It just wasn’t the year. The Indians lost Game 7 of the World Series early this morning in a game that went into extra innings and was delayed by rain. The final score, 8-to-7. Our sports commentator Terry Pluto agrees it was a tough loss at the end of a really great season for the Tribe.
“It’s like it was our year, but it wasn’t our year,” says Pluto. He says it was shocking that the Indians got to the World Series and Game 7 against a superior team like the Cubs. Few teams, he notes, get to the World Series, let alone lead it 3-1.
Turning points
Pluto says the turning point was probably not being able to get decent pitching in Games 5 and 6 from Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin. Add that star pitcher Corey Kluber was pitching on short rest and three times in the series, and Pluto says the team was out of gas and out of players.
The issue for the Cubs was, for a while, they just weren’t hitting, says Pluto.
“They have a player, Kris Bryant, who may end up being the National League MVP, … a young third baseman It’s Game 5, I’m in Chicago, the Indians are up three games to one.
"I say to the guy next to me, ‘I know this kid Bryant's a good player, he’s done nothing for four games.’ The next pitch, he has this laser shot into the bleachers, and they went on to win that game.”
Pluto says it all comes down to the longer you play a team with better talent, the more likely that team is to win. He also says he has no doubt that Chicago felt the history on their shoulders of 108 years since its last World Series win.
Also, Pluto points out that the Cubs are only the second team in nearly 40 years of World Series history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win on the road.
Parallels with the Cavs
Pluto says the Indians and Cavs have their parallels -- including key injuries. But the Indians don’t have their version of LeBron James. He believes the team will be very good baseball team for least the next couple of years.
“They just need a very good team where everything goes right, right up until the end.”
WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto joins us regularly every Wednesday to talk Northeast Ohio sports.
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