The faceoff in Cleveland between the Indians and Chicago Cubs got underway Tuesday Night shortly after 8pm.
Weather was crisp, but dry, as Tribe fans roared in approval for the AL Champions on their home field. The Indians quickly brought 2 runs in the first inning.
Francisco Lindor lead the Tribe with a single, then stole second, and the bases quickly loaded from there with help from Jose Ramirez.
A shaken Cubs pitcher Jon Lester battled on, ultimately hitting Brandon Guyer with his 23 rd pitch, and bringing the Indians to a 2-0 lead.
The bottom of the 4 th inning saw catcher Roberto Perez nail the left field wall with a homerun bringing the Indians ahead by 3-0.
The other big part of this Game 1 show of force from the Indians has to include fierce pitching from Corey Kluber. Hometown fans rallied as Kluber struck out Cubs batter after Cubs batter, swinging red towels with passion. Great catching of pop-ups and fowls also came from Perez behind the plate.
Kluber threw 88 pitches before retiring at the top of the 7 th But shortly after Andrew Miller took the mound, the Cubs moved into scoring position with bases loaded from a base hit by 23 year old Javier Báez. The Indians missed a double play opportunity. The Cubs switched out pitchers twice and by the top of the 8 th the Indians lead still held firm. The temperature dropped into the 40s, but the fans from both teams were still enthusiastic.
A little bit of danger for the Indians at top of the 8 th where the Cubs had players on first and 3 rd base, but a combination of fastballs and other pitches from Andrew Miller ended the angst and sent the Indians to bat at the bottom of the 8 th.
The inning’s highlight was Roberto Perez getting a second homerun, this time off Cubs Pitcher Héctor Rondón, adding 3 to the Indians’ lead, bringing them to 6-0 over Chicago.
The top of the 9 th saw Cleveland far ahead of the Cubs. Pitcher Cody Allen gave up one hit in the 9 th with two strikeouts quickly, which ended the game just before midnight.
Afterwards Manager Terry Francona called Roberto Perez “Exciting to watch,” and said he didn’t think it was going to be a 6 run game before the catcher’s 3 run homerun leading into the final inning.
It should also be mentioned that earlier in the night the Cavaliers received their NBA Championship rings and raised their championship banner at the Q. They also knocked out a 117-88 victory over the New York Knicks.
Start time for Game 2 of the World Series has been moved up an hour to 7pm.