out 2014 Cy Young winner Kluber to win a possible Game 7 seems fitting.
The Indians are strapped with injured starters, the Cubs aren't. Maddon will throw 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta in Game 6 and Kyle "The Professor" Hendricks in a potential Game 7.
Like: The pressure factor.
The Indians remain loose, with Napoli noting Sunday night that the pressure remains on the Cubs. Francona's $44 room service ice cream bill when he couldn't sleep before Game 5 wasn't an indication that he's feeling the heat but more a reminder of his lack of discipline. I still remember a regular-season story from 2014 when he woke up with pizza on his chest.
Dislike: The 3-1 factor.
The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in The Finals and break the city's 52-year title drought. Northeast Ohioans who can't escape the Factory of Sadness mentality might fear the irony if the Cubs come back from 3-1 against another Cleveland team 4 { months later. It was a hot topic of conversation on the subway after Game 5, and those Cubs fans had traveled from Austin, Texas, and Birmingham, Ala., for the game. So the vibe is out there and not just in Chicago.
