The Chicago Cubs are World Champions after thrilling Game 7 victory

The Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.  The game took place at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio and the final score was 8-7.  Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs and pitched very well, the bullpen was shaky.  Corey Kluber started for the Indians and didn't pitch that well and their bullpen also struggled.  Dexter Fowler had a big game for the Cubs and Ben Zobrist was the MVP.  Rajai Davis hit a big two run homerun for the Indians. 

Hendricks pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and two runs with one of them being earned.  He walked one and struck out two.  Jon Lester pitched three innings giving up three hits and two runs with one of them being earned.  He walked one and struck out four, Aroldis Chapman blew the save but earned the win pitching 1 1/3 innings giving up three hits and two runs.  He walked none and struck out two, Carl Edwards Jr. pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and Mike Montgomery retired the only batter that he faced to record the save. 

Kluber pitched four innings giving up six hits and four runs.  Andrew Miller pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up four hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout, Cody Allen pitched two innings giving up a walk and he struck out two and Bryan Shaw lost the game pitching an inning and giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and a strikeout.  Trevor Bauer pitched 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout. 

Fowler had three hits and an RBI, Kyle Schwarber had three hits and Kris Bryant had a hit and drew a walk.  Anthony Rizzo had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Zobrist had a hit and an RBI and Addison Russell had an RBI and drew a walk.  Willson Contreras had a hit and an RBI, David Ross had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Miguel Montero had a hit and an RBI.  Javier Baez had a hit and an RBI, Contreras and Zobrist each hit a double.  Fowler, Baez and Ross each hit a homerun and the Cubs were 3-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Schwarber and Heyward each had a stolen base and Fowler was caught stealing.  Baez and Ross each committed an error.  Hendricks had a pickoff. 

Carlos Santana had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Jeff Kipnis had a hit and Jose Ramirez had two hits.  Lonnie Chisenhall had a hit, Brandon Guyer had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Davis had two hits and three RBI.  Coco Crisp had two hits, Roberto Perez drew a walk and Crisp and Guyer each hit a double.  Davis hit a homerun and the Indians were 3-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Ramirez was picked off and Gomes committed an error. 

In the first Fowler led off the game with a solo homerun to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.  In the third Santana hit an RBI single to tie the game at one.  In the fourth Russell hit a sac fly to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.  Contreras hit an RBI double to push the lead to 3-1.  In the fifth Baez hit a solo homerun and Rizzo hit an RBI single to extend the lead to 5-1.  In the fifth the Indians scored two runs on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 5-3.  Ross hit a solo homerun in the sixth to push the lead back to three at 6-3.  In the eighth Guyer hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 6-4 and Davis hit a two run homerun to tie the game at six.  In the tenth Zobrist hit an RBI double and Montero hit an RBI single to give the Cubs back the lead at 8-6 and Davis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth to cut the lead to 8-7 but that would be how it ended. 

After 108 years the drought is finally over.  The Chicago Cubs are World Champions as they went wire to wire this year.  They were the best team all year and were able to outlast the Indians in this game and series as they fought back from a 3-1 deficit.  These players and coaches, executives etc will never be forgotten in Chicago.  They are the people that finally ended the jinx.  It was an amazing game, series and scene after the final out.  This was a great way to end the 2016 season. 

The Yankees fail to sweep the Jays as Hughes struggles

The New York Yankees were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon by the score of 10-7. The game was played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. Phil Hughes started for the Yankees and did not pitch well at all. The bullpen did a decent job. Derek Jeter led the Yankees offense. J.A. Happ started for the Blue Jays and pitched ok, their bullpen let the Yankees get back in the game but then closed it out. Rajai Davis led the Jays offense.  Hughes pitched four innings giving up nine hits and seven runs. He walked one and struck out four and suffered his 10^th loss of the season. Ryota Igarashi who was called up for the day pitched two innings giving up three hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout, Cody Eppley pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts and Clay Rapada gave up a hit without recording an out. Joba Chamberlain faced one batter and retired him. Happ won his eighth game of the season pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs with no walks and four strikeouts. Brad Lincoln pitched an inning giving up four hits and three runs, Darren Oliver pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and two strikeouts and Casey Janssen pitched a perfect inning earning his 15^th save of the season.
Jeter had three hits and two RBI, Nick Swisher had two hits and an RBI and Mark Teixeira had a hit. Robinson Cano had a hit and two RBI, Andruw Jones had a hit and Curtis Granderson had a hit. Casey McGehee had a hit and an RBI, Jayson Nix had a hit and an RBI. Jones, McGehee, Nix, Jeter and Teixeira each hit a double. Jeter and Cano each hit a homerun. The Yankees were 4-7 with runners in scoring position and they left four men on base, Martin had a passed ball.
Davis had two hits and five RBI, Mike McCoy had a hit and an RBI and Edwin Encarnacion had three hits, two RBI and drew a walk. Davis Cooper had two hits and an RBI, Moises Sierra had three hits and Jeff Mathis had a hit and an RBI. Yan Gomes had a hit and drew a walk, Anthony Gose drew a walk and Adeiny Hechavarria had a hit. Encarnacion and Mathis each hit a double and Davis hit two doubles. Encarnacion hit a homerun and the Blue Jays were 5-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Davis had a stolen base.
In the first Cooper hit an RBI single to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. In the fourth the Jays broke the game open with six runs to make it a 7-0 game. Mathis hit an RBI double, Davis hit a two run double and McCoy hit an RBI single. Encarnacion hit a two run homerun. In the fifth the Yankees finally got on the board with a McGehee RBI double making it 7-1. Davis hit a three run double in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 10-1 game. In the sixth Jeter hit a solo homerun and Cano hit a two run homerun to make it 10-4. In the seventh Nix hit an RBI double, Jeter hit an RBI double and Swisher hit an RBI single. The score was 10-7 Jays and that would be the final score. Davis in that inning robbed McGehee of at least a double but maybe a two run homerun.
The Yankees won two out of three in the series. The Yankees finished their road trip 4-3 and will now return home for seven games against the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees record dropped to 67-47 and the Jays record improved to 54-60.