CLEVELAND: Corey Kluber took his brilliance on the mound to a new level on the game’s biggest stage and Roberto Perez blasted his way to a multi-home run night, leading the Indians to a 6-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday night at Progressive Field.
Kluber was dominant, putting together one of the best postseason outings in franchise history and racking up strikeouts at a historic rate. In the biggest start of his career, Kluber threw six scoreless innings while allowing only four hits.
He also struck out nine hitters, an Indians record for a single game in the World Series. He was particularly untouchable early, setting a World Series record by striking out eight hitters in the first three innings. The previous record was seven, accomplished by Bob Gibson, Orlando Hernandez and Randy Johnson.
Kluber was given an early lead as he worked his way into the history books. The Indians knocked around Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester early while he struggled with the strike zone. With two outs in the first inning, Francisco Lindor (three hits) singled up the middle. Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana each followed with walks to load the bases.
Jose Ramirez (three hits) gave the Indians the lead with a dribbler up the third-base line that ended up in the perfect spot where Kris Bryant had no play at any base. Lester then hit Brandon Guyer with a pitch to bring in a second run.
Lester had allowed two earned runs in the entire postseason before Game 1. The Indians matched that in the first inning and then topped it in the fourth, when Perez hit a laser of a home run that just cleared the wall in left field to extend the lead to 3-0.
Andrew Miller relieved Kluber in the seventh with a runner on first and immediately ran into trouble. Miller walked Kyle Schwarber and then allowed a single to Javier Baez to load the bases with nobody out, making it possible for one swing to turn the tide.
Wilson Contreras hit a shallow fly ball to center field that was caught by Davis, who made the out but missed Schwarber straying off second base for what would have been an easy double play.
It was of no matter.
Miller, the ALCS MVP, rebounded to strike out Addison Russell on three pitches.
Then, with a full count on David Ross and runners on the move, Miller struck him out as well to end the inning and hold the Indians’ 3-0 advantage.
Miller worked out of trouble again in the eighth. Bryant and Ben Zobrist singled to put runners on the corners with two outs and brought up Schwarber as the tying run. Again, Miller’s signature slider ended the inning and the threat, as he added two more scoreless innings to his trade-validating October.
In the bottom of the eighth, Perez added some more muscle. Normally a defensive-first catcher, Perez crushed his second home run of the night to left field, a three-run, no-doubt shot that put the Indians up 6-0 and all but ended the game. With it, Perez became the first Indians player to hit two home runs in a single World Series game.
And it all helped give the Indians their first lead in a World Series since 1948, the last time they won it all.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ