The Indians lead the Chicago Cubs in the World Series after winning last night at Progressive Field, 6-0. Heading in to Game 2 tonight, WKSU’s Amanda Rabinowitz reports the team is embracing the motto “Cleveland against the world.”
There’s no question that the Indians are the underdogs against the Chicago Cubs, despite Cleveland losing just one postseason game so far. The Cubs are trying to win their first title since 1908 and won 103 games during the regular season.
During a pre-game press conference on Tuesday, Boston Globe reporter Dan Shaughnessy asked Manager Terry Francona how it feels that the Series is “All about the Cubs.”
“I wasn’t aware about that 'till you said it,” Francona replied. Instead, Francona directed the attention to the heart of his players.
“I think that if you go into our clubhouse, though, you’ll see 25 guys, coaches, trainers, and the front office that are perfectly content with where we are and how we got here. And if we win, this city will go bananas.”
Francona talks a lot about the adversity his team has overcome this season, beginning with All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley’s shoulder surgery that sidelined him most of the season and culminating with injuries to several starting pitchers.
“I’m pretty proud of the way we’ve done it. You know, everybody says ‘we’ and it really is. I mean every time something happens, and it has happened, everybody in that room says, ‘how can we fix it?’”
Today, the focus shifts to starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, who takes the mound nearly two weeks after injuring his pinkie finger while working on a drone. Bauer could not make it out of the first inning of last week’s AL Championship Series against Toronto as blood poured out of the cut. Bauer says he’s ready to play:
“Threw about 20 pitches, just like a regular game or as close to a game intensity as I could possibly get to. There’s no pain. No blood. I was able to execute all my pitches to a high level.”
After tonight’s game at Progressive Field, the series shifts to Chicago’s Wrigley Field beginning Friday.
