The last time the Chicago Cubs were in the World Series, 1908, sliced bread had yet to be invented.
The Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs have waited a long time to experience the intense joy a trip to Major League Baseball’s World Series provides.
The Indians and the Cubs — the participants in this year’s Fall Classic — both have an opportunity to end their historic championship droughts.
The Indians have not claimed a World Championship since 1948, while the Cubs have not won the last game of the season since 1908, the longest active championship drought in professional sports.
Now, two cities whose reputations are built on disappointing sporting seasons are hoping to shower their fanbases with the confetti and champagne that follow a championship parade.
“There’s a lot of pent up angst and emotion in this city and really all over this nation — Cubs fans that have been loyal over the years,” Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist told USA Today Saturday. “We know that, but the bottom line is you have to execute at the right time and continue to extend your postseason.”
Offensively, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, helped the Cubs score a total of 31 runs in the National League Championship Series.
The Indians scored a mere 12 runs in the American League Championship Series, and in turn, their bullpen had to work.
The Indians’ bullpen has accounted for 32 and a third of the team’s 71 postseason innings. ALCS MVP Andrew Miller leads the Indians bullpen at a spectacular 1.67 earned runs average.
Miller joined the Indians right before the trade deadline on Aug. 1, and the team could not be happier about its acquisition, players said.
“We were looking for someone who could come in and compete in a big spot,” Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway told Ohio.com. “That’s why we went and got him.”
In terms of pitching, the Cubs rely on a starting rotation, featuring All-Star Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and 2015 Cy Young Winner Jake Arrieta.
The World Series is not a new stage for Lester, who was previously on the Boston Red Sox’s 2007 and 2013 championship teams.
“Lester’s been lights out all year,” Cubs shortstop Addison Russell told USA Today Saturday. “To see his stuff get better game by game, pitch by pitch, inning by inning — it’s just been a tremendous ride.”
The World Series will also provide an exciting matchup between two of baseball’s iconic managers. The series pits the brainy Cubs skipper Joe Maddon against two-time champion Terry Francona.
“Francona is going to do everything he can to win that night’s game,” said Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. “Joe [Maddon] manages the same way. I love that.”
The Cubs will enter the Fall Classic with the hype that one would expect from a franchise that has been so bad for so long. The Indians will enter the same way they entered the postseason: overlooked by experts and pundits as the underdog.
The World Series begins with a 7 p.m. first pitch Tuesday at Progressive Field in Cleveland.