Cleveland ready to rock another title parade Indians' final test is securing 1 win to end World Series championship drought By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 1:32 AM ET CLEVELAND -- Indians players were watching the broadcast of the Cavaliers' championship parade, because they were trying to figure out how on earth they were going to get to Progressive Field. Manager Terry Francona left his office at the stadium and ventured to the upper deck, and he watched the massive crowd forming on the streets below. "You could see the people coming across the bridge in droves," Francona said. That would be the Carnegie Avenue bridge, which leads right to the home-plate entrance of the Indians' home. Back in June, the Tribe's players witnessed how the city came out en mass to celebrate Cleveland's first major sports championship in 52 years. A little more than four months later, the Indians are now on the doorstep of ending the franchise's 68-year World Series drought. In some ways, the situation is ideal. The Indians are back home, where they were one of baseball's best teams this year, and armed with a 3-2 lead on the Cubs in the Fall Classic. Putting the final period on their magical script in front of their fans would be fitting. All of that said, Chicago still presents a daunting challenge, and is poised to roll out Cy Young-caliber arms in Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks if the Series goes to a Game 7. Nothing has come easy for the Indians this year. Why should that change now? "We didn't expect to sweep these guys," said second baseman Jason Kipnis, who grew up a Cubs fan in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Ill. "It's a tough Series. They won the most games during the regular season. They're a great team. We've put ourselves in a fantastic position with winning two games at their place and having two chances to win one game at our place. We're a pretty good ballclub when we're here." When the Indians clinched the American League Central, they did so at Comerica Park. When Cleveland took down Boston in the AL Division Series, the team partied inside the cramped visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park. When the Tribe sent Toronto packing in the AL Championship Series, the corks were popped inside Rogers Centre north of the border. Finishing this task in Cleveland would mean a lot not only for the players, but for the fans. All season, and especially in this World Series against the highly-touted Cubs, the Indians have embraced an "Us Against the World" mentality. They want to hold the final party in front of the fans who believed in them from the beginning. "It means everything. The city wants to do it here," outfielder Rajai Davis said. "Cleveland wants to do it right here. And, to do it here is going to be something special." Of course, the Cubs have similar goals, given their similar drought. Chicago won 103 games in the regular season and has not won it all in 108 years. Now, the Cubs have last year's NL Cy Young Award winner (Arrieta) and one of this year's top candidates (Hendricks) lined up for Games 6 and 7, respectively. During the regular season, that duo went a combined 34-16 with a 2.63 ERA in 387 1/3 innings. In the World Series, they have yielded one run over 10 innings. Arrieta, who will take the ball for Game 6 tonight, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning in a Game 2 win for the Cubs at Progressive Field. The right-hander will be opposed by Indians righty Josh Tomlin, whose pinpoint command has been especially precise this postseason. In his Game 3 win at Wrigley Field, Tomlin spun 4 2/3 shutout innings, going deep enough for the Tribe's stout bullpen to take over. The 32-year-old is among the longest-tenured Indians, having spent his entire seven-year career in Cleveland, the organization that drafted him in the 19th round out of Texas Tech in 2006. "We can only get better versus Arrieta," quipped Kipnis, referring to the Cubs starter's no-hit bid. "We've got to figure to improve on that a little bit. If you look, Tomlin's been great after losses for us. He's been pretty much our stopper. So, it's going to be a good matchup. It'll be a fun game. It'll be a tough one to win. I'm looking forward to it, though." If the Indians do win, they will have their own parade to plan. The players are trying not to daydream just yet. "I don't want to think about all that," said shortstop Francisco Lindor, one of three Puerto Ricans playing in the World Series. "I want to make sure I stay in the game. I dreamed about it. Of course, I sit down and you think, 'Wow, it would be cool,' but I don't want to think about it too much." It would be hard not to dream about it a little, though. Back on June 22, when fans overtook Cleveland's streets, celebrating the Cavaliers' NBA title, Indians players were not sure if they could get through the crowds to prepare for that night's game against the Rays. Eventually, enough of the mob around Progressive Field cleared, allowing the Tribe to arrive and then to notch a sixth straight victory en route to a club-record 14-game win streak. "It was hard not to get caught up in it," Francona said. The Indians skipper is no stranger to championship success. He won World Series titles with the Red Sox in 2004 and '07. If the Indians can overcome their latest challenge, the mob scene will just take on a slightly different look. "Red and blue instead of the wine and gold," Kipnis said. "They love their sports here. They're very supportive. They're very passionate about that. They've had it a long-time coming where they've deserved championships. These people have been waiting just as long as anybody. "It'd be a fun time, especially for a city that hasn't had one in the longest time, to have hopefully, ideally, two in one year. This place would be nuts and rightfully so. We're looking to give them that opportunity here, hopefully, tomorrow." Hirschbeck's legacy goes beyond balls, strikes By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | @castrovince | 12:09 AM ET CLEVELAND -- The relationship that we witness between umpire and manager often involves confrontation. Before replay review, the two parties could argue just about anything. These days, skirmishes over balls and strikes suffice. But in this World Series, umpire John Hirschbeck and Indians manager Terry Francona feel genuine affection for one another off the field, especially as the umpire's long career winds down to its final innings. Hirschbeck, the crew chief for this Series and the second-longest-tenured active ump in the game, is hanging up his black jacket and hat for good upon the conclusion of the Fall Classic. And though impartiality is the backbone of any assignment, Hirschbeck said Francona is one of the people he'll miss most.

"Joe Maddon has been a good friend for a very long time," Hirschbeck said. "But with Terry, it's special, because you can never forget the way he was to my son and how much my son loved Terry." Until his death from a seizure at age 27 in April 2015, Hirschbeck's son Michael would regularly make the drive from the family's Poland, Ohio, home with his dad to serve as a bat boy at Progressive Field. He did it for every Indians manager from Mike Hargrove through Francona. Michael had the same rare genetic disease -- adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) -- that claimed his older brother John's life in 1993, and the baseball community has long been the supportive of the umpire whose family has endured such unimaginable grief. For virtually the entirety of his too-short life, Michael suffered from seizures that left him unable to drive a car, live on his own or work a steady job. He was dependent upon his parents and upon the baseball world that wrapped him in its arms and gave him a purpose and a passion. "That's one of those things that people don't know in baseball that go beyond the score of the game," Francona said. "It's just hard not to think of things like that when I see John go by. I cared about Mike so much." This is the 62-year-old Hirschbeck's fifth World Series assignment. His first also involved the Indians, in 1995. When Hirschbeck got the call from chief baseball officer Joe Torre earlier this month with the news that he had been selected as this Series' crew chief, the American League Championship Series was not yet completed. But the inclusion of the Indians -- Michael's favorite team -- meant that Hirschbeck's Fall Classic career would come full circle. "I live in the area, so I'm glad for Cleveland," Hirschbeck said. "It was nice to see. I was happy for Cleveland, happy for the fans, happy for Ohio and happy to be home." Soon, he'll be home for good. But if you think the tie between the umpire and this particular team have or would affect his calls, at least one independent analysis of his strike-zone calls when he was behind home plate for Game 3 concluded they proved more favorable for the Cubs than the Tribe. Hirschbeck drew the ire of Indians fans in the Twitterverse with some of those calls, and, having done this job in some capacity ever since he was a high school kid umpiring Little League games as a part-time job, he's accustomed to being second-guessed. "You become hardened," he said. "It bothers you when you do make a mistake. Now, everybody says, 'You can get them right all the time with replay,' but it still bothers us. You go out there and you work hard every day to do your best and then just let God handle the rest." Of course, no discussion of Hirschbeck's career is complete without mention of the called third strike on Roberto Alomar on Sept. 27, 1996, that prompted the Hall of Fame second baseman to go ballistic and spit at the umpire's face. Everybody remembers the incident, though not as many fans are aware of the friendship that was forged after the fact. "I don't have any problem with people saying, 'Oh, you're the guy,'" Hirschbeck said. "I've always said this and I mean it with all my heart: If that's the worst thing he ever does with his life, he'll have led one hell of a life. It was a slip, I can always say I wish I didn't call that pitch a strike, it was too far outside. I wish it didn't happen, but things in life happen and we just have to move on and deal with them. And I have. I dealt with it a long time ago. I have no animosity. He's a friend." Hirschbeck's heartbreaking loss of both his sons has given him proper perspective on what matters most in life. And as the umpire prepares to call it quits, he is thankful for a game that has been good to him and his family. "I've had enough, I've done enough and I don't have any regrets or feelings negatively in any way about it," he said. "It's a good, confident, peaceful feeling. I feel very blessed." On this, he'll get no argument from Francona. "I'm happy for him," Francona said. "I'm glad John's doing it on his own terms." Return to AL rules boosts Tribe's lineup, defense By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | 12:00 AM ET CLEVELAND -- With the Indians returning to Cleveland for Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday, manager Terry Francona will have one less issue on his mind, thanks to a return to the American League rules. Without a designated hitter for Games 3-5 in Chicago, Francona had to get creative. Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli led the team with 34 homers apiece -- Jason Kipnis (23) was the only other to collect more than 15 -- but only one could play first base, and neither played another position in the field all season. Francona started Santana in left field in Games 3 and 5, but sat Napoli in Game 4 to move Santana back to first and improve the outfield defense. Now he'll be able to have both sluggers in the lineup -- the lineup that helped the Tribe win 94 regular-season games and the AL pennant -- without worrying about his defense as the Indians try to clinch their first World Series title since 1948. "That had to be nerve-racking for [Santana] out there, and he did a great job," said Kipnis, who grew up just outside Chicago in Northbrook, Ill. "But, we can go back to what's comfortable, what's worked for us. Add that to the comfort of our home stadium with our fans behind us, we're going to get back to doing what we've done." Santana played his part in the 12 2/3 innings he manned left field. The Cubs hit four easy fly-ball outs to the Dominican native -- one of which was a sacrifice fly -- but nothing else, which helped validate Francona's decision to move him out of position. "I thought Carlos did an amazing job," Francona said. "There were no crazy chances out there or anything, but everything that was hit to him, he looked like a left fielder. Actually got behind the one ball and made a nice throw, hit the cutoff man. I was really proud of him." The Cubs will also receive a boost with Kyle Schwarber able to rejoin the lineup as their DH. Schwarber was not medically cleared to play the outfield because of a knee injury that forced him to miss most of the season, but he was 3-for-8 with a double and two walks in the first two games of the Series. He pinch-hit once in Chicago and popped out. "I'm a much bigger fan of the National League game in general, but under these circumstances, where we are right now in the year, I'll take that American League game just to get Schwarbs involved," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "But they're good, too. They'll put an extra guy in there, and like you said, they're used to it. But for right now, at this moment in time, the fact that Kyle cannot play defense but can still play offense and run the bases, it does work out well for us. So I'm very excited about writing his name in [Tuesday]." Perhaps as important as the bonus of having both Santana and Napoli in the lineup, the Indians are able to field their best defensive outfield. "Tito was put in a tough situation," Napoli said. "We have an offense and a lineup every day, so to go to [NL rules], where our lineup isn't where it was to get us where we [are], it [stinks], but it's part of it. We knew that coming in.

"We've had that lineup all year. Obviously it's going to be what we're used to. We're better when we have our DH." Ben Weinrib is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Tribe hosts last living member of '48 champs CLEVELAND -- The last living member of the Indians' 1948 World Series championship team will be in the stands hoping to see his old team win it all again. Eddie Robinson, who drove in the decisive run in Cleveland's clinching victory over the Boston Braves in Game 6 of the '48 Fall Classic, has been invited by the Indians to attend Game 6 of the World Series against the Cubs on Tuesday night. Robinson and his wife, Bette, flew to Cleveland from their home in Texas on Monday and will be hosted in a suite during the game. The Indians lead the Cubs, 3-2, in the best-of-seven set. "That was such an exciting time," said Robinson, discussing the 1948 campaign in an interview over the weekend with MLB Network. "All we wanted to do was win the American Legaue pennant. Once we did that, we were a little bit free and easier in the World Series." This year's Indians squad cruised to an AL Central title before dispatching of the Red Sox and Blue Jays on their way to the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1997. The '48 Cleveland club that featured Robinson -- along with stars Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby and others -- ended the season tied with the Red Sox for the AL crown, forcing a one-game playoff at Fenway Park. Robinson, 95, recalled that the Indians had to travel overnight from Cleveland to Boston, where the Tribe took down the Red Sox on Oct. 4, 1948, to earn a spot in the World Series. With the pennant in hand, the Indians stuck around to play the National League-champion Braves two days later in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. "That was a tough year," Robinson said. "That whole year was a nip-and-tuck year with the Yankees and the Red Sox. Philadelphia was in the mix and Cleveland. All year was tough. All we had to do was beat Detroit on a Sunday and we had it clinched, but Hal Newhouser beat us and we lost the toss. After the game, we just got on the train and went to Boston and the next day we got there at 8 o'clock in the morning, checked in the Kenmore hotel and went to the ballpark and won, 8-3. "Then the Braves had won the National League, so we just stayed in Boston. Our wives brought our clothes to us. We didn't take any clothes with us. We didn't know if we'd be coming back the next day or not. They brought our clothes and we had to stay there in Boston. It was eventful." During that historic season for Cleveland's franchise, Robinson hit .254 with 16 home runs and 83 RBIs in 134 games as the starting first baseman. The four-time All-Star then went 2-for-4 with an RBI single off Warren Spahn in Game 6 of the World Series. His run-scoring hit gave the Indians a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning, proving to be the difference for Cleveland. Robinson suited up for the Indians in parts of the 1942, '46-48 and '57 seasons. During the '57 campaign, he also had a stint with Baltimore, where he was teammates with Tito Francona, the former Indians outfielder and father of current Indians manager Terry Francona. "Tito and I were good friends," Robinson said. "He hit with a flat bat. One of the few guys who did. But he was a good hitter and a very good teammate, and I think his son is one [heck] of a manager." Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, When Davis gets on, he's off to the races By Jane Lee / MLB.com | @JaneMLB | 12:02 AM ET CLEVELAND -- Speedster Rajai Davis came to life in the Indians' Game 5 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday evening, offering a not-so-subtle reminder of just how disruptive he can be on the basepaths. That Davis still moves around the bags so swiftly even at age 36 is no secret. But before Sunday's game -- in which Davis rattled Cubs pitchers Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman, swiping three bases and finishing 2-for-4 -- the postseason stage had been deprived of his agile talents as he struggled to even get on base. The veteran outfielder entered the contest with one hit and one walk in 26 plate appearances during this postseason, having reached base a grand total of three times (he was hit by a pitch in Game 4) for a meager .115 on-base percentage. So activating his speed hasn't been an option much of this October for the Indians, who led the American League with 134 stolen bases during the regular season in large part due to Davis' efforts. He accounted for 43 of those. "That's just part of my game," Davis said. "Get on base, get 90 feet closer. If I can get 180 feet closer, I'm going to try to do that." Playing to their strengths, the Indians found Sunday, is especially crucial against a 103-win Cubs team that counts holding baserunners as a weakness. Only the Mets yielded more stolen bases than Chicago during the regular season. This could prove crucial in Game 6 on Tuesday at Progressive Field, where the Indians, who hold a 3-2 Series lead, could run wild en route to their first World Series title since 1948. Right-hander Jake Arrieta, who permitted 23 stolen bases during the regular season -- fourth most among National League pitchers -- will be on the mound for the Cubs. The Tribe counters with right-hander Josh Tomlin. "I think the key is really just getting on base," Davis said. "[Arrieta] has some quick feet, but he's definitely a guy that's susceptible to the stolen base, especially if he's not making good pitches, if he's not throwing strikes. Then, as basestealers, we have to take advantage of what he gives us and be ready. As long as we're ready, and we're ready to take advantage, I think we can put some more pressure on their defense." Indians manager Terry Francona said Monday he's still mulling over his left-field starter for Game 6; Coco Crisp has the likely edge with Arrieta throwing, but Francona has yet to rule out Davis, who could also lend him a strong weapon off the bench. "We'll see," Francona said. "I've actually been looking at that. I think I was leaning toward Coco. It was nice to see Rajai get some hits because he hadn't been getting a lot of hits in these playoffs. Sometimes we want to be able to use his speed so much, and when he's not swinging the bat, if he's not starting, at least you can pick a spot where you can put him in for his legs." It took until the sixth inning of Game 5 for Davis to pick up his second hit of the postseason, but once he reached base, he wasted no time stealing second. He jumped out to a nearly 20-foot lead against Lester, whose yips about throwing to first base have been well-documented. Davis scored on Francisco Lindor's two-out base hit. A dancing Davis stole second again, this time after singling against Chapman in the eighth inning, and swiped third, too. Alas, he was stranded there as the Indians squandered an opportunity to tie the game.

"You either let me run, because I'm going to run anyways," Davis said, "or you focus on the hitter and make a good pitch. It's one or the other. Lester focused on making good pitches. And the runners run. You either do one or the other. It's tough to be so good at both." Davis is just the fifth player in World Series history to steal three bases in one game, joining Honus Wagner, Lou Brock (twice), Willie Davis and Melvin Upton Jr. "You could tell there was focus on Raj," teammate Mike Napoli said. "That was great to see, because sometimes the stuff that helps you over the course of a 162-game season doesn't always come into play in the playoffs," second baseman Jason Kipnisadded. "You just might not get the opportunity. Finally, he got a chance to showcase what he's been doing all year for us. Just how easily he can create runs, or at least put ourselves in a better position to score runs. He did a great job. We just didn't cash in when we needed to." Jane Lee has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2010. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Tomlin can deliver Tribe clinch at home in G6 CLEVELAND -- On Tuesday, just four days after he pitched the game of his life in the World Series, Josh Tomlin will be asked to do so again for the Indians in a pivotal Game 6 against the Cubs. Having dropped Game 5, 3-2, at Wrigley Field on Sunday evening, the Indians, who still lead the series, 3-2, will ask Tomlin to finish the task in front of their home crowd at Progressive Field. Right-hander Jake Arrieta, meanwhile, will attempt to extend Chicago's season another day. "I know the atmosphere of this game is not the same, but it's still the same game," Tomlin said. "Between the lines, it's still 60 feet, six inches. It's still 90 feet to first base. It's still baseball. So that's how you have to treat it." This approach has served Tomlin well this October, and his track record certainly bodes well for the Indians, who have won each of his three postseason starts, including Game 3 against the Cubs on Friday. Tomlin was terrific, executing pitches against a tough lineup with ease. He gave the Tribe 4 2/3 scoreless innings, limiting Chicago to two hits and a walk and lowering his postseason ERA to 1.76 before exiting at only 58 pitches in favor of lefty Andrew Miller. That was by design, with the Indians wanting to ensure his availability for the Game 6 start that awaits him. "That's a huge help, especially for him," pitching coach Mickey Callaway said. "I think it probably felt more like a relief outing to him. Three days off is going to be plenty coming off of 58 pitches, and he's been making really good pitches the whole postseason, and I think he's going to go out there and do it again for us." This Fall Classic has already been special for Tomlin, whose dad, Jerry, was in the stands on Friday for the first World Series game at Wrigley in 71 years. The circumstances surrounding the visit were extraordinary: In August, Jerry suffered an arteriovenous malformation, a knotting of blood vessels that cut off circulation to his back and left him partially paralyzed. Jerry, who uses a wheelchair and may not walk again, received the green light to travel from Texas just in time. It meant everything to Josh, who exuded calm at the center of commotion with help from his dad through it all. "It was probably one of my more emotional starts I've ever had in my entire life, career, any situation baseball-related ever," Tomlin said after the game. "I'm fortunate enough for him to even be here. So to have him get to experience a World Series game and obviously my first World Series start, it meant everything. "I found him before the game, that way I could kind of go to him throughout the course of the game, if the game was speeding up to me, just to find that sense of calm there. What he's gone through, I mean, that's nothing to what we're going through right now. So to be able to find him and see him in the stands, it kind of calmed me down and just let me go out there and settle into the game and try to go out there and do the best that I could for him." Tomlin has never made excuses, but worry over his father's health could perhaps help explain his August slump. He went 0-5 with an ERA over 11 before rounding back into form in September by way of a 1.75 ERA in the four starts that preceded the postseason. "We're not surprised in his ability as a pitcher," Miller said, "but he has had a lot going on behind the scenes. For him to have had this storybook outing is incredible." Tomlin hopes this next chapter is even better. "We understand it's not just about getting here, it's about trying to win as well," Tomlin said. "There's nobody in that clubhouse that's complacent. It's not like, 'We have a 3-2 lead, it's just going to happen.' That's not the mind-set we take at all. We have a game to play tomorrow, and we're going to try to go out there and try to win that game. If not, we'll come back the next day and try to win that day." "If Tomlin doesn't win, he won't beat himself, and he won't back down," manager Terry Francona said. "All the things we talk about -- not backing down from a challenge and valuing winning and things like that, being a good teammate -- he embodies all those better or as good as anybody I've ever seen." Jane Lee has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2010. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Tomlin, Indians look to close out World Series at home By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | 12:07 AM ET History will be made in Cleveland this week. This much is guaranteed as the World Series picks up at Progressive Field tonight in a must-win for the Cubs and might-clinch for the Tribe, just like Sunday night. Except, this time, they'll take the field in front of a fired-up, frenzied collection of Cleveland (and Chicago) fans who've waited their whole lives for the pot of gold at the end of this gut-wrenching rainbow. But what is undetermined is whether the history will be "merely" the end of a decades-long drought or if the end of a decades-long drought will be accompanied by a side of comeback magic. The Indians, who are sending a short-rested Josh Tomlin to the mound opposite Jake Arrieta, are a win away from doing what they haven't done in 68 years. If they can convert just one of the next two at a park where they've played absurdly well this season, they'll reward their fans with the home clinch that not even the Cavaliers accomplished in their thrilling finish in the NBA Finals. The last time a major sports championship was won in the city of Cleveland was Dec. 27, 1964, when the Browns beat the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship Game.

"We did what we had to do [in Chicago]," first baseman Mike Napoli said. "We put ourselves in position to try to win it in a crazy atmosphere, you know?" The Cubs, meanwhile, are two wins away from not only ending their 108-year curse but also upending the Indians much the same way those aforementioned Cavs took care of the Golden State Warriors. The 3-1 hole Chicago faced going into Game 5 was daunting, but now, in the wake of a Wrigley Field win and with Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks lined up for Games 6 and 7, respectively, and Kyle Schwarber back in the lineup with the designated hitter in play, it is less so. And the Cubs know it. "We're writing our own history," shortstop Addison Russell said. "We're making history. Why stop? This is entertaining to us. It's fun, and we live for this." Chicago might very well live to see another day if Arrieta, who has had command troubles at times in this follow-up to his 2015 National League Cy Young Award-winning season, is as on point as he was back in Game 2, when he was unhittable into the sixth inning and wound up allowing just a run on two hits over 5 2/3. This time, the weather won't be nearly the factor it was in a frigid Game 2, as the report was calling for temperatures in the high-60s to low-70s, perfect for a guy who played his high school ball in Plano, Texas, and in college at TCU. "I just want to execute with quality in and out of the strike zone," Arrieta said. Tomlin executed especially well in the Tribe's Game 3 win at Wrigley, commanding his curveball and flummoxing the Cubs down and away. It was, by design, a brief outing, cut short at 58 pitches, because the Indians didn't want to overtax Tomlin in the event that he had to make this start on three days' rest. The Texan, who has a 1.76 ERA in three starts this October, is the X-factor that has allowed Cleveland's rotation to survive without Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. "The body's feeling good," Tomlin said. "Everything's feeling the same as it did last start, so hopefully that bodes well for me." And then there's Andrew Miller, whose presence in these postseason games always merits mentioning. He didn't get used in Game 5, so he'll be well-rested in time for Game 6. And you can count on Tribe skipper Terry Francona to be quick with the Tomlin hook if the Indians take the lead and the 6-foot-7 Miller can give them length. The twist now is that Chicago manager Joe Maddon is utilizing Aroldis Chapman in a similar way. Chapman got the eight-out save in Game 5, and Monday's off-day will put him in position to possibly be counted on for another lengthy turn. "When you have a guy like that," said Maddon, "that can pitch that many significant outs in the latter part of the game, it's pretty cool." Guess what? This Series is pretty cool. Storylines -- and historical significance -- abounded coming in, but sometimes the hype doesn't materialize into reality. But this Series has been extended to a sixth game. The Cubs are trying to revive themselves with last year's NL Cy Young Award winner and one of this year's top NL Cy Young Award candidates in succession, and Schwarber, who is 3-for-8 with a double and two walks after his unexpected World Series return from reconstructive knee surgery, is back in action. The Indians are equally encouraged by the fact that they have, in their back pocket, Game 7 starter Corey Kluber, whose 0.89 ERA in five starts has him playing the part of new October legend in the making, should it come to that. We don't know if it will come to that. We don't know which one of these clubs is going to make history. We just know that one of them will, and it doesn't take a (Game) Sixth sense to know we're on the verge of something special. Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004. Read his columns and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story Allen allows Francona to deploy Miller in big spots By Mike Petriello / MLB.com | @mike_petriello | 12:07 AM ET Let's agree on a simple fact about the 2016 Cleveland Indians: They probably don't get to the verge of a World Series title without the presence of Andrew Miller, who helped the club overcome a run of late-season rotation injuries with his willingness to pitch in any situation and dominate in all of them. We can agree on that, right? It's not controversial. Miller has been fantastic. Now, let's take that argument to its logical next step: Miller couldn't be Miller if not for the presence of Cody Allen, long among baseball's most underrated relievers, standing alongside him in the bullpen. Allen allows manager Terry Francona to use Miller when and where he wants, because it's a lot easier to bring your relief ace into a game in the fifth inning when you know you still have Allen standing by. If you wanted to argue that Allen has been the most unsung hero of the postseason so far, you wouldn't be far off. If that sounds like high praise, well, it ought to. Allen has pitched 11 2/3 innings in the playoffs, and he's allowed zero earned runs. Think about it this way; Miller is about to get a statue erected in his honor outside Progressive Field for striking out a shocking 46.8 percent of hitters he's faced in the playoffs … and yet in at least that category, he's barely outdoing Allen, who's running a 44.9 percent whiff rate of his own. Allen has received perhaps a fraction of the attention of his more famous teammate, but he's the best reliever you don't know. Let's get to know him. He's been doing this for years, despite throwing only two pitches. Since Allen's first full season in 2013, there have been 222 qualified relievers, and he ranks highly among them. His strikeout percentage of 32.3 percent is 10th, just behind Wade Davis. The difference between his whiff rate and walk rate of 23.1 percent is 14th, just behind David Robertson. His Fielding Independent Pitching of 2.78 is 18th, ahead of Jeurys Familia. Don't forget, before midsummer of 2015, Allen had been pitching in front of some truly wretched Cleveland defensive units. He basically had to do it himself, and he did. His success isn't new. There's not a ton of surprises in Allen's game, because he throws a four-seam fastball about two-thirds of the time, and a knuckle-curve one-third of the time. But even when hitters know that fastball is coming, they can't do much with it. This year, 187 pitchers threw at least 500 four-seamers, and while Allen's velocity is more than fine (95 mph, 48th), his spin rate was elite (2517 rpm, 5th, behind Justin Verlander, Matt Bush, Max Scherzer and Aroldis Chapman). High-spin fastballs tend to get swinging strikes, but while Allen's is good (.197 against), he often uses it to set up his diving curve, which he throws harder (84.7 mph) than almost anyone, and which gets top-10 results in misses-per-swing. But as the Cubs' Javier Baezfound out, that high-spin high-velo fastball up can be impossible to catch up to. He's actually been used in higher-leverage spots than Miller. This might sound unbelievable, but it's true, with one caveat. If there's a term you've heard all month, it's "leverage," in the sense that deploying your best pitchers in a high-leverage spot is a more effective use than in low-leverage spots -- like, say, a save situation with a three-run lead.

You won't be surprised to know that there's a statistic for that, and it's called Leverage Index. It accounts for the score, inning and base/out situation, and sets "neutral leverage" at 1.0, with higher numbers meaning higher leverage. Anything over 2.0 is "high leverage." Allen's average Leverage Index so far this postseason is 2.23, higher than his regular season mark of 1.76, and it shows he's always in big spots. Miller's average playoff Leverage Index is 1.37, which is still high, but reflects the fact that he's getting valuable outs in the middle innings that don't necessarily have men on base or the game on the line. As for the caveat, well, Miller's thrown more innings, 17 to 11 2/3, and the length adds value. Every playoff inning is important, obviously. There's just an argument to be made that Allen's have been as pressure-packed or even more so. He could have been Miller before Miller. "When I first got here," said Francona following Game 3, "he had been called up I think about halfway through the year the year before. And watching him pitch, I could just envision him being that swing guy, fireman, however you want to put it. A guy that comes in and you can leverage and get big outs, whether it's a left-hand hitter, right-hand hitter." That didn't stick, obviously, as ninth-inning issues forced Allen to the closer role. It's not hard to envision him appearing like Miller has, because even before Miller was acquired, Allen made it clear he'd do what was needed. "It's an open-door policy [with general manager Chris Antonetti]," Allen said after Game 2. "So we talked and I let him know it was one of those things that wasn't going to create any friction between any of the guys down there, possibly moving guys around. We all knew if you go get a guy like Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman, it's ultimately going to make your team a lot better. And we just wanted them to know that everybody was on board with it." Words at the time, they've been backed up by actions. Cleveland doesn't get here without Miller. Miller doesn't work like this without Allen. Don't sell him short. Mike Petriello is an analyst for MLB.com and the host of the Statcast podcast. He has previously written for ESPN Insider and FanGraphs. Tribe's ride bittersweet for Brantley, Carrasco CLEVELAND -- It's hard to watch, if you want to know the truth. They have smiled through the champagne celebrations while standing off to the side of the room. They have been supportive, proactive teammates, quick to offer a word of advice or a reason to laugh in a moment of high anxiety. They have admirably made the most of the frustrating fact that this Indians team has put itself a win away from a World Series title without them. But for Michael Brantley and Carlos Carrasco, no matter what they say publicly (and Brantley, true to form, says very little), this postseason run has mixed the bitter with the sweet, and the agony of injury eats away at them. "Inside of me, I feel destroyed," Carrasco said. "But outside, I need to continue to be the same guy I was in Spring Training and during the season, before my injury." Carrasco was hit on the hand by an Ian Kinsler comebacker on Sept. 17, breaking the fifth metacarpal and shelving him for the season. Brantley had offseason right shoulder surgery in early November, rehabbed, played 11 games, went back on the disabled list and, because of a follow-up procedure in August, never made it back. "I just embrace what I can right now," Brantley said. "I've dealt with [the setbacks], and it's in the past." His teammates wonder what might have been. "He doesn't like to miss one game, let alone 150," fellow outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall said. "We would love to have him. We might have been scary good." It's amazing -- not just in the small-picture subplot of this postseason, but also in the big-picture outlook of this organization -- that the Indians have done what they've done this year with only the briefest of Brantley contributions and with a Carrasco season that twice was unhinged by injury (he also missed more than a month with a left hamstring strain). Less than a decade ago, the Indians knew their only path back to the postseason had to involve the hard-to-stomach swaps of established American League Cy Young Award winners -- and expiring assets -- CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. The 2008 and '09 trades that sent those rotation linchpins elsewhere brought back bushels of prospect potential but only two stars that stuck. There is no CC and no Lee (and heck, not even erstwhile relief prospect C.C. Lee panned out), and Brantley and Carrasco are the last vestiges of the overhaul of the Indians' previous postseason entrant. So back in April, you would have thought that for the Indians to get to this point of playing a Game 6 at Progressive Field with their first title in 68 years on the line, Brantley and Carrasco would have played a big part. Instead, the only contribution from Brantley's bat was that it was loaned to Corey Kluber for the pitcher's key plate appearance in the second inning in Game 4. And while Carrasco did give the Indians 146 1/3 good innings this season, he contributed neither the Cy Young-worthy stride nor the sheer October availability that was hoped for. "They're a big part of our team," manager Terry Francona has said. "And we made sure that they know that, because it's hard. I bet you Brantley would cut off his shoulder if he thought he could play. But that doesn't lessen how we feel about them or their importance. It's just sometimes, guys get hurt. It's just the way the game is." It is a credit to Francona's managerial moves and the "next-man-up" mentality that thrives in the Tribe clubhouse that the Indians have made do without their best hitter and one of their best starting pitchers. But while Brantley and Carrasco are obviously happy for their mates, they've had to come to grips with the fact that their role in this wild October ride has been an extremely limited one. "Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards for me," Brantley said. "But I'm here with my teammates. I get to support them and be in this great atmosphere. If I'm not physically out there playing with them, I'm in the dugout, and anything I can pick up on that I learn or feel like would help a teammate out, I just try to express it to them." As one example, it was Brantley who immediately got in Francisco Lindor's ear when the young shortstop was caught stealing early in this Fall Classic. Brantley encouraged him not to let the setback affect his aggressiveness. "It's hard when you're hurt," Francona said. "It's almost like there's an invisible wall that goes up, because you don't really quite share in all the frustrations, even though you care. It's just different. I've been through it. It's hard. Brant has found a way to eclipse that and still be a leader, which is not easy to do. I think it speaks volumes about him."

Carrasco describes his reduced role differently. "Pretty much, I'm the clown on the team," he said with a smile. "So that's what I have to do for the guys. Make them laugh." Carrasco came out of his cast during the AL Championship Series and is progressing to the point where he should begin throwing bullpen sessions in December. He ought to be ready to roll by Spring Training. Brantley's situation is inherently more complicated, only because past prognoses and timetables associated with his recovery from the shoulder injury sustained on a dive in the outfield grass in Minneapolis in September 2015 have proven unreliable. But the Indians dismiss reports that Brantley could miss part of the 2017 season, and Brantley himself says his rehab is going well. "I'm lifting, getting stronger," he said. "Every day, I've got a program I'm sticking to. Everything's coming along great." This deep run has actually benefited Brantley. He was scheduled to be in Cleveland for his rehab work for the entirety of October whether or not the Indians advanced. "The boys are making it easier on me by going this long," Brantley said, "so I can spend extra time with them." This time is valuable for all involved, even the injured or non-rostered ones on the sidelines. Postseason teams grow from the October experience, and whether or not the Indians nail down this World Series title, Brantley and Carrasco, both of whom are under the Indians' contractual control through at least 2018, hope to be back here again. "I think it's important that we embrace it and learn together," Brantley said. "We're still a young team that's hopefully going to stay together for a long time." But 2016 has proven to be the Indians' time to shine. And it's absolutely difficult for Brantley and Carrasco to not be an active part of it. Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004. Read his columns and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story Series sparks lifelong fan's return to Cleveland By Alyson Footer / MLB.com | @AlysonFooter | 12:04 AM ET CLEVELAND -- Lifelong Indians fan Shahrooh Hashmi walked up to Progressive Field on Monday for the first time in nearly two decades, and he was struck by both the sight of the ballpark and the flood of emotions that came rushing back. Hashmi, a native Clevelander, hadn't been back to his home city until that moment, the day before what he's hoping is a joyous World Series Game 6 for him -- and for thousands of Indians fans who have been loyal to the club their entire lives. Stage is set for epic Game 6 in Cleveland NL champs looking to join 1958 Yanks, '68 Tigers and '79 Bucs in elite club By Richard Justice / MLB.com | October 31st, 2016 CHICAGO -- Now we've got ourselves a real World Series, possibly a classic. Wasn't this what we expected all along? The Chicago Cubs had come too far and accomplished too much to go quietly. Even when they were in a 3-1 hole, this still had the feel of a heavyweight bout. Now we've got it. The Cubs staved off elimination by beating the Indians, 3-2, in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night, and we're headed for a Game 6 in Cleveland on Tuesday that has the potential to be one of the great baseball environments of recent years. Here's all you need to know about the sense of urgency the Cubs brought to work Sunday: Manager Joe Maddon watched his team claw its way to a 3-2 lead, and with one out in the seventh inning, went for his closer. We've seen managers push their bullpens a little longer and a little harder this postseason, and with a season on the line, Maddon spoke with Aroldis Chapman during the afternoon about the possibility. Chapman responded by getting the first eight-out save of his career. He was dazzling as always, throwing a postseason-record 19 of his 42 pitches 100 mph or better. The Cubs scored just three runs, but considering they were shut out in Games 1 and 3, three runs might be "the offensive epiphany" Maddon was hoping for. Regardless, it was enough on a night when Jon Lester allowed two runs in six innings and Carl Edwards Jr. got one out before Chapman entered. Chicago got big defensive plays from Ben Zobrist in left, Anthony Rizzo at first and others. Only three teams have won a World Series by trailing 3-1 and then winning Games 6 and 7 on the road: the 1958 Yankees, '68 Tigers and '79 Pirates. The Cubs began the day aware they'd had 17 winning streaks of at least three games this season, and what's one more if it means a championship? "Why not us?" said third baseman Kris Bryant, whose fourth-inning home run got things started. "I feel like we play our best with our backs up against the wall. We went out there today, took care of business. Hopefully we can get out there and win Game 6, because you never know what can happen in a Game 7. "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." This was a game that delivered on every level in terms of emotion and tension. Wrigley Field was rocking with expectation and noise. After it ended, the Cubs went back on the field to acknowledge the fans who'd packed the old park one final time in 2016. All that said, the Indians still lead the World Series 3-2 and have two chances to close it out at home, with Games 6 and 7 scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. "We took two out of three from the Cubs at their place with all their fans and all their noise going on this weekend," Tribe outfielder Rajai Davis said. "Now we're going into our place, where our fans are going to be loud and help us carry out this last win." The Indians pushed the Cubs all game long, stranding runners in scoring position in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings. Lester allowed two runs, but he danced out of trouble in the sixth before Chapman entered in the seventh. Chapman's biggest out might have been striking out Francisco Lindor with a runner on third to end the eighth. Maddon had joked about winning Game 5 and then having a happy Halloween (and day off) in Cleveland on Monday. Happy it will be.

"Yeah, I've never been looking forward to wanting to play the seventh game of a World Series in my life, you know," Maddon said. "So yeah, we get to go over there with two rested starting pitchers [Jake Arrieta for Game 6, Kyle Hendricks for a potential Game 7]. "From an entertainment perspective, if you're a baseball fan or looking to become a baseball fan, it was wonderful tonight, outstanding. But I like to believe we're going to catch or gain some momentum from this game going back over there." Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. You can follow him on Twitter @richardjustice. This story was not subject to the approval of Return to Cleveland means return of Cubs' X-factor Schwarber, who solved Kluber, Miller in Gm 1 and led Chicago in Gm 2, back as DH By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | @AdamMcCalvy | 12:03 AM ET CLEVELAND -- The Cubs' X-factor in this World Series was a non-factor in three games at Wrigley Field. Kyle Schwarber, limited to pinch-hit duty by a surgically repaired left knee, took one swing in Chicago's 26 innings at bat, producing a broken-bat flare to second with the bases empty in the eighth inning of Game 3. Now, Schwarber will be a factor again. With the Series shifting back to Progressive Field for Tuesday's Game 6, Schwarber will transform from cheerleader back into designated hitter. It's a role he filled ably in Games 1 and 2. "It was almost an advantage for us to play there [in Chicago]," said Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis. "When you put him back in the DH, he's a good hitter. He's a great hitter, actually. In the playoffs, he's shown that [he can] not make the situation too big. It makes them a tougher lineup, for sure." Or as Indians Game 6 starter Josh Tomlin put it: "I mean, you're essentially taking out the worst hitter in the lineup and putting in one of the better hitters in the lineup. So it's definitely different." The 23-year-old Schwarber, an Ohio native, gave the Cubs a lift at the start of the Series just by making the roster. He was hitless in the regular season, felled in the Cubs' third game by a devastating left knee injury that was supposed to sideline him until 2017 Spring Training. Instead, there was a promising checkup during the National League Championship Series, which led to a two-game stint in the Arizona Fall League, which led to Schwarber batting fifth in Game 1 of the World Series. After fighting back tears during the national anthem, Schwarber showed he was ready. He struck out against Indians ace Corey Kluber in the second inning but doubled off the wall in his second at-bat. In his third trip to the plate, Schwarber did something only one other left-handed hitter had done all season: He worked a walk from Indians lefty Andrew Miller. In Game 2, Schwarber hit a pair of RBI singles and walked again in a 5-1 Cubs win. "I've never seen anything like it," said Jake Arrieta, the winning pitcher in Game 2 and the Cubs' scheduled starter for Game 6. "I remember hearing [Hall of Famer John Smoltz] comment on the broadcast -- and this guy played for 20 years -- he said he's never seen anything like it. "For a guy to be able to do something like this in his second year is just ... you know ... I'm kind of speechless." The return of the DH is also convenient for the Indians, who will not have to force Carlos Santana into left field, where he started Games 3 and 5, or first base, where he played Game 4. Schwarber will be playing in somewhat familiar territory when the World Series shifts back to his home state. He grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Middletown, a few hours' drive southwest of Cleveland. He's made headlines in recent days for his Ohio ties when former Buckeyes star Braxton Miller, now a wide receiver for the Houston Texans, shared a photofrom when he and Schwarber met on the gridiron in high school. The return of Schwarber could help the Cubs overcome what has historically been an advantage for American League teams. Each year represents a small sample, but the DH for the AL team has produced a higher OPS than the DH for the NL team in 20 of the 35 World Series with the DH in play, including each of the past four. The last NL DH to top his AL counterpart was the Cardinals' Lance Berkman in 2011, whose 1.038 OPS beat the Rangers' Michael Young's .974. One of the exceptions featured the Indians in 1997, when the Marlins' Jim Eisenreich, Cliff Floyd, Darren Daulton, Alex Arias and Kurt Abbott combined for a 1.404 OPS from the DH spot, topping Cleveland's David Justice at .582. For a larger sample size, one can compare the regular-season production of the players who served as their teams' primary DH in the World Series. In this exercise, the NL team's DH had a clearly better season than the AL team's DH in nine of 35 seasons, most recently in 2014, when the Giants' Mike Morse had an .811 OPS, versus the Royals' Billy Butler at a .702 OPS. This year, of course, the latter exercise does not work. Schwarber had five plate appearances before his outfield collision with Dexter Fowler on April 7. However, go back a year and you get an idea. Against right-handed pitching in 2015, Schwarber was a force. He hit .278, posted a .396 on-base percentage and slugged .557. Cleveland is scheduled to start right-hander Kluber on short rest in a potential game 7, following the righty Tomlin in Game 6. "It gives them a little more balance," Indians manager Terry Francona said of the Schwarber factor. "It gives them some thunder that they'll situate right in the middle, which you have to respect. But I mean, they've got a lot of other good bats, too. I think people can get carried away with some things. Again, we respect him, but we also respect the other guys, too. "But I'm sure they're excited about being able to play him and having his bat in the lineup." Francona was right. "I'm a much bigger fan of the National League game in general," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, "but under these circumstances where we are right now in the year, I'll take that American League game just to get 'Schwarbs' involved." Adam McCalvy has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2001. Follow him on Twitter @AdamMcCalvy, like him on Facebook and listen to Zimmer to represent Tribe in AFL Fall Stars Game SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For the past 25 years, the Arizona Fall League has been a place to see some of the best up-and-coming talent around baseball. For the past decade -- edition No. 11 arrives on Saturday -- that talent has been funneled onto one field in the Fall Stars Game. The AFL's version of the Futures Game will take place at Surprise Stadium at 5 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed live MLB.com and once again will feature many of the game's top prospects. A total of 16 members of

MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 prospects list are on the rosters released by the league on Monday, with an additional 21 players from team Top 30s to once again make the Fall Stars Game a veritable who's who for prospects. Noticeably absent from the game is No. 1 prospect Yoan Moncada, whose Fall League season officially came to an end on Friday when the Red Sox decided to shut him down due to his thumb injury. That makes the Yankees' Gleyber Torres, at No. 17 overall, the top-ranked player participating in the game. The 19-year-old has also been one of the top performing prospects in the AFL this season, carrying the fourth-best OPS (1.077) in the league into Monday's competition. Cubs phenom Eloy Jimenez (No. 23) and the Indians' Bradley Zimmer (No. 25) round out the top 25 prospects, all on the East squad. The A's Franklin Barreto (42), Brewers outfielder Brett Phillips (62) and Anthony Alford (86) of the Blue Jays are the other Top 100 players on the East roster. While the West doesn't have as high-ranked prospects, it does have more, nine Top 100 players in total. The roster also has the four Top 100 pitchers slated to participate in the game. The Rays' Brent Honeywell (No. 39) will start the game for the West (Giants prospect Chris Stratton gets the ball for the East), and he's joined by the Astros' pair of Top 100 arms in the Fall League, No. 29 Francis Martes and No. 70 David Paulino. Michael Kopech (No. 67) of the Red Sox is the fourth of that very talented quartet. Offensively, the West roster has the Dodgers trio of Cody Bellinger (No. 31), Alex Verdugo (No. 45) and Willie Calhoun (87), Twins shortstop Nick Gordon (47), Mariners outfielder Tyler O'Neill (59) and Harrison Bader (82) of the Cardinals. Four of these players know what this kind of setting is like, having played in the Futures Game just this past July in San Diego. Jimenez and O'Neill played for the World Team, while Calhoun and Cardinals catcher Carson Kelly suited up for the United States squad. Fans have the opportunity to add more talent to these rosters in the Final Two Fan Vote. The Cubs' Ian Happ (No. 21 overall), Mets No. 3 prospect Gavin Cecchini and Yankees No. 7 Miguel Andujar are the candidates for the East roster, while the West has Red Sox's No. 12 prospect Mauricio Dubon, White Sox No. 14 Courtney Hawkins and the Reds' Brandon Dixon on the ballot. If last year's rosters are any indication, this year's Fall Stars Game will once again be an excellent predictor of players who will impact the big leagues next season. Last year's contest included the Yankees' Gary Sanchez and the A's Sean Manaea, among others. Jonathan Mayo is a Cubs try to overcome odds with World Series comeback The Associated Press•Oct 31, 2016, 8:10 PM About 30 minutes after the Chicago Cubs staved off elimination Sunday night with a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 5 of the World Series, third baseman Kris Bryant asked a simple question about whether he thought the team could erase a 3-1 deficit. "Why not us?" he said. "I feel like we play our best with our backs up against the wall. Hopefully, we can get out there and win Game 6, because you never know what can happen in a Game 7." Bryant and Chicago will get a chance to test that theory Tuesday night when the teams meet again, this time at Cleveland's Progressive Field. No team has wiped out a 3-1 deficit in the World Series since the Kansas City Royals did it to St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. Although the Royals were the better team against the injury-riddled Cardinals, they might have lost Game 6 were it not for Don Denkinger's infamous flubbed call at first base that initiated a game-winning, two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning. History doesn't exactly favor the Cubs, even if recent developments do. By winning Game 5, they triggered the return of Kyle Schwarber to their lineup as the designated hitter in Cleveland. Schwarber, who tore an ACL during the season's opening week, wasn't medically cleared to play the field, so he was limited to pinch-hitting over the weekend. What's more, Chicago appears to have an advantage in the pitching matchup. Jake Arrieta notched a 5-1 win Wednesday night in Game 2, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and fanning six in 5 2/3 innings and 98 pitches. "It's just like any other game where you feel comfortable with the game plan," Arrieta said of this start. "You go out there to do your best to follow through on the execution. That's really the only thing I'll be thinking about." The Indians counter with right-hander Josh Tomlin, who blanked the Cubs for 4 2/3 innings in a 1-0 win in Game 3. Tomlin will start with three days' rest for just the second time in his MLB career, and even though he threw only 58 pitches on Friday night, he admits his preparation will change a little bit because of working on short rest. "It's obviously a little better than throwing 100 or 110," Tomlin said of the light workload on Friday night, "but in this environment you still get up and down four or five times. It's a little more stressful than a regular-season start." While Tomlin might not be as fresh as Arrieta, his bullpen should be ready to go after Monday's off-day. That includes left-hander Andrew Miller, who has defined Cleveland's run to the brink of its first World Series championship since 1948 with his ability to work multiple innings in pressure situations. Although the Indians fell short in Game 5, the bullpen did their part with four scoreless innings, and figures to be on call early if necessary. Tomlin is hoping they'll enter the fray later rather than sooner but is comfortable with their ability to lock down games. "Those guys have done an unbelievable job through the course of the regular season and the playoffs," he said. "But you go out there with the mindset of going as deep as you can in the game." And, in Tomlin's case, answering Bryant's question with an emphatic no. 2 for 1: Indians home with 2 chances to win World Series TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer) The Associated Press•Oct 31, 2016, 10:31 PM CLEVELAND (AP) -- Terry Francona viewed the mass of humanity from high above. Four months ago, the Indians manager watched on a TV in his office at Progressive Field as Cleveland's streets overflowed during a joyous celebration honoring LeBron James and the Cavaliers for winning the NBA championship and stopping the city's 52-year title drought. There were fans hanging from street signs, clinging to the walls of parking garages - everywhere. Francona wanted another look.

''I went up to the upper deck just because I wanted to watch the parade,'' he said Monday as the World Series returned from a weekend in Chicago. ''From that vantage point, I think they were expecting 700,000 and they about doubled it. And from up in the upper deck you could see the people coming across the bridge in droves.'' Francona wants to see them come again. After missing Sunday night on their initial swing, the Indians are home with two cracks at winning their first championship since 1948. Down 3-1 and desperate, Chicago manager Joe Maddon used fire-balling closer Aroldis Chapman to get the final eight outs in Game 5 as the Cubs beat the Indians 3-2 at raucous Wrigley Field to extend their season and send this Series packing. The Indians, who have been cast as underdogs throughout the postseason, can complete a remarkable run with one more win. It's the one Cleveland fans have waited 68 years to see, and would cap a year like no other in the city's sports history, which has been filled with more torment than triumph. Josh Tomlin, the longest-tenured player on Cleveland's roster, starts Tuesday night in Game 6 against Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta, who held the Indians without a hit until the sixth inning of Game 2, a 5-1 Chicago victory. Tomlin will be starting on just three days' rest for only the second time in his career, but adrenaline and a home crowd of more than 35,000 screaming fans should help him overcome any fatigue. The right-hander was terrific in Game 4, allowing only two hits in 4 2/3 innings as his dad, Jerry, who is paralyzed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair, watched from behind home plate in noisy Chicago as Cleveland won 1-0. Tomlin threw just 58 pitches, so his arm should be fine. The bigger issue will be stifling the Cubs, who have momentum and will get slugger Kyle Schwarber back in the lineup as the designated hitter after he was reduced to one pinch-hitting appearance during three games played under National League rules. The only other time Tomlin pitched on short rest was in his 2010 rookie season, when he gave up one run over 5 1/3 innings against Toronto. On the eve of the biggest start of his career, the 31-year-old Tomlin said he's approaching Game 6 like any other even though he knows it isn't. ''I know the atmosphere of this game is not the same, but it's still the same game,'' he said. ''Between the lines it's still 60 foot, 6 inches. It's still 90 feet to first base. It's still baseball. In the grand scheme of things it's still the baseball game whenever the umpire says 'Play ball!' So that's how you have to treat it.'' Like any manager, Francona has his favorites and Tomlin is near the top of that list. They play cribbage together and as Francona turned the dais over to his starter following his news conference, Cleveland's skipper couldn't pass up a chance to have some fun at Tomlin's expense. ''If you guys have questions,'' he said to reporters, ''just use pictures.'' On a more serious note earlier, Francona said he's confident Tomlin will give the Indians everything he has. ''If Tomlin doesn't win, he won't beat himself, and he won't back down,'' he said. ''All the things we talk about, not backing down from a challenge and valuing winning and things like that - being a good teammate, he embodies all those better or as good as anybody I've ever seen.'' When the Cavs won their title in June, it was perhaps no coincidence the Indians took off on a 14-game winning streak that propelled them to the AL Central title. Cleveland players and fans fed off the vibe created by James and his teammates, who will be forever remembered as the team that changed the city's sports fortunes. Francona watched the Cavs win Game 7 at Golden State, and found himself cheering wildly at the game's climactic moments - Kyrie Irving's 3-pointer and James' chase-down block in the final seconds. ''I had to kind of remind myself I'm 57,'' he said with a laugh. Then Francona watched as Cleveland united as never before, 1 million people converging as one to rejoice for a team that lifted a trophy - and then a town. ''There was sheer joy,'' he said. ''I just thought it was really cool. It was hard not to get caught up in it.'' He'd love to see it happen again. A fter Halloween, Tomlin, Indians looking to treat home fans RONALD BLUM (AP Baseball Writer)The Associated Press•Oct 31, 2016, 8:33 PM CLEVELAND (AP) -- Josh Tomlin looked forward to Halloween and dressing up with his daughters, 2-year-old Makenzie Jae and 1-year-old Myla Kate. ''I might be daddy piggy,'' he said. With Cleveland anticipating the city's first World Series championship since 1948 - and its first title clincher at home since 1920 - the Indians' Game 6 starter was happy to be back home ahead of his outing against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night. Chicago closed to 3-2 with Sunday's win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who haven't won it all since 1908, are trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals and the first to do it by winning Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. Rather than celebrate in the cramped visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley, the Indians are in position to party in their own digs at Progressive Field - where a makeshift shrine to Jobu, the Voodoo idol from the Cleveland clubhouse in the 1989 film ''Major League,'' was erected in a stall between the lockers of Mike Napoli and Jason Kipnis. ''He's just chilling over there, doing his thing,'' Napoli said. Cleveland fans have missed out on being there for this year's big events: First, the Cavaliers completed their NBA Finals comeback on the road, beating Golden State in Game 7 for the city's first major pro sports championship in 52 years. Then, the Indians clinched the AL Central crown at Detroit, won the Division Series in Boston and the AL Championship Series at Toronto. ''It'll be ideal. We have a better situation to do it now,'' Kipnis said. ''It would be nice to actually do one in front of the home crowds.'' The baseball season spills into an unusual month for the fifth time, with Rocktober parties replaced by two teams hoping for a November to remember. Jake Arrieta, who pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning to win Game 2, starts on five days' rest for the Cubs against Tomlin, who will have had three days off since throwing 58 pitches in his Game 3 no-decision.

If the Cubs force Game 7, Kyle Hendricks would pitch on regular rest for Chicago against Corey Kluber, who would make another start on short rest and try to become the first pitcher to win three starts in one Series since Detroit's Mickey Lolich in 1968. Chicago delayed its charter flight to Cleveland until Monday night. In the Wrigley Field clubhouse, a message said: ''Halloween costumes are encouraged on the plane.'' ''We wanted them to have the opportunity to be with their kids today during the Halloween moment,'' Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ''After that game last night, believe me, man, I was in no mood to get up and travel today. I think it actually is working out pretty well. We're going to get in at a really good hour, grab stuff to eat and go to bed.'' With the switch to the American League ballpark, the designated hitter is back: Carlos Santana for the Indians and Kyle Schwarber for the Cubs. Schwarber was out from April 7 until the Series opener after tearing knee ligaments. He has not been given medical clearance to play the field, so he was limited to one pinch-hitting appearance at home. He is 3 for 8 in the Series with a double, two walks and two RBIs. ''When I managed in the American League, I always thought it was somewhat of a disadvantage going to the National League, subtracting one offensive player, and probably even more pronounced for different teams that have really profound, legitimate DHs,'' Maddon said. ''But for right now, at this moment in time, the fact that Kyle cannot play defense but can still play offense and run the bases, it does work out well for us.'' At Wrigley, Santana made two starts in left field, a position he had not played since 2012, and one at first base. ''It helps keeping the body warm, and I like being out there in the field,'' he said. ''Being a designated hitter is a bit more complicated. I try to gather advice on how to do it better. I always ask David Ortiz, and he's giving me good pointers, but there's still room to improve.'' Both teams were among the big leagues' best at home this year. Chicago led with a 57-24 record, and Cleveland was tied for second with 53 victories in its own ballpark. ''When you're on the road, one, it's kind of you against the world, which is OK,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''But the biggest thing of all is when you're the home team, you hit last, so you get to use your bullpen differently, and that's a huge advantage.'' Indians notebook: Indians, Cubs welcome back DH for Game 6; Lonnie Chisenhall feeling better

By Ryan Lewis

Published: October 31, 2016 - 09:23 PM

Cleveland: The World Series returns to Progressive Field for Game 6 Tuesday night, and with it comes the return of the designated hitter. It’s something that both sides can enjoy.

For the Indians, it means they don’t have to try Carlos Santana in left field to keep his bat in the lineup, which was a risky but successful proposition in Chicago. For the Cubs, it means the return of Kyle Schwarber, a key bat in the middle of their lineup who wasn’t medically cleared to play left field and thus was relegated to pinch-hit duties the last three games.

“Yeah, I am [happy to see it return],” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Now, they’ll also have the DH, too, which I’m sure they’re thrilled about. … It gives them a little more balance. It gives them some thunder that they’ll situate right in the middle, which you have to respect.”

The way this series has set up, both the Indians and Cubs look to welcome back the DH with open arms. The Indians get to set up defensively as they wish and the Cubs’ lineup adds a power bat behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, making it even more formidable.

Still, the Indians’ experiment with Santana in left field worked out. He fielded a couple of routine fly balls and was largely untested. But it doesn’t mean the Indians necessarily enjoyed holding their breath.

“I thought Carlos did an amazing job,” Francona said. “He volunteered to do that. I was really proud of him. He’s come a long way. Took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and I thought it was pretty cool. I’ll be glad that we can DH somebody though.”

Feeling better

Lonnie Chisenhall is feeling better after falling ill hours before Game 5 in Chicago on Sunday.

Chisenhall spent most of the day at the team hotel before returning to the ballpark, and his condition had improved enough that he likely would have pinch-hit if the Indians reached the pitcher’s spot in the lineup in the ninth inning.

“He got there, I think, I think he got back about an hour, hour and a half before the game and while I was up there ... he got a sandwich down, and he looked a lot better by the end of the night,” Francona said.

Chisenhall was covering his mouth in the clubhouse during media availability on Monday, though he’s expected to be fine for Game 6.

Positive presence

Michael Brantley hasn’t been able to help on the field, but he’s remained a steady presence in the Indians dugout and clubhouse.

He’s mentored Francisco Lindor. He’s given hitting and instructional advice when he can. He’s been involved — in varying degrees — in the club’s three celebrations since September. He’s continued to act as one of the leaders in the clubhouse whom the team pulled aside around last year’s trade deadline to discuss the Indians’ future and identity.

“I just feel like I’ve learned a lot through the years that I’ve been here,” Brantley said of giving advice to some of the younger players. “I’ve been with most of these guys for a while. Anything information-wise I can give or help throughout the course of a game that I’ve learned or I see, I try to help them out.

“It’s not the ideal situation for me. I’d love to be out there playing. But at the same time, I’ll do whatever I can to help this team win.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Josh Tomlin prepares for Game 6 start on short rest against Cubs’ Jake Arrieta

By Ryan Lewis

Cleveland: Josh Tomlin has been a stabilizing force for the Indians through their run to the World Series.

Tuesday night, he’ll take the mound for Game 6 at Progressive Field with a chance to secure the Indians’ first World Series title since 1948.

The Indians lead the Series 3-2 after losing 3-2 in Game 5 Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

And Tomlin will try to do it on short rest for the first time since 2010. But that could be a simpler task than normal after he needed only 58 pitches to get through 4 scoreless innings in the Indians’ 1-0 win in Game 3 in Chicago.

Tomlin is essentially preparing for this start as any other on normal rest. Part of it is the low pitch count from Game 3. Part of it is that he’s been so consistent, owning 1.76 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 15 innings in the postseason.

“The preparation on the field really doesn’t change that much,” Tomlin said. “You listen to your body a little bit more on days like today and days like the couple days leading up to it just because you know you don’t have that bullpen day or that longer bullpen day. And you probably don’t get in two lifts, but I think you just listen to your body, do what you’re capable of doing in the days leading up to this.”

Tomlin, the longest-tenured player in the Indians organization, spent most of the year as the No. 5 starting pitcher. He lost his spot in the rotation in August, but now will take the ball in the biggest game of his life with the Cubs countering with Jake Arrieta, their former Cy Young Award winner who was terrific in Game 2.

“I haven’t really thought about it on a personal level,” Tomlin said. “I think about it as an organizational level and a team level, and how honored and how hard we’ve worked to get to this point. It means a lot not just to 25 guys that are in that locker room but the organization as a whole. There’s been a lot of guys that have been here a long time and never got to experience anything like this.”

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Even holding a 3-2 lead and at home, it’s a tall task to finish off the 103-win Cubs.

“We understand it’s not just about getting here; it’s about trying to win as well,” Tomlin said. “There’s nobody in that clubhouse that’s complacent. It’s not like we have a 3-2 lead, [so] it’s just going to happen. That’s not the mindset we take at all. We have a game to play [Tuesday], and we’re going to try to go out there and try to win that game. If not, we’ll come back the next day and try to win that day.”

Should Tomlin deliver another quality start, the Indians’ task then becomes hitting Arrieta, which almost didn’t happen at all in Game 2, when he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

“We can only get better versus Arrieta,” Jason Kipnis said. “He no-hit us through however long. So, we’ve got to figure to improve on that a little bit. If you look, Tomlin’s been great after losses for us. He’s been pretty much our stopper.

“So, it’s going to be a good matchup. It’ll be a fun game. It’ll be a tough one to win. I’m looking forward to it, though.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Indians, Cubs welcome back DH for Game 6; Lonnie Chisenhall feeling better

By RYAN LEWIS

Back to Cleveland the World Series goes for Game 6 Tuesday nght, and with it comes the return of the designated hitter. It’s something that both sides can enjoy.

For the Indians, it means they don’t have to try Carlos Santana in left field to keep his bat in the lineup, which was a risky but successful proposition in Chicago. For the Cubs, it means the return of Kyle Schwarber, a key bat in the middle of their lineup who wasn’t medically cleared to play left field and thus was relegated to pinch-hit duties the last three games.

“Yeah, I am [happy to see it return],” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “Now, they'll also have the DH, too, which I'm sure they're thrilled about. … It gives them a little more balance. It gives them some thunder that they'll situate right in the middle, which you have to respect.”

The way this series has set up, both the Indians and Cubs look to be welcoming the DH back with open arms. The Indians get to set up defensively as they wish and the Cubs’ lineup adds a power bat behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, making it even more formidable.

Though, the Indians’ experiment with Santana in left field worked out. He fielded a couple of routine fly balls and was largely untested. But it doesn’t mean the Indians necessarily enjoyed holding their breath.

“I thought Carlos did an amazing job,” Francona said. “He volunteered to do that. I was really proud of him. He's come a long way. Took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and I thought it was pretty cool. I'll be glad that we can DH somebody though.”

Feeling better

Lonnie Chisenhall is feeling better after falling ill hours before Game 5 in Chicago on Sunday.

Chisenhall spent most of the day at the team hotel before returning to the ballpark, and his condition had improved enough that he likely would have pinch-hit if the Indians reached the pitcher’s spot in the lineup in the ninth inning.

“He got there, I think, I think he got back about an hour, hour and a half before the game and while I was up there, I mean, he got a sandwich down, and he looked a lot better by the end of the night,” Francona said.

Chisenhall was covering his mouth in the clubhouse during media availability on Monday, though he’s expected to be fine for Game 6.

Positive presence

Michael Brantley hasn’t been able to help on the field, but he’s remained a steady presence in the Indians’ dugout and clubhouse.

He’s mentored Francisco Lindor. He’s given hitting and instructional advice when he can. He’s been involved—in varying degrees—in the club’s three celebrations since September. He’s continued to act as one of the leaders in the clubhouse the team pulled aside around last year’s trade deadline to discuss the Indians’ future and identity.

“I just feel like I’ve learned a lot through the years that I’ve been here,” Brantley said of giving advice to some of the younger players. “I’ve been with most of these guys for a while. Anything information-wise I can give or help throughout the course of a game that I've learned or I see, I try to help them out. It’s not the ideal situation for me. I’d love to be out there playing. But at the same time, I’ll do whatever I can to help this team win.”Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Bob Dyer: Buck ain’t great, but he’s no hater

Countless Indians fans insist that Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck hates our team and desperately wants the Cubs to win, and that his rooting interest is coming through loud and clear.

Well, Buck and his network probably are hoping the Cubs get to Game 7, because Chicago is the third-largest TV market in the country, and more games means more ad revenue.

And, truth be told, the Cubs have a better story line: 108 years without winning a World Series, compared to a mere 68 for us.

But if Fox is rooting for Chicago, you wouldn’t know it by watching Game 5.

I DVR’d Sunday’s game and replayed it Monday, legal pad in hand, listening intently to everything that was said.

Keep in mind that Your Favorite Columnist has been rooting for the Indians since he was old enough to root for anything. But I’m here to tell you that if you listen to that broadcast objectively, Buck went right down the middle.

He was extremely flattering to plenty of Indians, including manager Terry Francona: “I think he’s staring at the hall of fame.”

At times, Cub fans could have accused Buck of pulling for the Tribe. In the fourth inning with two runners on and no outs, he said, “Bauer needs a strikeout!” He could have said something like, “The Cubs could really use a hit here to boost their lead.”

Fox analyst John Smoltz as much as accused Chicago players of choking: “Some of these young guns for the Chicago Cubs have been a bit overwhelmed,” saying they need to calm down.

Yes, Buck seemed to blow off the Tribe when reliever Brian Shaw came into the game in the sixth inning. He blabbed away about the upcoming hitters for 23 seconds — even though the batting order hadn’t changed — and didn’t even mention the pitching change until after the first pitch had crossed the plate.

That’s just sloppy.

But he was sloppy in the other direction as well. When the Cubs’ Aroldis Chapman came to bat in the eighth — a real rarity for a closer who generally doesn’t pitch much longer than an inning or so — the $5 million-a-year announcer proclaimed, “He didn’t bat for the Cubs this season during the regular year.”

One pitch later, he corrected himself: “O-for-1 earlier in the season.”

The whole world is watching and you can’t figure out how many times Chicago’s star pitcher has batted, even though he was in the on-deck circle for an eternity and you could easily have looked it up?

I’m exaggerating the size of the audience only slightly. The ratings have been supersonic.

TV ratings rock

According to Sports Illustrated, Sunday’s game “drew a 15.3 overnight rating, topping the Cowboys-Eagles overtime game on NBC by 32 percent. [A “rating” is the percentage of everyone who owns a television, not just the percentage of people who are watching TV at that particular time.]

“Given national broadcasts of Cowboys’ games traditionally blow away all in its path, it’s a stunning number. …

“The game drew the highest overnight rating for any Major League Baseball game since Game 7 of the 2011 Rangers-Cardinals Fall Classic.”

The official ratings through the first four games showed the Series is averaging 18.2 million viewers, “making it the most-watched World Series through the first four games since 2009.”

Those watchers heard some doozies on Sunday.

Buck: “Pitchers don’t mind giving up solo home runs.” What? Pitchers detest giving up home runs! He later elaborated, saying they prefer solo home runs to homers with runners on base, but the damage was done.

Smoltz also unleashed a gem with the Tribe’s Rajai Davis on first: “He has to steal. It doesn’t even matter if he gets thrown out.”

What?

We want Hammy

In a perfect world, the TV picture and the radio sound would arrive in our households at the same time, enabling us to shut the Buck up and revel in the play-by-play call of our awesome homer, Tom Hamilton, who is continuing to shine as brightly as ever on the flagship station, WTAM (1100-AM).

But the radio action is significantly ahead of the TV action. So unless you want to feel like you’re watching three hours of instant replays, that just doesn’t work.

Among the other lowlights: Fox didn’t bother to set up a camera at Progressive Field, where 30,000 people were sitting in a drizzle to watch the Fox broadcast on the mammoth scoreboard.

A few highlights:

Smoltz’s assessment of Chapman’s batting style made me laugh Sunday and again Monday: “He looks hitter-ish.”

Eddie Vedder leading the crowd in Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

The super-slo-mo replays. TV technology has improved so much that we’re now able to watch the shape of the bat change when it hits the ball. Amazing stuff.

Hey ... maybe after Game 6 Fox will be showing some super-slo-mo shots of champagne corks flying around the Indians clubhouse.

I’ll drink to that!

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Josh Tomlin prepares for Game 6 start on short rest against Cubs’ Jake Arrieta

By RYAN LEWIS

Josh Tomlin has been a stabilizing force for the Indians through their run to the World Series. Tuesday night, he’ll take the mound for Game 6 with a chance to secure the Indians’ first World Series title since 1948 in front of their home fans.

And, he’ll try to do it on short rest for the first time since 2010. But that could be a simpler task than normal after Tomlin needed only 58 pitches to get through 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Indians’ 1-0 win in Game 3 in Chicago.

Tomlin is essentially preparing for this start as any other on normal rest. Part of it is the low pitch-count from Game 3. Part is that he’s been so consistent, owning 1.76 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings pitched in the postseason.

“The preparation on the field really doesn't change that much,” Tomlin said. “You listen to your body a little bit more on days like today and days like the couple days leading up to it just because you know you don't have that bullpen day or that longer bullpen day. And you probably don't get in two lifts, but I think you just listen to your body, do what you're capable of doing in the days leading up to this.”

Tomlin is the longest-tenured player in the Indians’ organization. He spent most of the year as the Indians’ No. 5 starting pitcher. He lost his spot in the rotation in August. Now, he takes the ball in the biggest game of his life with the Cubs countering with Jake Arrieta, their former Cy Young Award winner who was terrific in Game 2.

“I haven't really thought about it on a personal level,” Tomlin said. “I think about it as an organizational level and a team level, and how honored and how hard we've worked to get to this point. It means a lot to not just to 25 guys that are in that locker room but the organization as a whole. There's been a lot of guys that have been here a long time and never got to experience anything like this.”

Even holding a 3-2 lead and at home, it’s a tall task to finish off the 103-win Cubs.

“We understand it's not just about getting here, it's about trying to win as well,” Tomlin said. “There's nobody in that clubhouse that's complacent. It's not like we have a 3-2 lead, it's just going to happen. That's not the mindset we take at all. We have a game to play [Tuesday], and we're going to try to go out there and try to win that game. If not, we'll come back the next day and try to win that day.”

Should Tomlin deliver another quality start, the Indians’ task then becomes hitting Arrieta, which almost didn’t happen at all in Game 2, when he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

“We can only get better versus Arrieta,” said Jason Kipnis. “He no-hit us through however long. So, we've got to figure to improve on that a little bit. If you look, Tomlin's been great after losses for us. He's been pretty much our stopper. So, it's going to be a good matchup. It'll be a fun game. It'll be a tough one to win. I'm looking forward to it, though.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

1042430 Cleveland Indians

Marla Ridenour: Odds remain in Indians’ favor but there remain reasons to fear the Cubs

By Marla Ridenour

CHICAGO: 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 4½ 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.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Cubs edge out Indians in online merchandise sales, study finds

By Craig Webb Published: October 31, 2016 - 12:22 PM

The Indians may be leading the World Series 3 to 2 and have home field advantage for the last two games, but the Chicago Cubs have a wide lead in online merchandise sales.

A real-time look at merchandise sales by Slice Intelligence has found that the Cubs have sold more than five times more logo merchandise than the average Major League team this year and have seen a 118 percent growth in sales in the last year alone.

Taylor Stanton, marketing communications manager for Slice Intelligence, said the Indians have experienced a late season surge in sales with some 62 percent of Cleveland’s merchandise sales coming in October.

Slice Intelligence combs over the e-receipts of millions of consumers to track trends for companies and retailers.

The Cubs are the leader in the clubhouse for overall sales of Major League apparel.

The Indians have been a come-from-behind team with a ranking of 23 in terms of logo merchandise sales back in 2014 to rise to third behind the Cubs and Red Sox respectively this season.

In Ohio, the Indians are kings, ringing up 70 percent of the online sales of Major League merchandise this season. The Reds tally 7 percent of the state’s sales, while Cubs merchandise accounts for 3 percent of the online sales in Ohio.

The Cubs reign supreme in Illinois this season with 68 percent of the online sales. The St. Louis Cardinals come in second with 10 percent and the Chicago White Sox in third with 8 percent. The Indians account for 2 percent of the total sales in Illinois.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 11.01.2016

Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona proud of Carlos Santana; will he start Rajai Davis in Game 6?

Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians weaved their way through the National League portion of the World Series with success. Now the only thing left for them to do is win it all and schedule a parade.

When the series moved to Wrigley Field for Game 3, 4 and 5, manager Terry Francona knew he'd have to sit DH Carlos Santana or first baseman Mike Napoli. Santana volunteered to play left field so Francona would have the option of keeping Napoli and him in the lineup.

Santana started Games 3 and 5 in left field without incident. When he wasn't starting in left field, Santana started at first base in Game 4 on Saturday as Napoli sat in the land where pitchers hit.

"I thought Carlos did an amazing job," said Francona before Monday's workout at Progressive Field. "There were no crazy chances out there or anything, but everything that was hit to him, he looked like a left fielder. He actually got behind the one ball and made a nice throw, hit the cutoff man. I was really proud of him."

Santana, who played the outfield for the Dodgers in the minors, did a nice job with the bat as well at Wrigley Field. He went 4-for-8 with one homer, one RBI and two walks. In Saturday's 7-2 win in Game 4, he had three hits, including a home run.

"He volunteered to do that, and like I said, I was really proud of him," said Francona. "He's come a long way. Took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and I thought it was pretty cool. I'll be glad that we can DH somebody though."

The DH is back for Game 6 on Tuesday night with the Indians one win away from a World Series title. The Cubs will also get a chance to use Kyle Schwarber at DH in Game 6 and perhaps Game 7, if necessary.

Schwarber joined the Cubs from the Arizona Fall League for World Series after missing almost all of the regular season following a collision with teammate Dexter Fowler in the outfield on April 7. Schwarber went 3-for-7 with two RBI in the first two games.

When the series moved to Wrigley Field, Chicago's team doctors would not clear him to play in the outfield for fear that he'd re-injure his surgically repaired left knee. He was limited to pinch hitting, but Francona expects Schwarber to be back in the middle of Chicago's lineup for Game 6.

Feeling better: Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall, who was sent back to the team hotel on Sunday because he wasn't feeling well, rejoined the Indians before Game 5 and was available to pinch hit in the ninth inning.

On the move: After Rajai Davis had two hits, scored a run and became just the fifth player in history to steal three bases in a World Series game Sunday night, Francona said he was contemplating starting him against right-hander Jake Arrieta on Tuesday night.

Davis doesn't normally start against right-handers. Before Sunday night, he had only reached base twice in 12 postseason games. So despite leading the AL with 43 stolen bases during the regular season, Davis was unable take advantage of his speed until Sunday because he wasn't reaching base.

That left Francona with the choice of starting Davis or using him as a pinch runner later in the game. Davis told reporters Monday that he didn't think he'd start against Arrieta.

"That's something I can tell my kids and my grand kids about," said Davis, regarding Sunday's three steals. "To be in the World Series alone is an elite class. I don't know the names, but I'm sure there are some special names on the list."

Davis joined Honus Wagner, Willie Davis, Lou Brock and Melvin Upton as the only players to steal three or more bases in a World Series game. Davis knew Wagner because he came up with the Pirates.

"I wanted to use Honus Wagner's number (11), but they told me it was retired," said Davis. "It's an honor to be in the same class with those guys."

Davis, 36, is the oldest player in World Series history to steal three bases in one game. Davis and Kenny Lofton, Game 3 of the 1996 ALDS, are the only Indians to steal three bases in one postseason game.

Swing the bat: In the sixth inning Sunday night, Francisco Lindor drove in Davis to cut the Cubs lead to 3-2. The Indians never got any closer, but the single gave Lindor 18 hits in this postseason and eight for the World Series.

Lindor, 22, is the youngest player to have eight hits in the postseason since Edgar Renteria, 21 at the time, had nine hits against the Indians in the 1997 World Series.

Finally: Remember Corey Kluber's base hit Saturday night in Game 4? Kluber, the first Indians pitcher to collect a hit in the World Series since Chad Ogea in Game 6 in 1997, was using Michael Brantley's bat.

Not only that, Kluber broke in on his slow roller to third.

"That's OK, I've got plenty of bats," said Brantley.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

Will Cleveland Indians find Mr. November to deliver World Series title in Game 6?

By Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mr. October belongs to Reggie Jackson, but is there a Mr. November among the Indians or Cubs?

There's nothing new about World Series games being played in November. It's been happening since Arizona beat the Yankees in seven games in 2002 after the regular season was delayed by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. But you'll have to excuse the Indians and Cubs if they're new to this neighborhood.

The last time the Indians played in the World Series, they went seven games against the Marlins in 1997. When Edgar Renteria delivered his Game 7 dagger in the 11th inning, it was only Oct. 26.

Regarding the Cubs, the last time they played in the Fall Classic was 1945. It went seven games with the Cubs finally bowing out on Oct. 10.

So when the Cubs and Indians meet Tuesday night for Game 6 at Progressive Field on the first day of November, both organizations will be venturing into a month they've never played baseball in. They'll also be trying to win a championship that has eluded them for a combined 176 years.

The Indians, leading the series, 3-2, missed a chance to win it all Sunday night when they lost, 3-2, at Wrigley Field. But after splitting the first two games at Progressive Field, they took two out of three over the weekend on the Cubs home field, ensuring themselves a chance to win the title in front of their fans.

"We like the position we're in," said outfielder Rajai Davis.

Josh Tomlin will start Game 6 for the Indians, while the Cubs will go with Jake Arrieta. Tomlin, who will be pitching on short rest, threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Tribe's 1-0 win Friday in Game 3. Arrieta beat the Indians, 5-1, in Game 2, allowing one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Tomlin is the longest tenured Indian. He's a 19th round draft pick that made every stop on the organizational ladder before being invited to the big leagues. He's started and he's pitched in the bullpen. He's missed big chunks of time due to elbow and shoulder surgeries and he's always had to prove he belongs.

Now Tomlin is in position to give the Indians their first World Series title since 1948. Hall of Famer Bob Lemon beat the Boston Braves in Game 6 for the Indians last baseball championship on Oct. 11, 1948. Tomlin has a chance to do the same Tuesday night.

"I know it's a Game 6 and we have a chance of winning a World Series, but you still can't have that mindset of trying to go out there and win the game in the first inning," said Tomlin, 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA in three starts this postseason. "You have to go out there and take each pitch as it is and start living in that moment until Tito (manager Terry Francona) comes and gets the ball from me, and then see what happens."

Tomlin, after pitching his way out of the rotation following a bad August, is 4-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last eight appearances, including seven starts. He is 22-11 with a 3.88 ERA in 43 appearances, including 42 starts, since rejoining the rotation in August of 2015 following surgery on his right shoulder.

"He's got the biggest heart on this team," said first baseman Mike Napoli.

The Indians, who have enjoyed home field advantage throughout the postseason, are comfortable at Progressive Field. They tied Texas for the best home record in the AL during the regular season at 53-28.

In the postseason, they are 5-1 at home. The Cubs handed them their only home loss in Game 2.

The Cubs had the best home record in all of baseball at 57-24 during the season, but they won't be playing at Wrigley until next year.

"We feel very confident, especially being at home," said second baseman Jason Kipnis. "This season we've played a lot better here than we have on the road. We're still very positive about our situation."

Kipnis, like Tomlin, has spent his entire career with the Indians. He knows exactly where the team is at and what they could accomplish with another win. He also knows that this is not the time to stray from a path that has brought them an AL Central title, a pennant and 104 total victories this season.

"It would be a terrible idea to change what's working for us," said Kipnis. "What's working for us is grinding out games, doing the little things, running the bases and playing defense.

"We need to stick to the formula that got us here. It's been working for us so far and one loss isn't going to make us question or rethink everything. The Cubs are a good team over there."

The formula will be on display again Tuesday night. Whether it leads to a championship or a Game 7 on Wednesday night is unknown.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

Mike Clevinger's hair, Michael Brantley's bat and the Cleveland Indians' ice cream philosophies: Zack Meisel's musings

Zack Meisel

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The relievers line up along the brick wall down the right-field line at Wrigley Field.

There isn't a ton of interaction between the fans and the relievers during the action.

"They have a quick trigger at Wrigley to throw you out and those are probably pretty expensive seats that they don't want to waste," said rookie reliever Mike Clevinger.

When Clevinger toed the warmup rubber during Game 5, however, he heard the taunts.

"It's usually guys from the back who can't really be seen who yell stuff out," he said.

Clevinger was a bit disappointed in the fans' creativity.

"A million different hair comments," said Clevinger, who sports long, brown locks. "Not anything super creative. Just, like, 'Hey, you look like my mom.'

"When they're good, I'll interact back. When they're not good, it's not even worth the time."

Clevinger, whose season started at Triple-A Columbus, has logged two scoreless innings in the World Series. He said his experience on Sunday, pitching at a landmark location in a potential title-clinching game, provided "an all-out adrenaline rush."

When he took over for Trevor Bauer, he could no longer hear those taunts.

"I couldn't help but be locked in in that moment," he said.

Here are five notes on the Tribe as the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday night.

1. Sick bay: Tribe manager Terry Francona said Lonnie Chisenhall was available on Sunday night, after the right fielder had been sent back to the team hotel because of a stomach bug. Chisenhall eventually made his way back to Wrigley Field, and Francona said he was a pinch-hitting option had the Indians mounted any sort of rally against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.

"He got a sandwich down, and he looked a lot better by the end of the night," Francona said.

2. Hangin' out: Michael Brantley played cards with birthday boy Mike Napoli in the Indians' clubhouse on Monday afternoon. Brantley said he's feeling good as he continues his rehab from his season-ending surgery.

Corey Kluber borrowed -- and broke -- one of Brantley's bats in Game 4. He eventually registered a hit in the at-bat, which produced a go-ahead run.

"I have plenty of bats back there," Brantley said. "He got a single out of it. I'm not worried about it at all."

Brantley has traveled with the team throughout the postseason. Several players and coaches have noted how valuable his influence in the dugout and in the clubhouse has been.

"Anything information-wise I can give or help throughout the course of a game that I've learned or I see, I try to help them out," Brantley said. "It's not the ideal situation for me. I'd love to be out there playing. But at the same time, I'll do whatever I can to help this team win."

3. Ease the burden: One note to remember when considering that Josh Tomlin will pitch on short rest in Game 6: The right-hander threw only 58 pitches in his Game 3 outing in Chicago. Though he has pitched well in all three of his postseason starts, Tomlin hasn't lasted longer than 5 2/3 innings. So, it's not like the Indians will need him to throw 100 pitches on Tuesday, especially with a well-rested bullpen at Francona's disposal.

4. October diet: Francona outlined, scoop by scoop, how he handled his stress and hunger the night before Game 5. His room service order, which carried a $44 tab -- and that's before the tip -- included the following:

*Brownie sundae

*Two orders of chocolate ice cream

*Two orders of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce

*Berries

*Diet Coke

Is that how everyone in the organization deals with the pressures of late October?

Not exactly.

Pitching coach Mickey Callaway said he's so exhausted by the time his head hits the pillow that he has slept great during the postseason. It probably helps that his pitchers have performed so well all month.

General manager Mike Chernoff and president Chris Antonetti opt for working out instead of gorging on ice cream.

"When you're that into a game and your adrenaline is going, it's hard to settle down at night," Chernoff said. "It's hard to turn it off when you get back home. The only way I try to stay sane is just exercise the next morning. Whatever time I get up, I just exercise."

Antonetti follows a similar routine.

"I don't think there's anyone in either organization that's sleeping very well right now," Antonetti said. "That's just the nature of it. It's fun. I'm enjoying it. I enjoy all of the emotions that go along with it, from the anticipation to the anxiety to the joy to the pain, all of it. It's a pretty cool time of year."

5. Swing, batter: Bauer said he intended to keep his bat on his shoulder when he approached the plate in the third inning of Game 5. He took two strikes, but then he battled his way to a seven-pitch at-bat. He fouled back a pitch, fouled a pitch down the right-field line -- which he, and many others, thought was a fair ball -- and then lofted a pitch to right, which Jason Heyward snagged after scaling the wall near the visiting bullpen.

"It was a good play," Bauer said. "I can respect people who play the game hard and go out there and make good plays."

Pierre's Ice Cream sends Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona an ice cream "World Series Survival Kit"

Janet H. Cho

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Just in case Cleveland Indians' Manager Terry Francona gets another emergency craving for stress-relieving ice cream, Pierre's Ice Cream has sent over a "World Series Survival Kit" full of enough frozen treats to feed the entire team.

Cleveland-based Pierre's heard about his late-night order of ice cream from room service during the early morning hours before Sunday's Game 5 of the World Series matchup with the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. The Cubs won that game, but are trailing the Indians in the best-of-seven series.

"With the series moving back to Cleveland... as a proud Cleveland company and the official ice cream of the Cleveland Indians, we wanted to do our part to help Mr. Francona and the team on to victory in Game 6!" said Matt Thornicroft, Pierre's assistant marketing and communications manager, who hand-delivered the container to the Indians' Clubhouse.

Although Pierre's is available to fans at Progressive Field, Pierre's wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to take his eyes off the game for his ice-cream fix.

"It was a large container loaded with all of the fun flavors, complete with serving supplies," Thornicroft said. "In all it was about 32 containers (14 1.5-quart containers and 18 pints), equivalent to 240 half-cup servings... enough for members of the team to enjoy as well."

Pierre's Survival Kit included:

-- Premium French Vanilla: "An old reliable that can't go wrong. It's been through all the highs and lows and was even around when the Indians won the World Series in 1948!"

-- Signature Mocha Mud Pie: "For those times when we're thinking, 'We could use grand slam right now' ... coffee ice cream, chocolate ice cream, cookie fudge swirl and chocolate cream cookies. Best served over the middle of the plate."

-- Premium Campfire Toasted S'mores: "Ideal for a 'fall classic.' It's hard not to enjoy s'mores on a cool autumn night."

-- Signature Speculoos Cookie Butter: "Need a quick pinch hitter? It's vanilla ice cream with speculoos cookies and a speculoos cookie butter swirl. One scoop and you're good to go."

-- Smooth Churned Waffle Cone Sundae: "An an instant sundae so you won't miss an inning of the action!"

-- Premium Black Raspberry Chip: "A delicious double: raspberry ice cream with chocolaty chips."

-- Mango Sorbet: "A taste of sunshine, excellent by itself or for sodas to sip on during the game."

-- Premium Strawberry Cheesecake: "This triple features cheesecake ice cream with cinnamon pie crust pieces and a strawberry swirl. A good ice cream cone flavor ... that allows your other hand to remain free for the scorebook."

-- Premium Chocolate: "For when all you need is a clutch hit."

-- "Everything but the Kitchen Sink": "For when you have to do what needs to be done to win it all."

"As with all Pierre's Ice Cream, and watching the World Series, it's best enjoyed with friends," Thornicroft said.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

The World Series: Prepare for a 'traffic jam' of people

CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the first time in 52 years, Cleveland has a chance to win a sports championship at home.

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians will take on the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field in Game 6 of the World Series, giving the team the opportunity to bring the city its first home-won championship since the Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts in 1964. The Indians, who will play Game 7 in Cleveland on Wednesday if necessary, have not won a championship at home since 1920.

For a city that has rallied behind the scrappy Indians team, expect crowds downtown this week.

From across the country, world, Indians fans converge on Cleveland

The Indians will play at 8:08 p.m. Tuesday – and Wednesday, if necessary – and the Cleveland Cavaliers will face off against the Houston Rockets at the Q next door at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Gates at Progressive Field will open at 6 p.m. both days; the Q will open at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Cavs game, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., was moved up an hour at team owner Dan Gilbert's request. He estimates the basketball game will over by the second inning and plans to show the Indians game on the Humongotron at the Q after the Cavs game ends.

CLE, we fought hard to move @cavs tip to 6pm tomorrow so you wouldn't be torn. @cavs game should end by 2nd inning. Can't wait, @Indians!

— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) October 31, 2016

"We really anticipate people will stay downtown to watch that," said Linda Krecic, spokeswoman for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. "So, we'll have both venues emptying out at the same time...hopefully, emptying out to celebrate a victory, as well."

RTA

RTA is planning for crowds like those seen downtown Oct. 25 when Game 1 of the World Series and the Cavs home opener – and banner raising and ring ceremony – took place on the same night. That night, RTA transported about 25,000 people on its Red Line alone.

"The problem comes when everybody tries to leave at the same time," Krecic said. "With Game 1, everyone did leave at the same time. There is going to be a backup, a traffic jam of people."

During Game 1, lines for the trains snaked through Tower City to the walkway to the Gateway Plaza, leaving many passengers frustrated, waiting more than an hour for a train out of the city.

"What will help this time is that we will have additional staffing to provide communication to people waiting," Krecic said.

While RTA was transporting people as fast as they could – a maximum of 7,000 to 10,000 people per hour – on the rail lines, part of the problem was confusion about where there were delays.

Passengers waiting for the better-flowing Blue and Green Lines were caught in the same bottleneck in the walkway as those waiting for the Red line, which was at capacity. Krecic said RTA hopes better communication will move people through Tower City to the Rotunda (for the Green and Blue Lines) and to Track 7 (the temporary platform for the Red Line).

As it did for Game 1, RTA will be adding an extra car to each of its trains, meaning the Red Line will be running three-car trains and the Blue and Green Lines will be running two-car trains. Trains will be running at 10-minute intervals.

RTA pledged at the beginning of the World Series to extend its train service until an hour after each game ends, including away games, to accommodate fans attending both games and watch parties. That includes the Green Line, which typically shuts down at 9 p.m. The change does not impact the Waterfront Line, which stops running at 7 p.m.

To help cut down on wait times, RTA is encouraging passengers to use its mobile app, which allows riders to board the train without waiting in line at ticketing kiosks. During Game 1, about 350 people used mobile passes, Krecic said.

RTA also will continue to sell $5 cash-only round trip World Series commemorative passes, and will have extra workers available to help passengers. RTA also sells a regular all-day pass for $5.50.

There is free parking available at a number of RTA stations, including the Green Road Station.

Parking

Free parking may be helpful for those coming downtown for the Indians and Cavs games. While parking in Cleveland was at normal special event prices during most of the World Series, for Game 1 some lots were charging as high as $100. And, with the Indians looking to get a championship win at home, it's likely crowds will be closer to Game 1 levels.

Parking prices out of the park for World Series, Cavs home opener

The Gateway East parking garage will be closed on Tuesday to all daily and monthly parkers. The garage only will accept Cavaliers and Indians game-day passes, not monthly passes or cash, for parking.

Road closures

"The final two games of the World Series are expected to draw large crowds that may cause traffic delays in the downtown area," the city said in a news release.

The Division of Police will institute parking bans on the following streets from noon to 2 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2. to help with traffic flow:

Prospect Avenue from Ontario Street to East14th Street.

Huron Road from Ontario Street to Prospect Avenue.

Bolivar Road from East 9th Street to East 14th Street.

Carnegie Avenue from East 9th Street to East 14th Street.

East 9th Street from Superior Avenue to Carnegie Avenue.

East 4th Street from Huron Road to Prospect Avenue.

World Series schedule

Game 6: Cubs at Indians, 8:08 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1

Game 7: Cubs at Indians, 8:08 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

Cleveland Indians' Rajai Davis finally gets to turn on jets in World Series

Paul Hoynes

CHICAGO – There was never a question of speed with Rajai Davis. The question was whether he'd get on base to use it while the Indians were still in the postseason.

Davis, who led the American League with 43 steals during the regular season, reached base twice in 12 postseason games entering Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

That's twice as in one walk and one hit for a .115 onbase percentage.

Davis changed that in Game 5 as he went 2-for-4 with a run and three stolen bases. The Indians lost, 3-2, and in doing so missed a chance to win their first World Series since 1948, but Davis certainly reminded both managers – the Tribe's Terry Francona and Chicago's Joe Maddon – what he can do in what remains of the 112th World Series.

"It's just fun to be able to get on base," said Davis. "That's where I feel most comfortable. I was just able to take advantage of what they gave me."

The three steals by Davis was just the fifth time in World Series history that a player has stolen three bases in one game. Honus Wagner, Lou Brock (twice), Willie Davis and Melvin Upton did it before Davis.

Davis' second hit of the postseason didn't arrive until the sixth inning Sunday. He sent a Jon Lester pitch into left field with the Cubs leading, 3-1. Davis wasted no time stealing second against Lester, who has the yips about throwing to first base.

Lester struck out Jason Kipnis for the second out, but Francisco Lindor singled to score Davis and make it a 3-2 lead.

In the eighth, Davis singled behind first base with one out and closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound. A diving stop by Anthony Rizzo prevented it from being double.

Mike Napoli says Indians still confident

Davis, trying to give his teammates a chance to drive him in, stole second. Kipnis, however, flied out to left field.

Lindor, the top Tribe's postseason hitter was next, as Davis stole third. Lindor, however, struck out against Chapman to end the threat. In fact, Lindor didn't offer at Chapman's last two pitches – both at 100 mph – to end the threat. But the fact that Davis was able to distract Chapman is something that could still help the Tribe before this World Series ends.

"I definitely think when he kept stepping off (the rubber) is a sign that you lose your focus a little bit," said Davis. "He threw a couple of pitches that were way out of the strike zone that we offered at – but it's tough to pick him up sometimes – especially since he's a lefty and he's throwing 103 mph.

"We just have to score more runs so we don't put ourselves in that position again."

Rajai Davis still burning rubber at 35

In Game 5, the Cubs beat the Indians to the bullpen. More importantly, they beat them to the bullpen with the lead so manager Joe Maddon could give Chapman, his closer, the ball in the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead.

"Look we won this part of the series, taking two out of three here," said Davis. "Three would have been obviously a plus. But to go back home in this position (with a 3-2 lead) we're still in a good spot."

The Indians led the AL in stolen bases during the regular season. Davis showed the way for teammates Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis, but there are still lessons to learn. After driving in Davis on Sunday, Lindor was thrown out attempting to steal second to end the sixth.

Lindor has been the Tribe's top hitter in the postseason, but in the World Series the Cubs have curtailed his activity on the bases. He has one steal, but he been caught twice and picked off once.

"That was a risk that we were willing to take, especially at that point of the game," said Davis. "He was being aggressive and they still have to make a good throw. I would have liked Lindor to get out a little farther than he was, but you live and learn by that."

A reporter asked Davis to paint a picture of what Progressive Field will be like Tuesday night for a potential World-Series clinching victory.

"I don't know what kind of picture it's going to be," said Davis. "All I know is that there are going to be a lot of screaming Cleveland fans and that's what we like. We're excited to go back there and play one more game."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

'Sometimes it doesn't work out for you': Trevor Bauer laments poor fortune in Game 5 loss to Chicago Cubs

Zack Meisel

CHICAGO -- Trevor Bauer believes he made only one miscue on a chilly Sunday night on the north side of the Windy City.

Terry Francona and Mickey Callaway suggested the right-hander committed two mistakes in a fourth inning that made Game 5 an uphill climb the Indians could not conquer.

Otherwise, Bauer brought all of the proper ingredients to the mound to stir together a strong start. He had pinpoint command and unrivaled zip on his two-seam fastball. He threw his arcing curveball for strikes and convinced batters to chase the pitch even when it plunged into the dirt in front of the plate. He tallied seven strikeouts while facing only 18 hitters.

"I executed a lot of pitches," Bauer said. "I threw the ball really well. I know you guys are going to write differently, but I pitched really well tonight."

He just couldn't push through that three-run fourth without a few hiccups.

It wasn't all his doing; surely, Addison Russell's infield single and Javy Baez's bunt base hit can't fall upon Bauer's shoulders.

But he still surrendered the Cubs' three runs. He still suffered his second loss in the series. He still had to explain how control of the game shifted hands during that forgettable frame.

Tribe falls short in Game 5, 3-2

There's a reason a boisterous fan holding a white "Fly The W" banner incessantly shouted at Bauer from the stands during his postgame session with reporters.

"BAUER, CAN YOU PITCH GAME 6? BAUER CAN YOU PITCH GAME SIX? BAUER, WE NEED YOU ON THE MOUND IN GAME 6. WE LOVE YOU, BAUER."

"ONE MORE TIME, BAUER. ONE MORE TIME. YOU CAN PITCH NEXT GAME, BAUER."

"BAUUUUUUUERRRRRR. BAUUUUUUUERRRRRR."

"BAUER, YOU'VE GOT IT IN YA. ONE MORE GAME, BAUER. ONE MORE GAME. ONE MORE GAME, BAUER."

"I executed pitches, tried to stick to the game plan," Bauer said. "They hit some pitches and I got unlucky, too."

Ah, fortune: Bauer's sworn enemy. When things go awry, he often notes its absence.

Mickey Callaway on Trevor Bauer in Game 5

Bauer said his lone mistake in Chicago's abrupt scoring binge came on Ben Zobrist's solid single to right.

"With the exception of the 3-0 pitch to Zobrist, I located every single one of the pitches they hit exactly where I wanted them," Bauer said. "Sometimes it doesn't work out for you."

That followed a Kris Bryant home run -- which left the third baseman's bat at 104.5 mph -- and an Anthony Rizzo double.

"Bryant and Rizzo jumped on fastballs that caught too much of the plate," Francona said. "They were down, but too much of the plate. Zobrist had a really good at-bat."

Bauer stressed that he hit his spot on Bryant's home run, that catcher Roberto Perez never moved his glove. Callaway said Bauer "didn't get the ball up enough" and Bryant "made him pay." The pitching coach said he made a similar mistake to Rizzo.

"Other than that, those two pitches," Callaway said, "I thought he threw the ball pretty well and his stuff was really good."

Callaway said Bauer would be available out of the bullpen for the final two games. Before the hurler walked to the team bus, he briefly exchanged words with his least favorite fan.

The crowd should be a bit less hostile for Bauer in Cleveland, where the Indians will have two stabs at a fourth and final series victory. The thought of that didn't exactly brighten Bauer's mood, though.

"I wanted to win tonight," he said.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 11.01.2016

'You want this to happen so badly': Everything comes full circle for former Cleveland Indians slugger Jim Thome at the World Series Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One by one, the familiar faces filed toward Jim Thome and his son, who sat in a couple of seats adjacent to the far end of the visitor's dugout at Wrigley Field. The Indians' strength and conditioning coaches each visited with Thome. Mike Napoli stopped over to exchange pleasantries. Then, Sandy Alomar Jr. walked over and shared a hug with his former teammate. Nineteen years ago on this stage, with Alomar and Thome serving as linchpins in a loaded lineup, the Indians suffered harrowing heartache. On Sunday night, with Thome sporting a navy and red World Series jacket, his son, Landon, donning a white No. 25 Thome jersey and Alomar wearing gray Tribe getup, the former teammates reunited and reminisced. Now, Alomar is seeking salvation as the Tribe's first-base coach. Thome attended Game 5 in Chicago to watch his old buddy and his former team attempt to conquer what they once found to be an unscalable postseason mountain. "As en ex-player, you feel it with them," Thome told cleveland.com. "You want this to happen so badly. It's for the ex-players, it's for those families of ex-players, it's for fans who were part of the '90s and beyond. It's for the new generation of young kids." The Indians couldn't close the door on the Cubs on Sunday night. The series shifts back to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The Indians have two shots to secure one, franchise-altering win. They have two chances to capture the club's first championship in 68 years. The man who ranks seventh in baseball history with 612 home runs will be inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame on Saturday evening. In 1997, the Indians had an opportunity to stand alone in the spotlight. Instead, they watched the Florida Marlins spill out onto the field and celebrate. "I thought every year, 'We're going to go back,'" Thome said. "And I, personally, never got the chance to go back to a World Series. So my advice is to soak this all in." As en ex-player, you feel it with them. You want this to happen so badly. This is Alomar's first venture back to the World Series. "This is a phenomenal experience," Alomar said. "You can be coaching or playing for a lot of years and never see the World Series again." Alomar joked that he didn't think any of the current Indians players "have any idea that [he] played in the postseason." "As a fan of his, as an ex-teammate," Thome said, "I hope this all leads into something great for him. Maybe one day, he'll get to manage. I would love to see him get that opportunity." Thome and his son have paid close attention to the Cavaliers' franchise arc over the last few years. They have attended NBA Finals games. Landon worships LeBron James. The Cavs hung their first championship banner at Quicken Loans Arena last week. Next door, the Indians hosted Game 1 of the World Series, with Thome in attendance and Alomar at his usual spot, a few feet from first base. "The whole vibe around the outside of the ballpark was so cool," said Thome, who grew up in Peoria, Illinois, watching the Cubs on WGN. "It's very similar to what we went through in the '90s." That era produced nearly a decade's worth of entertaining, successful clubs. None of them, however, stood triumphant above the rest of the league's contenders. This group has a chance to do just that. "You don't want to get ahead of yourself, but it's exciting," Thome said. "It's exciting to think about what could be ahead. "It's what you live for. It's what you dream of." In this week's Thursday Conversation, Thome discusses his storied career, the Indians' shortcomings in the World Series, his departure for Philadelphia and his rapport with the city and fan base. Radio voices of Cubs, Indians reveal what it’s like to call the 2016 World Series RICHARD DEITSCH/SI Pat Hughes has thought about it. Hell, how could he not? Hughes has been the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs for the past 21 years and his beloved team is just two wins away from its first World Series title since 1908. Has he thought about how he’d handle the moment should the Cubs win the World Series? You bet he has. Tom Hamilton has thought about it too. Hell, how could he not? Hamilton has been the radio voice of the Cleveland Indians for the past 27 years, including calling near-misses in 1995 and ‘97. His beloved team is just one win from its first World Series title since 1948. Has he thought about how he’d handle the moment should the Indians win the World Series? You bet he has. While most of the country has experienced the World Series through Fox announcers Joe Buck and John Smoltz, Hughes and Hamilton are the audio soundtracks for diehard Cubs and Indians fans. Given the lengths of service for each broadcaster—think of all the miles they have traveled with their respective teams—this is a particular emotional series for them. After the Cubs clinched the National League pennant last Saturday, Mitch Rosen, the executive producer for Cubs baseball and the program director for 670 The Score in Chicago, said Hughes did not leave his seat in the broadcast booth for 90 minutes after he went off the air. Rosen said Hughes sat quietly listening to the postgame show while absorbing the celebration at Wrigley Field. “I can’t imagine if they win what his emotions will be like,” Rosen said.

Hamilton, 62, and Hughes, 61, are close in age as well as tight away from the ballpark. When Hughes’s wife, Trish, had cancer eight years ago, Hamilton checked in often via phone, and sent plenty of gifts. “I am thrilled for Pat,” Hamilton said. “He is one of the very elite broadcaster in baseball, a good friend and a terrific human being. Said Hughes of Hamilton: “Tom is a great announcer and one of my best friends in the business—a wonderful guy and a great announcer. We have been laughing and having a great time about this.” Hughes, in particular, has a profile that extends far beyond Lake Michigan, given the Cubs are an international brand. That means occasionally famous people come up to him to thank him for his work. For instance, after Game 2 of the World Series in Cleveland, Hughes happened to find himself in the same elevator as former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and actor John Cusack. In the elevator, Cusack kissed his hands, grabbed Hughes, and told him how much he liked his call of the Cubs winning the NLCS. “It’s always a little jarring when a famous person says something to you about you,” said Hughes, who spent 12 years calling Brewers games with Bob Uecker before moving to the Cubs in 1996. “You almost feel like your world is upside down for a few minutes.” The radio call of the last out for this World Series—given the drought for each of the teams—is a moment that will be replayed long after Hamilton and Hughes are gone. Both men have the same philosophy: They will not script the last out. “The reason most of got into radio play by play is because of the spontaneity of the job,” Hamilton said. “To try to script something would come across phony for me. You just hope the good Lord gives you the proper words at the right time because you don’t know how the game will end. ‘’ “Here are two different conclusions to a ballgame: One has the Cubs leading 11–0 and they win the game, the other has Kris Bryant belting a game-winning three-run home run for the victory,” Hughes said. “Those are two completely different feelings and our call will be dictated by how the game finishes. You don’t want to plan out something because it may not feel the actual feeling of the moment. You always have a few thoughts that go through your mind, and if the Cubs win the World Series, I will say something about them being the World Champions. But you don’t want to script it out word for word.” During the postseason Hughes said he’s been thinking a lot about Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, his broadcast partner for 15 years, and some of the great announcers of the Cubs past including Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse. (Hughes is a noted baseball broadcasting historian and has a side business—Baseball Voices—where he produces audio tributes to some of the craft’s best voices.) Hughes said he was a little nervous before calling the final out of the NLCS but reminded himself how many things he loved were coming together in one singular moment. “I love the Chicago Cubs and their fans, the history of baseball and the history of baseball broadcasting,” Hughes said. “So I thought just treat this moment as something you love. I read that Vin Scully said once he always said a little prayer before a big moment just so he would not make a horrendous mistake. It is frightening to be a live performer. You don’t know how the words will tumble out of your mouth. So I try to stay calm, make the call and whatever follows you just have to live with it. You hope you are up for the moment.” Hamilton said that one of the things that sustained him through Cleveland’s losing seasons was some advice he received from the late Herb Score, his first partner in Cleveland. Score told him that a baseball broadcast could never reflect the club’s record. “Herb said you owe the listeners the very best no matter the record,” Hamilton said. “Plus, you never know if you will see something that night or day something that you have never seen before.” (If you have never heard his work, here is Hamilton’s call of Cleveland winning Game 3 on Friday.) Though Hamilton has called World Series games before, he said this Series feels different for a number of reasons. “One, I am 20 years older and maybe with old age comes a much greater appreciation on how special this is,” Hamilton said. “I was young and dumb and now I’m old and dumb. After 1997, I never envisioned it would take another 19 years to return. So I have a much greater appreciation for it now than I did then.” Joe Buck said on Sunday that he can relate to both Hughes and Hamilton in that it’s a daunting thought to call the final out of a World Series. He knows both broadcasters and said he has great fondness for the two of them. “I can tell you they will go to bed thinking about it and will awake thinking about it,” Buck said. “As much as you might not want to plan something out, you definitely can’t avoid the thought. This will be an historic call and these are two guys that can handle it. They will make it about the team and not about themselves, and that’s how it should be.” THE NOISE REPORT (SI.com examines some of the week’s most notable sports media stories) 1. Fox MLB analyst John Smoltz said he prepared more for his current role as a World Series analyst than any other job he’s had in baseball. “When you are pitching, you only have to prepare for eight or nine guys,” Smoltz said last week. “As a broadcaster, you have to look at 18 guys in a playing scenario, then of course the bench, the bullpen. I spend a lot of time looking at data, probably too much of it, and there’s a lot of video. And there’s not a moment that I’ve been through in my career that I don’t believe I can translate to television.” While most of the broadcasting attention for the World Series has focused on Fox’s pregame show, Smoltz has been the on-air star of Fox’s coverage. The Hall of Fame pitcher has provided a clinic for viewers on both pitching philosophy and how hitters approach at-bats. Unlike last year’s booth featuring the ear-splitting Harold Reynolds, Smoltz is judicious with his words and lets the broadcast breath. (He and Chris Spielman, in my opinion, are the two best on-air hires Fox Sports has made over the last 24 months.) I wrote this in 2011 about how Smoltz educated viewers for TBS—and he’s now doing on the biggest stage of his sport. “He’s been a joy and I can tell you that I think it’s his on-field experience that leads him to being completely calm in calling his first World Series,” said Buck. “There is no difference in John Smoltz in Game 5 of the World Series than the first game we did together in San Francisco to start our season. I swear to you, no nerves … His work has blown me away. It just fits and it’s not rushed. We have a good pace and that’s because he is not going 100 miles an hour.” 1a. If you’ve watched Fox’s MLB pregame and postgame studio show, you’ve seen Alex Rodriguez sitting in the center seat of the panel. I thought that was interesting given Rodriguez is the newest member of the panel (host Kevin Burkhardt, analysts Pete Rose, Frank Thomas and Tom Verducci). So I asked Fox Sports vice president of production Bardia Shah-Rais about the decision-making on seating. “Alex sits next to Kevin because Kevin as the host provides a comfort factor to a relative newcomer analyst,” said Shah-Rais. “We always want to put our people in a position to succeed and it makes sense for a guy fresh off the field to sit next to the host—we did this last year and it worked well. Basically, we look at talent seating this way: If you were assigning seats at a dinner so you could maximize a conversation—how would you sit people? You want real interaction and comfortable banter.”

1b. Here is the World Series viewership for the Cubs-Indians through four games: Game 4: 16.7 million viewers Game 3: 19.4M Game 2: 17.4M Game 1: 19.4M The Series is averaging 18.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched World Series through the first four games since 2009 (19.1 million viewers after four games.) 1c. Game 3 of the World Series drew 19.4 million viewers on Fox, the most-watched World Series Game 3 since 2004 (24.4 million viewers for the Red Sox-Cardinals) and the most-watched baseball telecast since 2014’s World Series Game 7 between the Giants and Royals (23.5 million viewers). Viewership was up 47% over last year’s World Series Game 3 (vs.13.2 million viewers) and Fox said the game drew 300,000 viewers on Fox Deportes, the most-watched World Series game on Spanish-language television since Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. 1d. Something very annoying: Because MLB’s contract with ESPN Radio dictates that affiliates must carry ESPN’s coverage of the World Series, the only Indians station carrying the series is flagship WTAM-AM. Thus, many Indians’ fans who are used to hearing Hamilton’s call are not getting it. World Series: Indians glad to be back home ... and just a win away from a title ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram CLEVELAND — The Indians were unable to clinch the World Series in Game 5 at Wrigley Field on Sunday night, but there is a silver lining. Now they have the opportunity to win their first world championship since 1948 in front of the hometown fans. Progressive Field, which was nearly sold out for watch parties during the three World Series games in Chicago, is expected to be at a fever pitch when the series shifts to Cleveland tonight for Game 6. “I’m very excited,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said after the 3-2 Game 5 loss that left the Indians’ series edge over the Cubs at 3-2. “It gave me goosebumps just watching them (at the watch parties) when I went back to the hotel (Saturday). It should be special. I’m looking forward to it, and God willing, we will win.” “They’re ready, they’re deserving,” Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, a Chicago native who grew up a Cubs fan, said of Tribe fans. “I’ve adopted them as my own, and they’ve adopted me. They know I love that city, and we’re one win away from giving them a championship.” Still, there are ominous narratives for the Indians. The last time Cleveland owned a 3-1 advantage in a seven-game series, it did not end well. The Indians lost Game 5 of the American League Championship Series to the Francona-led Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field in 2007, then proceeded to drop the final two games at Fenway Park. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series. The Cavaliers overcame that deficit to win the city’s first championship, with Clevelanders — and much of the nation — poking fun at the Golden State Warriors for blowing the 3-1 lead. How ironic would it be if the Indians did the same thing this time around? The Cubs did regain their footage a bit Sunday, notching their first World Series win at Wrigley since 1945. After the game, MVP candidates Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo talked of taking care of business in Cleveland. “Whoever says they want to go to Cleveland, especially in November?” Cubs catcher Miguel Montero told reporters after Sunday’s win. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say those words, but right now, there’s no place I’d rather be.” The Indians will send right-hander Josh Tomlin to the mound tonight. Tomlin, who will be pitching on short rest, has been outstanding this postseason (2-0, 1.76 ERA in five starts) but he’s squaring of against a reigning Cy Young award winner in Jake Arrieta (2-1, 3.78), who didn’t allow a hit over the first 5 1/3 innings of the Cubs’ Game 2 win in Cleveland. “It’s gotta be better against him this time,” said Kipnis, who broke up Arrieta’s no-hit bid. “He no-hit us for six innings last time. You gotta figure it’s going to be better than that.” Tomlin wasn’t too taxed after throwing only 58 pitches over 4 2/3 scoreless innings of his Game 3 start in Cleveland — a 1-0 Indians win. “Fifty-eight pitches is, yeah, it’s 58 pitches,” Tomlin said prior to a workout Monday at Progressive Field. “So it’s obviously a little better than throwing 100 or 110, but in this environment you’re still get up and down four or five times and a little more stressful than a regular-season start. “But the body’s feeling good. Everything’s feeling the same as it did last start, so hopefully that bodes well for me.” The unheralded Tomlin is back in the spotlight on the biggest of stages, but he’s been steady under pressure all postseason. “I know it’s a Game 6 and we have a chance of winning a World Series, but you still can’t have that mindset of trying to go out there and win the game in the first inning,” he said. “You have to go out there and take each pitch as it is and start living in that moment until Tito comes and gets the ball, and then see what happens.” Long time coming Indians manager Terry Francona is tiring of the talk surrounding the organization’s world title drought. Of course, the Cubs have a title drought that has been mentioned once or twice since celebrating their last World Series championship in 1908. “I get it that fans have lived through maybe not winning,” Francona said, “and it’s fun to talk about or to commiserate, but it’s also unfair to the group in there to ask them to win for other people. This is hard enough doing it right now. “Believe me, we’ve never had a meeting saying, ‘Whatever, it’s been how many years.’ I mean, I’m aware of it, because people have asked, but we just need to go play baseball.” Out in left Francona praised Carlos Santana for his effort in left field during Games 3 and 5 at Wrigley Field. “I thought Carlos did an amazing job,” he said. “There were no crazy chances out there or anything, but everything that was hit to him, he looked like a left fielder. Actually got behind the one ball and made a nice throw, hit the cutoff man. I was really proud of him. “He volunteered to do that, and like I said, I was really proud of him. He’s come a long way. Took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and I thought it was pretty cool. I’ll be glad that we can DH somebody though.” Tip time

The Cavaliers lobbied to have the start time for their game against Houston tonight moved up an hour to 6 p.m., and the NBA obliged, meaning fans can still make it over to Progressive Field for most of Game 6. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said the game will also be shown on the Quicken Loans Arena’s Humongotron for fans who want to stick around and watch the Indians game at The Q. Roundin’ third

Francona said right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall was over the illness that forced him back to the team hotel prior to Game 5 on Sunday. Chisenhall returned to Wrigley Field by game time, with Francona saying he was an option to pinch hit in the ninth inning.

The Indians are underdogs in Game 6 (+130), but are the favorites (-225) to win the World Series. Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on Tribe notes: Francona tires of talk of droughts ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-Telegram Indians manager Terry Francona is tiring of the talk surrounding the organization’s world title drought. Of course, the Cubs have a title drought that has been mentioned once or twice since celebrating their last World Series championship in 1908. “I get it that fans have lived through maybe not winning,” Francona said, “and it’s fun to talk about or to commiserate, but it’s also unfair to the group in there to ask them to win for other people. This is hard enough doing it right now. “Believe me, we’ve never had a meeting saying, ‘Whatever, it’s been how many years.’ I mean, I’m aware of it, because people have asked, but we just need to go play baseball.” Out in left Francona praised Carlos Santana for his effort in left field during Games 3 and 5 at Wrigley Field. “I thought Carlos did an amazing job,” he said. “There were no crazy chances out there or anything, but everything that was hit to him, he looked like a left fielder. Actually got behind the one ball and made a nice throw, hit the cutoff man. I was really proud of him. “He volunteered to do that, and like I said, I was really proud of him. He’s come a long way. Took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and I thought it was pretty cool. I’ll be glad that we can DH somebody though.” Tip time The Cavaliers lobbied to have the start time for their game against Houston tonight moved up an hour to 6 p.m., and the NBA obliged, meaning fans can still make it over to Progressive Field for most of Game 6. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said the game will also be shown on the Quicken Loans Arena’s Humongotron for fans who want to stick around and watch the Indians game at The Q. Roundin’ third

Francona said right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall was over the illness that forced him back to the team hotel prior to Game 5 on Sunday. Chisenhall returned to Wrigley Field by game time, with Francona saying he was an option to pinch hit in the ninth inning.

The Indians are underdogs in Game 6 (+130), but are the favorites (-225) to win the World Series. Rob Oller commentary | Think Tribe will win World Series? Depends on your age By Rob OllerThe Columbus Dispatch • Tuesday November 1, 2016 5:28 AM The Cleveland Indians lead the World Series three games to two over the Chicago Cubs, which means the Tribe can win the championship tonight in Progressive Field. Or lose it. That’s right, depending on which generational roster you represent — Team Millennial or Team Baby Boomer — the Indians either capture the Series 4-2 or lose it 3-3. Please explain that fuzzy arithmetic? Glad to. It’s not about math. It’s about mentality. Cleveland fans of Millennial vintage are all in with Believeland. These 18- to-34-year-olds expect to win. It’s the Cavaliers Effect. LeBron and Co. won the 2015-16 NBA title, the city’s first major sports championship since 1964, which allowed the SLAHs (Still Living At Homes) to snap selfies with the championship trophy even as they mocked the silly curse that pessimistic (read: older) Cleveland fans found oddly comforting. Or maybe Team Millennial’s optimism simply derives from not being jaded by decades of disappointment? Whatever the reason, the new narrative being written by Me-llennials is “Why worry? We got this.” Team Viagra counters with “We’re gonna get it, all right.” Why even play Game 7 if Chicago wins Game 6? We all know how it's going to end. If the Cubbies tie the series 3-3, they win the title. Team Millennial, meanwhile, is almost defiant in its positive outlook. If I had a nickel for every #hope text I received from my 19-year-old son after Cleveland’s 3-2 loss in Game 5, I could afford to pay my Verizon bill; the one that still includes his iPhone, which is a newer model than my own. #enablingparent. But I digress. In practical terms, the game between Team Millennial and Team Baby Boomer plays out in point, counterpoint: Team Millennial: We’ve got Josh Tomlin on the mound tonight. #perf He is 2-0 in three postseason starts, including shutting out the Cubbies in Game 3 on two hits over 4 2/3 innings. #Windians. Team Boomer: Tomlin is pitching on short rest for the first time in his career. #Doomed. Team Millennial: We’re thrilled the Tribe won two games in Chicago. #blessed. Granted, losing Game 5 was mildly disappointing, but taking all three in Wrigley was unrealistic in the first place. #hope Team Boomer: We needed to win Game 5, because now the Cubs have figured out our pitching. Plus, they’ll be more relaxed at the plate not feeling the pressure of playing in front of well-heeled fans who have never mowed their own lawns. Team Happy: But we have Terry Francona!!!

Team Gloomer: Love Tito, but if it was his call, he waited one batter too long to have Rajai Davis steal third in the eighth inning of Game 5. Should have sent him with Jason Kipnis at the plate, so Kip could score Davis with a ground ball vs. needing a hit off an Aroldis Chapman 100 mph heater. Instead, Kipnis flies out, Davis steals third with two out and Francisco Lindor strikes out to strand Davis. #Seriesover. Team Red Bull: Say what you want. We’re up 3-2 and need only one more win. Cubs need two. And we would have Corey Kluber going in Game 7. I don’t care if Joe Buck loves Kyle Schwarber like a son, we don’t lose that one. Only four times since 1958 has a team come back from 3-1 to win the Series. Team Maxwell House: Or look at it another way: The past four times that a team tied the Series 3-3 after trailing 3-1 it went on to win Game 7, which is why tonight's game is the deciding game. And so it goes. Cleveland could use Team Gen X to bring balance to this Series. Something like, say, Cubs win tonight and Tribe takes Game 7. That’s called a multigenerational win-win. roller@dispatch.com World Series | Indians still have two aces up their sleeve By Todd JonesThe Columbus Dispatch • Tuesday November 1, 2016 12:02 AM CLEVELAND — As strange as it seems for the once belittled Cleveland Indians to be on the cusp of a championship, even more surprising is the unorthodox fashion in which they’ve arrived at the precipice of a historic victory. For nearly a month, the Indians have successfully navigated through the crucible of the baseball postseason with basically only two reliable starting pitchers because of their once stellar rotation being ravaged by injuries. Now that duo of Josh Tomlin and Corey Kluber — who are a combined 6-1 with a 1.18 ERA in the postseason — are perfectly lined up with a chance to lead Cleveland to its first World Series championship in 68 years. Only one victory is needed, and Tomlin gets first crack tonight when he starts Game 6 against the Chicago Cubs with Cleveland at home and leading the series 3-2. If necessary, Kluber will start Game 7 on Wednesday at Progressive Field. “It's a huge privilege and an honor to be here,” Tomlin said. “So we'll take it one step at a time and try to win this thing.” The teams are back here in Cleveland because the Cubs, trying for their first championship since 1908, avoided elimination by outlasting the Indians 3-2 Sunday in a tense Game 5 at Wrigley Field. That victory came after Kluber and Tomlin posted wins in Chicago to tilt the advantage to the underdog Tribe. After failing to clinch the World Series for the first time since 1948, the Indians are glad to at least be back home, where a sold-out Progressive Field promises to be rocking tonight in anticipation of the city adding another championship to the Cavaliers’ NBA title won in June. “When you're on the road, one, it's kind of you against the world, which is OK,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “But the biggest thing of all is when you're the home team, you hit last so you get to use your bullpen differently, and that's a huge advantage. That's why so many good teams have better records at home.” The Indians will have to hit better against Jake Arrieta tonight than they did in a Game 2 loss here. Chicago’s starter held Cleveland to only two hits — none until one out in the sixth — and one run in 5 2/3 innings. Arrieta will be pitching with four full days of rest while Tomlin is starting on three days for only the second time in his career. Francona pulled Tomlin after 58 pitches when the right-hander struck out one and walked one Friday while throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 3. “The body's feeling good,” Tomlin said. “Everything's feeling the same as it did last start, so hopefully that bodes well for me.” If Cleveland can manage a lead under Tomlin through the middle innings, look for Francona to once again turn to his dominant bullpen, led by versatile strikeout artist Andrew Miller and closer Cody Allen. And if Chicago survives to force Game 7, then the Indians turn again to their ace Kluber on short rest for a second straight start. He’s 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA in five postseason starts, including 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in the World Series. “Our main focus right now is to try to win this thing so we can have a parade,” Tomlin said. tjones@dispatch.com Cleveland Indians: Tomlin gets the start with a title for the taking By David Glasier, The News-Herald It comes down to simple math in the back-and-forth battle between the Indians and Cubs in the 2016 World Series. By splitting the first two games at Progressive Field and winning two of the three games at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Indians have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Coming back to Progressive Field, they’ve given themselves one and, if necessary, two chances to win the series and claim the franchise’s third World Series overall and first since 1948. Chance 1 comes Nov. 1 in Game 6. First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. Advertisement The Indians and their fans hope the series does not come down to Chance 2 in what would be a winner-take-all Game 7 on Nov. 2. Again, the first pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. “We have a great team. They have a great team. We have to go out there, compete and execute a game plan,” Indians first baseman Mike Napoli said Oct. 31 before the team had an optional evening workout at Progressive Field. The starting pitchers for Game 6 are right-handers Josh Tomlin for the Indians and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. Arrieta was the winning pitcher in the Cubs’ 5-1 victory in Game 2, giving up one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. He’s 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in three starts this postseason. Tomlin was the starter in Game 3 at Wrigley Field, working 4 2/3 shutout innings in what ended as a 1-0 victory for the Indians. In three postseason starts covering 15 1/3 innings, Tomlin is 0-0 with a 1.76 ERA. Opposing batters have a .176 average against the 32-year-old Texan. The seven-year veteran was 13-9 with a 4.40 ERA during a regular season that saw him overcome a wretched August, return to form in September and combine with fellow starter Corey Kluber to give the Indians solid and often spectacular work during the team’s postseason run.

He’ll be pitching on three days rest in Game 6 for only the second time in his career. “The preparation on the field doesn’t really change that much,” Tomlin said. “You listen to your body a little more on the days leading up working on three days rest because you don’t have that longer bullpen day.” Tomlin said it works in his favor that he needed only 58 pitches in the Game 3 appearance before giving way to reliever Andrew Miller in the bottom of the fifth inning. “It was better than throwing 100 or 110 (pitches),” Tomlin said. “The body is feeling good. Everything feels the same as the last start. Hopefully, it goes well for me.” Tomlin said he’ll stay on an even keel emotionally despite the World Series setting and the enormity of what a victory would mean for his teammates, the franchise and Indians fans everywhere. “I know the atmosphere of this game is not the same, but it’s the same game,” Tomlin said. “It’s still 60 feet, six inches from the (pitcher’s) mound to home plate and 90 feet from the plate to first base. It’s still a baseball game in the grand scheme of things once the umpire says ‘Play Ball.’ That’s how you have to treat it. “I know it’s Game 6 and we have a chance to win a World Series,” Tomlin added. “You can’t have the mindset of going out there and trying to win the game in the first inning. You have to take each pitch as it is and live in that moment until Tito (Indians manager Terry Francona) comes and gets the ball. Francona said he has complete confidence in Tomlin to hold down the potent Cubs batting order and give the Indians a chance to prevail in Game 6. “He won’t beat himself and he won’t back down from the challenge,” Francona said. Cubs-Indians' TV ratings strong, trounce NFL's Sunday night game

Phil Rosenthal

The Cubs have never played in a televised World Series, but they're getting the hang of it with Cleveland.

They kept their championship hopes alive with a 3-2 Game 5 victory Sunday at Wrigley Field, and trounced the NFL's "Sunday Night Football" in doing so.

Over their first five games nationally, the Cubs and Indians are averaging an 11.0 rating and 19.3 million viewers tuning in.

That's makes this the most-watched World Series since 2004, when the Red Sox ended their championship drought of 86 years in a four-game sweep of the Cardinals, a Series that averaged 25.4 million viewers.

Photos from Game 5 of the World Series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 30, 2016.

The throwback matchup of long-frustrated franchises is reviving recollections of the days when the Fall Classic was a media juggernaut.

That these two teams have gone a combined 176 years without a champions may account for some of the appeal.

But the Cubs also have cultivated a national fan base and there's the novelty of seeing them play in the World Series, something they haven't done since 1945, two years before the Series was televised for the first time.

Game 5's 15.3 preliminary overnight rating on Fox across the nation's top markets eclipsed the 11.6 for the Dallas Cowboys' overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on NBC.

Those early numbers will be adjusted later but not enough to upend baseball.

Cubs get Halloween break before Game 6 of the World Series

In one sense Cowboys-Eagles should have been a solid draw for the NFL, two popular division rivals in a close game.

But it was also an extra-long NFL Sunday that began around breakfast-time with a Washington-Cincinnati game from London that ended in a tie -- and there may be a saturation point. Plus, NFL ratings overall have slipped some this season.

The Cubs and Indians' ratings average over five games is a 26 percent improvement on last year's Mets-Royals World Series, which Kansas City won in five games.

It is a 53 percent improvement on the first five games of 2014 Giants and Royals showdown, which San Francisco wound up needing seven games to win.

Here in Chicago, with their season on the line, the Cubs' game Sunday scored a 42.8 household rating and was seen in 60.4 percent of all homes watching television. That translates to roughly 1.48 million Chicago-area homes.

Cubs say no plans for watch party at Wrigley Field

There obviously have been changes in the media landscape with more viewing options and platforms to splinter the audience.

But the Cubs' Game 5 household rating (or percentage of all homes with the game on) in the Chicago market was bigger than the 42.5 the White Sox attracted when they completed their 2005 World Series sweep of the Houston Astros.

It also exceeds the 41.0 household rating for the Blackhawks' Game 6 Stanley Cup Final clincher over Tampa Bay last year.

Curiously, the highest-rated postseason baseball games locally remain the Cubs' Game 6 and Game 7 losses to Miami's Marlins in the 2003 National League Championship Series.

Those games scored household ratings of 44.5 and 47.5, respectively, in the Chicago market.

But thanks to the Cubs' play in Game 5, there's more baseball to be played this year, much to the relief of their fans and the people at Fox.

In case you wondered: Game 3 of Cubs and Indians scored a 35.1 household rating and 57.5 share in the Chicago area on Friday. Game 4 earned a 30.1 household rating and 51.7 share here.

Exit line: "The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908, which was the year President Taft was elected, which he won by defeating the democrat William Jennings Bryan and the independent candidate, Bernie Sanders." — Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.01.2016

Happy to be home, Indians also know AL lineups good for both sides

Colleen Kane

Indians outfielder Rajai Davis likes the idea of having "a lot more room" to celebrate in the home clubhouse at Progressive Field than on the visitors' side at Wrigley Field.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis thinks it would be nice to win in Cleveland for the fans, who have had to watch the Indians clinch every stage of the postseason this year on the road.

For an Indians team that lost to the Cubs in Game 5 of the World Series at Wrigley Field, the consolation prize is getting two more chances to capture their first championship since 1948 on their home turf as they return with a 3-2 Series lead.

"It means everything," Davis said. "The city wants to do it here anyway. … We'll get to celebrate really nice, assuming we do get to celebrate here. We have a lot more room here. We'll actually invite you guys (in the media) in here, let you come in and enjoy the celebration."

There also are the in-game benefits to returning home for Tuesday's Game 6, which pits Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin against Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta.

For one, the Indians went 53-28 at Progressive Field during the regular season and 5-1 in the postseason, and manager Terry Francona said he thinks the players are naturally more comfortable in their home batter's box.

The Indians also will be able to restore their regular lineup after starting designated hitter Carlos Santana in left field for two of the three games at Wrigley Field and sitting first baseman Mike Napoli in the other. Being at full strength is big for a team that went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in Game 5.

"I was really proud of (Santana)," Francona said. "It took a lot of work in that four- or five-day span for him to be out there, and it was pretty cool. I'll be glad that we can DH somebody, though."

Returning to American League rules is a double-edged sword, however, because the Cubs will be able to insert Kyle Schwarber back into their lineup. Schwarber, who isn't medically cleared to play in the field, went 3-for-8 with two RBIs, two walks and four strikeouts as the DH in the first two games in Cleveland.

"Even if he was coming off only 15 at-bats in the fall league or something, he was impactful," Kipnis said. "It was almost an advantage for us to play there to limit him to only one at-bat a game, if that. … He's a great hitter. Already in the playoffs he has shown that, to not make the situation too big. It makes them a tougher lineup, for sure."

Forever young: At 36, Davis became the oldest player to steal three bases during a World Series game Sunday and also is the only player in Indians history to do so in a Series game.

Davis stole second and third in the eighth inning against Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, and he said he could tell he was in Chapman's head because of the pitches Chapman threw to Kipnis.

Francona said he was still debating how to use Davis against Arrieta. Davis, who had 43 regular-season stolen bases, said he thinks damage can be done on the bases Tuesday, with one caveat.

"The key is just getting on base, getting some guys with some speed on base too," Davis said. "(Arrieta) has some quick feet, but he's a guy who is susceptible to a stolen base, especially if he's not making good pitches, not throwing strikes. As base stealers, we have to take advantage of what he gives us and be ready."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.01.2016

Josh Tomlin's plan for Game 6 start: 'Living in that moment'

Colleen Kane

Josh Tomlin did his duty in the biggest game of his career Friday, pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings to help the Indians shut out the Cubs in a Game 3 World Series victory.

The stakes have been raised significantly for his second career Series start.

When Tomlin takes the mound Tuesday at Progressive Field, the 32-year-old right-hander will have the chance to become the winning pitcher in a World Series clincher.

"I know it's a Game 6 and we have a chance of winning a World Series, but you can't have that mindset of trying to go out there and win the game in the first inning," Tomlin said. "You have to go out there and take each pitch as it is and start living in that moment until Tito comes and gets the ball, and then see what happens."

As Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer did in the last two games at Wrigley Field, Tomlin will start on three days' rest, something he has done only once in his career in 2010.

Tomlin threw only 58 pitches in his last start, though he noted the intensity of that work was higher than in a regular-season game. He said he has listened to his body a little more and cut back on lifting between starts, and his body feels good.

"Knowing these guys takes away some of the anxiety because we've asked them to do some short rest, and I know how much they enjoy trying to meet the challenges," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "If Tomlin doesn't win, he won't beat himself, and he won't back down. Not

backing down from a challenge and valuing winning and being a good teammate, he embodies all those better (than) or as good as anybody I've ever seen."

Tomlin said he believes in-game adjustments will be important as he takes on the Cubs lineup a second time.

After posting a 1.76 postseason ERA in his first 15 1/3 innings, Tomlin faces a little less pressure given the Indians carry a 3-2 Series lead, but he's not looking at it like that.

"We understand it's not just about getting here, it's about trying to win as well," Tomlin said. "There's nobody in that clubhouse that's complacent. It's not like we have a 3-2 lead so it's just going to happen. That's not the mindset we take at all."

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.01.2016

Indians Positioned Themselves for Possible World Series Win with 2 Bold Moves By Scott Miller, National MLB Columnist CLEVELAND — One win away from their first World Series title in 68 years, it's taken the Cleveland Indians far more than 68 moves to build this dream of a team. And yet, two bold statements stand out above all the rest. The first was hiring manager Terry Francona back on Oct. 6, 2012. The second was acquiring relief ace Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees on July 31. This, of course, is not meant to minimize the importance of Jason Kipnis, the heartbeat of the Indians. Or Mike Napoli, the spiritual guru of the club. Or Francisco Lindor, who embodies Cleveland's passion and fun. Nor ace Corey Kluber, whose acquisition from the San Diego Padres back in July 2010 is the closest thing baseball offers to a real, live stagecoach robbery. All, obviously, are crucial pieces. None, however, were the bold statements Francona and Miller represent. You don't hire a manager like Francona unless you're drop-dead serious about winning. When the Indians hired the man who won two World Series in Boston to replace Manny Acta, they moved to the big boys' table. You don't shop for a game-changer like Miller, sending the Yankees a four-prospect package that included prized outfield prospect Clint Frazier, unless you firmly believe you're just one piece away. When the Indians acquired the 6'7" lefty, it put that piece in place. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, is reluctant to speak in such dramatic terms, preferring instead to point out that it is an accumulation of a lot of things that has the Indians on the edge of exhilaration. All true. But Antonetti also allows that Francona's hire "was a pivotal time for our franchise, and without him we wouldn't be in the position we are today." Francona has managed his personnel this postseason the way a lion manages the jungle. He hasn't nibbled. He hasn't been tentative. From putting Miller on call for the majority of innings to moving Carlos Santana to left field for the first time this year amid the pressure of a World Series game, Francona has made it clear he's going for the kill. If the Indians obtain one more victory, Francona will have managed himself right into the Hall of Fame. Any manager who helps end the 86-year drought in Boston and a 68-year dry spell in Cleveland will not have to wait. Heck, he may be headed for Cooperstown even if the Indians somehow lose this World Series. "Our vision is to win the World Series," Antonetti says flatly, and let's interrupt him right here for just a moment. Every executive of every team says that. But how many mean it? In a given year, if you weigh the moves they make against the words they speak, you can ascertain that many executives are speaking hollow words because either their owners won't spend the money or they lack the creativity. So, back to Antonetti. "Every team is trying to hire a manager with that vision in mind," he continues. "I think Tito's track record, his demonstrated ability to lead, his reputation throughout the game within front offices, players, coaches, media—he's universally respected. And so we're really fortunate to have him, and I'm grateful I get to work alongside him every day." That may qualify as the understatement of the year. Francona had been fired by the Red Sox following the 2011 season after eight summers there. He then sat out the 2012 campaign, spending it as a television analyst for ESPN. He needed time to decompress and survey the landscape following the pressure-cooker years in one of baseball's toughest jobs. Seizing the opportunity to hire Francona, the Indians found his impact on the organization extends far beyond his seat in the dugout. "The way he connects with people," Antonetti says. "We talk about it all the time, the way he builds relationships with players. But his relationship building extends beyond just that group. He does it with our scouts, with our player-development staff, with our front office. "He builds those relationships and creates connections so that we have become, over time, a more integrated organization. You'll see our scouts and our analytics guys all in the clubhouse interacting. He welcomes and fosters that environment." From clubhouse cribbage games with players to his complete honesty at all times, Francona has a rare ability to inspire trust among his players. When those who were Indians back in the winter of 2012-13 learned the club had hired Francona, it was eye-opening news. "You knew the reputation he had as a players' manager; you knew he had just won rings in Boston and the guys loved him and had nothing bad to say about him," Kipnis says. "When you get someone who brings that over to your side, there is nothing but excitement. You feel very fortunate to play for a guy like that." To the point that Kipnis hopes it is permanent. "You kind of hope you don't play for anybody else," Kipnis says. "You're like, OK, I'm all right if he's the manager for the rest of my career." The hire wasn't simply impressive externally. Internally, it changed some of the players' perceptions of their organization. "You start thinking that you're going to do things the right way," Kipnis says. "Not that you were doing things the wrong way before, but you know his way works, and you're going to do some things that work and that you know work. It gets you a little more excited at the possibility." Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall echoes Kipnis.

"I'm sure he had his pick of where he wanted to go," Chisenhall says. "Just as much as us hunting him, he picked us. It couldn't have worked out any better." That's the way it's been with Miller, too. The big lefty went 4-0 with three saves and a 1.55 ERA in 26 games during the regular season. He's also struck out 29 of 62 batters faced in the postseason while being deployed by Francona anywhere from the fifth inning on. Acquiring Miller paid immediate dividends on the field and in the clubhouse. How? It gave the Indians even more swagger. They led the AL Central by 4.5 games on the day they traded for him; the deal was a statement they took to heart. "I thought so," Kipnis says. "You hate to say anything bad when the trade deadline's going around. You get nervous, you knew we were in first place at the time and you wanted to make a move and you got [players] who start talking about, hey, it might send the wrong message if they don't make a move. Because you're not going to be in any better position than we were at the trade deadline, and if the front office isn't going to show they're behind you then, when are they? That's what you start thinking. "Then they go and get Andrew Miller and you're, like, I don't know why we questioned them. They're just as all-in as we are. And it makes you proud of them." The Indians first contacted the Yankees about Miller in mid-June, shortly after the amateur draft. It was simply a "Hey, we're interested if you decide to trade him" sort of call. Each team discussed its needs. The Indians also talked Aroldis Chapman, whom the Yankees wound up trading to the Cubs, and they checked in with Pittsburgh on closer Mark Melancon, who eventually went to Washington. After three or four weeks of talks and "a lot of iterations" of the trade, according to Antonetti, they finally struck the deal. Antonetti says the Indians had high expectations when they acquired Miller, viewing him as a pitcher who could throw multiple innings and work in different parts of a game, but "as a competitor, as a performer and as a teammate, if possible, he's exceeded those expectations." The fact that Miller is in the second season of a four-year, $36 million deal gives him enough of a guarantee that he doesn't have to worry about working in non-save situations, which dilute his saves total and in turn could lessen contract offers on the free-agent market. Although, the Indians are so impressed with him that Francona guesses Miller probably would be willing to pitch whenever, even if he didn't already have a guaranteed deal. "There was a pit in the bottom of your stomach, especially for a market like ours where we gave up guys who are going to be very good major league players," Antonetti says of the deal. "And to give up that many guys of that quality is really difficult." Says Chisenhall, with appreciation: "When we needed to make a move this summer, they didn't hesitate to pull the trigger." You don't often get an opportunity like Cleveland had this July. So when winning met the chance to acquire an impact reliever like Miller, the Indians seized it. "That was a big part of the calculus," Antonetti says. "The way our team played, we felt we would have a chance to compete for a postseason berth. And if we got there, obviously, we felt the goal was to win the World Series. And we felt Andrew would have an impact on that, not only this year but in the future." Together with Francona, that future appears pretty much like nirvana. Short term, especially. Back at home, the Indians have two chances to win just one game, which would produce their first World Series championship since 1948. And long term, this is a young team that, much like division-rival Kansas City, could be on this October stage a few years in a row. "Anybody who's spent 10 minutes around me this year or the last four years knows how comfortable I am in this situation here," Francona says. "I think Chris, if people were around him more…I don't think people realize how good he is. Because we haven't had the biggest payroll here, it's not like when Jon Lester's a free agent Chris was like, 'Oh, I don't think he's any good.' You know? "You're given a certain number, and you have to make that work, and he's managed to put together four years of pretty good teams." Four years of pretty good teams, punctuated by two fearless statements. It's a mix that has worked beautifully, and one the Indians hope pays off with one more victory over the next couple of games. Despite youth, Francisco Lindor belongs on the big stage Jerry CrasnickESPN Senior Writer CLEVELAND -- If Francisco Lindor weren't so grounded and mature at age 22, he might be tempted to develop a crush on himself. Lindor already has an All-Star Game appearance on his resume. He's a finalist for a 2016 Gold Glove award. And when Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon was recently asked for his opinion on the Cleveland Indians shortstop, he sounded as if he were auditioning to be the kid's agent. This World Series has united three of Puerto Rico's brightest stars: the Cubs' Javier Baez and the Indians' Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez, who share what it means to represent the island. Is this the Cubs' year? Will the Indians' run continue in the Fall Classic? We've got you covered for every pitch of the 2016 postseason. Amid the industry praise and recognition of his skills, Lindor is well aware that the growth process entails taking some risks, stretching boundaries to the limit and finding a way to move on from failure. While posting an impressive .360/.396/.540 slash line in October, he has had multiple opportunities to demonstrate his bounce-back power during Cleveland's 13-game jaunt through the postseason. In Game 3 of the World Series at Wrigley Field, Lindor got picked off first base by Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks and grounded into a rally-killing double play only to be bailed out by Cleveland's pitchers in a 1-0 Indians victory. He wasn't so fortunate in a 3-2 loss in Game 5 on Sunday night. Lindor was thrown out by Cubs catcher David Ross on an attempted steal of second base and struck out looking against Chicago closer Aroldis Chapman with the potential tying run on third base in the eighth inning. In the immediate aftermath, it was easy to reflect on those two missteps as potential difference-makers. Shortly after Javier Baez tagged Lindor out on the attempted steal, Indians outfielder Rajai Davis pulled Lindor aside to share a teachable moment. Davis led the American League with 43 stolen bases this season, and his inner thief spotted a missed opportunity; Chicago's Jon Lester has a well-known mental block that prevents him from throwing to first base to hold runners, and Davis thought Lindor was a bit too tentative to exploit that advantage. "I was just letting him know I thought he could have gotten out a little further,'' Davis said. "If he got out two more steps [with his lead], he would have been safe at second. Instead of 'bang-bang out,' it would have been 'bang-bang safe.' Those are the things you learn.

"He's very good at taking instruction. He doesn't have too big of an ego where he can't listen to somebody that knows. He is so mature and beyond his age. He's definitely had some good coaching to this point. He's the most consistent 22-year-old I've ever seen.'' The Indians were well aware of Lindor's all-around package before they selected him with the No. 8 pick in the 2011 draft and signed him to a $2.9 million bonus. Lindor grew up quickly after moving from his native Puerto Rico to the U.S. with his family at age 12, and he made a name for himself against top competition as a prep player at Montverde Academy, a private boarding school in Florida. So it was no surprise when he zipped through the Cleveland system and finished his minor league apprenticeship with Cleveland's Triple-A Columbus affiliate at age 20. While MLB talent evaluators express admiration for the Indians' team-oriented approach and rave about the Cubs' collection of young talent, Lindor is the one player who would fit right in with the Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarberarray of Baseball America darlings on the Chicago roster. He has the elite package of skills that an organization can build around combined with the natural fan appeal that marketing departments love. Lindor's sense of style was apparent when he showed up at a news conference during the AL playoffs lugging a white leather backpack and wearing a fedora, a la Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. And his perpetually sunny approach to the game ensures that baseball never seems like drudgery. Lindor hugged Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins during batting practice at the American League Championship Series, gave an unsuspecting Indians fan game tickets and a hug during the division series at Progressive Field, and even stopped to show some love to Cubs reliever Hector Rondon after a futile pursuit of a foul pop earlier in the World Series. "He's got a lot of positive energy about him,'' Maddon said. "I love the way he interacts. That's the kind of guy you need to attract young baseball fans. Not necessarily players, but fans. I think he's wonderful.'' Lindor's dedication to the finer points of the game and willingness to put in the requisite time reflect his alternate, more workmanlike side. During spring training, manager Terry Francona told a story about how Lindor was on the list of players who were excused from the Cactus League opener against Cincinnati. But Lindor showed up to watch, regardless. The next day, Francona passed by a back field at 7:30 a.m. and saw Lindor working on jumps and lunges with Cleveland's strength and conditioning coach. Lindor's internal makeup precludes him from coasting. His attention to detail is evident when he's asking injured outfielder Michael Brantley how to approach a pivotal at-bat during a game, or when he takes ground balls from his knees in a drill the Indians use to improve hand-eye coordination. Lindor sent a message to the Cleveland veterans at the outset of his big league career by consistently deferring to their experience and tapping into their knowledge. Early in the World Series, a reporter asked Lindor the standard "Who was your favorite player growing up?'' question. The depth of Lindor's response showed he had given the matter considerable thought. "I liked Robbie Alomar because he seemed like he was going to impact the game in different ways,'' Lindor said. "I liked the swag he had, and how calm he was, and how he impacted the game. And Omar Vizquel. He always seemed like he knew what was going to happen. "Derek Jeter was focused and always helping teammates. Barry Larkin was calm at the plate in big situations, and Jim Rollins was little but at the same time he was a big guy on the field. My dad and my cousin and brother always told me try to get something from everyone. Don't get stuck in one player. Just learn something from everyone.'' Some attributes -- like the ability to move past mistakes and maintain a sense of calm during pressure situations -- can be refined only with experience and time. Lindor has endured a few rough patches this month, but they've been mere blips in an impressive debut on the October stage. It's all part of laying the groundwork for what promises to be a long and prosperous major league career. "He's so good at putting stuff behind him and staying in the moment,'' Cleveland closer Cody Allen said. "He continues to grind and grind, and he never settles on how well he's playing or mopes about how bad he's playing. He just continues to move forward.'' Lindor and his fellow Indians will move forward Tuesday night in World Series Game 6 against Chicago at Progressive Field. If they can close out the Cubs and bring Cleveland its first MLB title since 1948, the new face of Indians baseball will make sure there are plenty of hugs to go around.