In what will be one historic World Series no matter the outcome, Jake Arrieta flirted with a different kind of history, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning on a brisk Wednesday night at Progressive Field.
Arrieta went 5 1/3 innings before allowing a hit, and combined with Mike Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman on a four-hitter to spark the Cubs to their first win in the World Series since Oct. 8, 1945, a 5-1 victory over the Indians that evened the best-of-seven Fall Classic at one win apiece. Game 3 is set for Friday night, when Wrigley Field hosts its first World Series game in 71 years.
“Wrigley, it’s going to be — you know, it’s always good. It’s always crazy good, but I’d have to imagine a little bit more than that, especially coming back at 1-1,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I think the folks will be jacked up about the win tonight. But it is, it’s the finest venue there is in professional sports and maybe in all of sports. … But now having a World Series to root for, it’s going to be incredibly special.”
Being tied in the Series isn’t new territory for Maddon. In 2002, he was a coach on the Angels, who lost the first game of each of their three postseason series, yet rallied each time to win the World Series. Of the 57 times the Fall Classic has been tied 1-1, the winner of Game 2 has gone on to win the World Series 29 times (50.9 percent). In the past 10 instances since 1993, it’s happened twice — those Angels and the ’09 Yankees.
“It kind of felt like a must-win for us,” Chicago’s Kris Bryant said. “You don’t want to go home down two games. We know we play pretty good at home. Our fans are going to be pretty excited for the first World Series game there in what, 71 years? So I’m sure it’ll be a nice atmosphere.”
Arrieta’s 5 1/3 hitless innings were the most to begin a World Series game since the Mets’ Jerry Koosman went six innings in Game 2 in 1969. The Cubs right-hander was two outs shy of matching the team’s longest no-hit bid in the World Series, done in 1906 by Ed Reulbach, who threw six no-hit innings in Game 2 against the White Sox.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
