Cubs, Indians Meet Again at Progressive Field—Get Ready
Like every other Cubs fan – and, I suspect, every Indians fan, too – the events of November 2, 2016, are forever etched into my memory. After a lifetime of waiting to see the Cubs in the World Series, they fought back from a daunting 3-1 deficit to force a winner-take all game seven. (And as an aside, I think of that series as being turned around by 3-4-5, or the three runs the Cubs scored in the fourth inning of game five.)
For maximum drama, every World Series should go seven games. I would argue that no World Series can be considered truly “great” unless it goes to the limit. But of the 18 Fall Classics played this century, only six have gone to seven games, including three of the last four World Series.
I remember Dexter Fowler‘s leadoff home run, Kris Bryant‘s throw to Anthony Rizzo to end the game and a thousand moments that happened in between. And most of all, I remember letting out a celebratory roar the likes of which I’ll probably never repeat the rest of my life.
But as happy as these memories are for me, I’m confident Memory Lane isn’t as much fun for Indians fans. They had the Series in their grasp, and it slipped away once again. It was just another agonizing loss for a franchise that has endured many before.
When baseball’s two longest-suffering franchises met in the fall of 2016, somebody had to win, and somebody had to lose. The final margin couldn’t have been any thinner than it was, but the Cubs prevailed while the Indians are still waiting for their turn at the top.
When the two teams meet Tuesday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland, it will be impossible to ignore the events from not quite eighteen months ago. The managers are the same, and many of the players are still the same, as well. It won’t be game seven of the World Series, but it won’t be just another regular season Tuesday night game, either. At least not for the fans, it won’t.
The great irony here is that, for all of the love and affection Cubs fans like me have for Wrigley Field, our dreams came true in another ballpark, 350 miles to the east. For Indians fans, those unpleasant memories will hang in the air until—and unless—the Tribe wins a banner of its own.
Won’t it feel the same way when the Indians visit Wrigley Field, one month from now? I can’t imagine it will, because the games that were played at Wrigley Field just didn’t have the same magnified importance as game seven. No, the emotional peak of reliving 2016 is coming at us right away, and it should be recognized as such.
