CLEVELAND _ The Cubs like to go Hollywood whenever possible, whether it's surprising the players in spring training with the return of Dexter Fowler or shocking the world in October with the return of Kyle Schwarber for Game 1 of the World Series.
Both moves obviously were done with the same motive _ to help the Cubs win _ and anyone who doesn't think Schwarber is the Cubs' best designated hitter option against right-handers doesn't know "Schwarb."
"He's not at all scared of the moment or what could go wrong," President Theo Epstein said. "He's doing it for his team, for his teammates and the organization. That's really how he operates."
But Schwarber's storybook return couldn't help the Cubs figure out Indians ace Corey Kluber, who threw six shutout innings and struck out nine in the Indians' 6-0 win.
So the Cubs' World Series, also featuring the Indians, started out on a down note. Jon Lester's shaky start and Kluber's dominance were all the Indians needed.
Move on. Nothing to see here.
Schwarber's comeback didn't provide the home run Kris Bryant predicted, but he came close, hitting a double off the wall against Kluber in the fourth. He also drew a walk against Andrew Miller in the seventh. Sandwiched around those was a pair of strikeouts, including one by Miller to end the eighth with two on.
Whether Schwarber's arrival will have the same kind of effect on the Cubs as the Fowler signing won't be known until the Series ends, but at the very least it added some intrigue to their quest to end a 107-year championship drought.
Schwarber probably could wake up from a long hibernation and still hit, though he could use a refresher course in reading fly balls, after taking off from second on a bases-loaded fly to center in the seventh, only to escape being doubled off when center fielder Rajai Davis threw home instead of to second.
All in all, Schwarber's day went well, despite the lack of Schwarbombs.
This day was unexpected, except by Schwarber himself. All year long, Schwarber refused to close the door on his return from knee surgery, even if Epstein did so on several occasions.
"I knew going into it there were no guarantees I was going to come back and be on the World Series roster," Schwarber said. "I didn't do it for this reason. I don't want the media attention. I don't want any of that. I did it for my teammates. I did it for me too. That's the competitor in me. Those guys, it's a special clubhouse, and that's why I did it."
The Cubs' gamble on Schwarber was the talk of Game 1, while the decision to sit $184 million outfielder Jason Heyward for Chris Coghlan got lost in the shuffle. In some ways, benching Heyward was even more shocking because of the huge financial commitment the Cubs made to bring him to Chicago.
Epstein said the lineup decisions made by Maddon "this time of year" are solely for the purpose of trying to win. Credit Maddon for making the right call.
"There are no egos involved, and no other consideration other than what's the best thing we can do to win," Epstein said. "You have to put the team out there that gives us the best chance to win tonight.
"(Heyward is) a fantastic teammate. He's handling it really well. It's got to be tough for him, but he's a big part of the club even if he's not in the lineup with a bat in his hands."
Heyward has been a bust offensively. There's just no way around that, even if he's the Cubs' best defensive right fielder since Andre Dawson. The Cubs have seven more years to try to fix his swing, and there's no need to pretend it's going to magically reappear in the World Series.
But after watching Coghlan take called strike three in both of his at-bats, Maddon may go back to Heyward in Game 2 against right-hander Trevor Bauer. Jorge Soler might be a better option.
When the Cubs faced Bauer in a spring training game in Goodyear, Ariz., on March 10, 2015, they got back-to-back-to-back home runs from Soler, Javier Baez and Bryant.
"I remember that game very vividly," Bryant said. "That was very cool. And now we're all here. It's kind of come full circle. Now we're all here on the biggest stage there is in this game."
The Cubs didn't have a good showing on their first day on the biggest stage, so it's up to Jake Arrieta to give them a chance in Game 2.
