Cubs, Indians battle for World Series title in 37th Game 7 in history
The Chicago Cubs have survived two elimination games in a row to force Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, just the 37th-ever do-or-die game in World Series history. Wednesday night's Game 7, set to take place at Ohio's Progressive Field, will either way end a lengthy championship drought: The Indians have gone 68 years without the Commissioner's Trophy, while it's been 108 years for the Cubs.
Chicago will start Kyle Hendricks on the mound, who will have one more day of rest than Cleveland's ace, Corey Kluber. Kluber will have the unenviable task of facing the Cubs' hard-hitting lineup of batters, but the Indians pitcher boasts 35 strikeouts and three runs allowed over 30-and-a-half innings and five starts this postseason.
For the Cubs, a win would mean a broken curse. For the Indians, a World Series win would be the second championship for the city of Cleveland this year, after the Cavaliers upset a 52-year sports championship drought in Forest City by winning the NBA Finals back in June.
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"If you're a fan of baseball, this is the best outcome that you could possibly hope for in a World Series anyone's been alive for," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo told The New York Times. "A couple of years ago, it went Game 7, but the Indians not winning since '48 and us since 1908 — it's gonna be good. History's gonna be written [Wednesday] one way or another, and we'll be a part of it forever."
The game begins at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, with streaming available via Fox Sports Go.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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