Cubs 5 forgotten moments from Game 7 of 2016 World Series

Chicago Cubs: Bryzzo hit-and-run

Indians starter Corey Kluber had dominated the Cubs for most of the series. He threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts in Game 1, followed by six more innings of one-run ball in Game 4, both of which resulted in wins for Cleveland.

But the Cubs set a different tone in Game 7. Dexter Fowler‘s leadoff homer is a standout moment, and the North Siders would also add a pair in the top of the fourth to retake the lead after Carlos Santana tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the third.

Then, Javier Baez rang the death knoll on Kluber’s outing with a solo homer to start the top of the fifth. However, Indians manager Terry Francona went to dominant left-hander Andrew Miller to stop the bleeding and get a pair of quality innings.

It almost worked that way. Fowler singled off Miller, but he got Kyle Schwarber to ground into a double play. But he was not out of the woods yet.

Kris Bryant–who frankly had some of the best at-bats of the entire series in this game–worked a nine-pitch walk, bringing Anthony Rizzo to the dish.

Joe Maddon was often criticized for not putting runners in motion during his Cubs tenure, but he sent Bryant with two outs in the inning, and Rizzo ripped one down the line to bring him all the way around from first base.

Not only did this extend Chicago’s lead, but it also gave them hope they could get to Miller.

Remember, Miller had been an unstoppable force throughout those playoffs, a staggering run that extended into the World Series. He gave up just one run and struck out eight across his first 5 1/3 frames, with the only run coming via a harmless Fowler solo homer in Game 4.

David Ross‘ homer off Miller in the sixth would eventually provide the dagger to Miller’s outing, but it was this play that seemed to inspire confidence from the lineup.