By: Andrew Vester ’17
So here we are, the World Series right around the corner. This year’s fall classic, with home-field advantage held by the Indians of the American League, is going to be one between two teams that haven’t been in the running for the last decades. In the past few years. Theo Epstein’s turnaround of the Cubs has been nothing short of spectacular, with them entering the 2016 as favorites to win the World Series after being anything but for the last five years. And on the other side of the field will be the Cleveland Indians, hailing from a city known for its, erm, disappointing sports teams, to say the least.
At its core, this series is one of Red Sox ghosts. The manager of the Red Sox, Terry Francona, is at the reigns of the Indians, while the man behind the scenes, Epstein, is the former two-time general manager of the Red Sox and is widely created for instituting the widespread use of analytics across baseball. The series is a clash of old-world baseball, led by Francona, and new-world, modern day baseball led by the Cubs.
It’s time for the Curse of the Billy Goat, which plagues the Chicago-based team, to end. Although there’s the widely held notion that defense wins championships, the Cubs have both pitching and hitting.
The starting rotation of the Cubs is not only talented, but also much more experienced than that of the Indians. Jon Lester, Chicago’s ace, has pitched and won a World Series before, and the team’s catcher, David Ross, won the 2013 World Series with the Red Sox as well. The Indians don’t have this much experience.
Their number two starter, Trevor Bauer, cracks under pressure. Their team has almost no postseason experience, but they do have one of the best left-handers in baseball in Andrew Miller. This will prove vital to keeping the Cubs under control, as the team from Chicago struggles against left-handers.
Although the calming influence of Terry Francona will help to settle some of the World Series nerves that plague the Indians, they won’t be overcome completely. The Cubs’ mix of extremely talented hitting and strong pitching will overpower the Indians. The Cubs will win in five games, ending their curse in front of a big crowd at Wrigley.