Indians gain 2-1 lead, regain home turf edge

Cubs blanked anew in world series

CHICAGO – Cody Allen, Andrew Miller and the Cleveland Indians crashed a Wrigley Field party 71 years in the making.

Leave it to that sensational bullpen to silence the Chicago Cubs and their revved-up fans.

Allen escaped a ninth-inning jam and the Indians set a major league record with their fifth shutout this postseason, holding off the Cubs 1-0 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

“As fun of a game as it was to be a part of, that was agonizing because we used so many guys,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Pinch-hitter Coco Crisp delivered an RBI single in the seventh off Carl Edwards Jr. And that was all Cleveland needed to win the first Series game at Wrigley since 1945.

The crowd began forming beyond the ivy-covered walls in the early morning, all pumped for the big day. And fans, some who paid thousands of dollars to pack the seats and nearby rooftops, were roaring after a two-out error by first baseman Mike Napoli helped Chicago put runners on second and third in the ninth.

Allen quieted the neighborhood ballpark, striking out co-NL Championship Series MVP Javier Baez to end it.

“We know we’re going to have our hands full to beat these guys, and tonight was a good example,” Francona said. “I mean, that was as close a ballgame as you’re ever going to find, and we found a way to manage to win that game.”

Indians starter Josh Tomlin went 4 2/3 innings with his dad Jerry watching from the stands in a wheelchair just two months after circulatory malformation left him paralyzed from the chest down. Miller, Bryan Shaw and Allen took over.

The Cubs have been blanked four times in the last eight games this postseason. Their first 1-0 loss in the World Series since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox beat them in 1918 came on a night when the wind was blowing out.

“I actually told Miller we were going to win 1-0 tonight,” Napoli said. “Everything you saw on the TV was the wind was blowing out and there’s going to be a bunch of runs scored. ... I turned to him and was like, ‘We’re going to win 1-0 tonight.’”

Cleveland now has a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead with ace Corey Kluber starting Game 4 on short rest Saturday and coming off a dominant performance in the opener. John Lackey pitches for Chicago.

Not since they dropped Game 7 against Detroit in 1945 had the Cubs hosted a World Series game. The last time they won one? That was two days earlier when they beat the Tigers in 12 innings.

Decades of disappointment and curses gave way to a major league-leading 103 wins and hope for the Cubs that their first championship since 1908 is on the way.

But just as they did against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, they will have to rally from a 2-1 deficit if they are finally going to win it all.

“We have seen good pitching,” manager Joe Maddon said. “The one component of our team that’s going to blossom over the next couple years is the offensive side. I think what you’re seeing on defense and arm strengths and baserunning abilities, that’s going to be pretty much static. But the part that’s going to keep getting better is what we’re doing at the plate. So this is a great experience for us.”