Here are 21 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series.
1. This team just keeps on rolling. And the club that wasn’t supposed to do anything of note in October is now three wins away from winning it all.
2. Corey Kluber and Jon Lester each entered this game with sub-1.00 ERAs in October. They’ve been nearly untouchable. One continued that streak Tuesday night, one didn’t, and the Indians have their first series lead since 1948.
3. Kluber was dominant and set some records. He broke the Indians’ franchise record for strikeouts in a World Series game with nine. He also became the first pitcher in World Series history to strike out eight hitters within the first three innings.
4. On the game’s biggest stage, Kluber responded and then some with one of the best pitching performances in franchise history.
5. “I think every young pitcher, even every professional pitcher, should watch him pitch,” said Andrew Miller. “It’s just a treat. He’s so good. The way he can manipulate the ball is incredible. We’re really lucky to have him on our side because he’s our horse. I’m glad he was able to go out there and set the tone of this series, because that’s big.”
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6. Six of Kluber’s nine strikeouts came via his two-seamer, which is the same pitch that Trevor Bauer before the game said he loved. That proved to be prophetic, because the Cubs couldn’t hit it Tuesday night.
7. Said Miller, “You could go down the list of pitches he’s got. You pick game-to-game, sometimes you look back and say it was the curveball, it was the two-seamer, it was the cutter, whatever it was. His command is just incredible. His ability to keep guys off balance and off guard is second to none, and he’s got a Cy Young on the mantle to back it up.”
8. Kluber threw 88 pitches, meaning he probably had some left in the tank. Indians manager Terry Francona admitted as much after the game, but they had Miller ready to go. In this sense, Game 1 worked just about perfectly in that Kluber has become even more of an option to start on short rest in Game 4, should the Indians choose to go that route over Ryan Merritt or Danny Salazar.
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9. Said Francona, “You know, you start getting up towards 90, he was going through the middle of the order, that's when you really have to exert. And because we had Miller hot, I thought well, I guess, yeah, you could have your cake and eat it. I guess that is true, yeah, because we're planning on bringing him back. So I didn't want to overextend him.”
10. That’s not a declaration that Kluber would start Game 4 on short rest, but it seems as though that could be the leading option and things could be trending that way. He’s been so dominant this October that it’s hard to argue with that logic.
11. Oh, what a night it was for Roberto Perez. Similar to how Jose Ramirez was viewed as arguably the team’s MVP in the regular season, Perez is having a similar postseason. He’s given the club a value far greater than expected and is a major reason why they’re in the World Series and now ahead 1-0.
12. Perez has guided a banged-up pitching staff to one of the better postseasons as a team in a long time. Whatever offense he contributes is normally just a bonus. In Game 1, he gave a lot.
13. Perez drilled a solo home run off Jon Lester that was a bullet to left field. It had a exit velo of 113 mph, his hardest-hit ball of the season. In the eighth, he crushed a no-doubter three-run shot that made it 6-0.
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14. He became the first Indians hitter to blast two home runs in a World Series game—Roberto Perez! He also became the first No. 9 hitter with a multi-home run game in World Series history. He’s applauded for his defense and how he handles the pitching staff on a routine basis. In Game 1, he brought the bat as well.
15. And he also made Francisco Lindor (who had a three-hit game) cry. Said Lindor, “I told him I was proud, how much he’s helping us win. I keep telling him every time, you want to make a name, this is where you do it. He’s stepping up huge. I told him, ‘I’m proud of you man. I’m proud of you.’ I even thanked him. Because the way that he’s doing it for his family, for his city and for Puerto Rico, it’s huge. I almost cried when he hit the home run. He’s one of my buddies on the team. I’m just super happy, super excited for him and his family.”
16. Andrew Miller has been the Indians’ MVP this postseason. Perez hasn’t been far behind. Trevor Bauer said so before the series, before arguably the best offensive game of Perez’s career. The Indians hope to have Yan Gomes fully healthy next season, but Perez is certainly making his case as the best all-around catcher on the roster.
17. Miller, meanwhile, had the same end result but with a little more work attached. Twice, he ran into trouble and twice returned to his untouchable self and escaped the inning. He worked out of a bases-loaded and no outs situation in the seventh, even overcoming a mental lapse on the part of Rajai Davis on what should have been a double play. In the eighth, that trademarked slider that almost seems unfair to hitters kept the Cubs scoreless again.
18. Miller hopes to be sharper in the rest of the series, which is setting the bar to a level very few pitchers in baseball can reach. Said Miller, “It was a grind. I think I can be better than I was but you attribute it to them, the at-bats they put together. I felt like I had some opportunities I just missed on. That’s a credit to their ability to take some pitches and their preparation. We got it done, that’s all that matters. We like where we’re at. Obviously Corey was incredible tonight. I think Roberto Perez was the star of the game. It doesn’t matter how you get there at this point, just try to win games.”
19. Miller threw 46 pitches, which is a fair amount. But on whether he’ll be available in Game 2, his answer was pretty simple: He’s not missing these games.
20. Said Miller, “It’s the World Series. I’ll be ready. I’m going to take advantage of the staff we have here and all the gadgetry we have in the training room to feel good tomorrow. But i’m available. There's no question we're ready to go. The most we can play is six more games and I’l find a way to be a part of them.”
21. The winner of Game 1 has won the last six World Series and 12 of the last 13. If Bauer’s finger can hold up and whether Josh Tomlin can continue his hot streak are valid question marks. But nothing has gotten in their way so far. Tuesday night, between the Cavaliers getting their rings and the Indians hosting their first ever World Series Game 1 was one for the record books.