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Chicago Cubs 2016 MLB Playoffs: Kyle Schwarber Could Return For World Series Matchup With Cleveland Indians

By Jason Fletcher
Published on: 15:15 PST, Oct 22, 2016

The Chicago Cubs will be making their first World Series appearance since 1945 after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 2016 National League Championship Series. Kyle Hendricks pitched 7.1 innings and only allowed two hits and zero runs to lead the Cubs to a 5-0 victory in Game 6 as the Chicago offense got to Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw early.

After allowing a single to lead-off hitter Andrew Toles in the top of the first inning, Hendricks got Corey Seager to ground into a double play and Justin Turner to fly out to right. Cubs lead-off hitter Dexter Fowler then led off the bottom of the first with a ground-rule double to right field and then scored on Kris Bryant’s single to right. Following a two-base error by Toles that allowed Bryant to go to third and Anthony Rizzo to reach second, Ben Zobrist lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Bryant to make it 2-0 Cubs.

Hendricks would toss another scoreless inning in the second and then the Cubs would get back to work on Kershaw. Addison Russell led off the bottom of the second with a double and then Fowler would send him home to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.

The Chicago Cubs would then get a solo home run from Willson Contreras in the bottom of the fourth and another solo shot from Anthony Rizzo in the bottom of the fifth to cap the scoring. Aroldis Chapman was brought on to get the final five outs of the game after Hendricks was removed by Joe Maddon after giving up a single to Josh Reddick in the top of the eighth.

The Cubs will now move on to face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series that begins on Tuesday night. The Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the 2016 American League Championship Series on the heels of an outstanding series by the Cleveland pitching staff. Terry Francona’s club will have homefield advantage for the World Series thanks to the American League’s victory in the 2016 MLB All-Star Game.

With the playoff struggles of players such as Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, the Cubs could use some added offense against the Indians’ tremendous pitching staff in the World Series. According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago could get just that in the form of the return of Kyle Schwarber.

“We’re not ruling anything in,” president Theo Epstein said. “We’re not ruling anything out. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves here. We have a lot of work to do before he becomes pertinent on a short-term basis. But it’s a testament to how hard Kyle has worked to be in this position to how it’s a possibility. It’s a credit to him and all the members of our staff who have worked with him.”

While his teammates were winning Game 6 and clinching their spot in the 2016 World Series on Saturday night, Schwarber was handling the designated hitter duties for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Kyle grounded out in his first two at-bats and then walked in his third as he watched the Cubs clinch in the Mesa dugout.

It would be quite a story for Schwarber if he’s able to make it back to be the designated hitter in the World Series. Kyle tore his ACL in the second game of the season and is only six months removed from surgery.

We’ll have to wait a few days to find out if Kyle Schwarber is healthy enough to make the Chicago Cubs’ World Series roster, but as Epstein pointed out, it’s a testament to Schwarber’s work ethic that it’s even a discussion.

[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

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