5 Things to Watch For in Game 7 of the World Series

It's a big night for Chicago and Cleveland.

ByABC News
November 2, 2016, 1:46 PM

— -- The Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs will face off tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland in what will be the final game of the World Series after the Cubs blew out the Indians on Tuesday night.

Here are five things to watch for in Game 7:

1. Corey Kluber Aims for a Rare Achievement

The Indians' ace Corey Kluber has been phenomenal since having a breakout in the second half of 2013, when he first showed signs of potential dominance. But the right-hander has really asserted himself in the playoffs, having posted a record of 4-1 with a microscopic 0.89 ERA and 35 strikeouts in just 30 innings. He won Game 4 on short rest and will be doing the same tonight.

Kluber locked up the Cubs in both Game 1 and Game 4, and Chicago's array of young hitters have yet to figure out a way to beat him. The Cubs have said that they have a plan of attack against Kluber for their third shot at him, but they'll have to hit his knee-buckling breaking ball in order to pull it off.

For Kluber, the key is to continue to do what he's been doing and not succumb to the pressure.

"I'll be rooting as hard as anybody for us to win tonight," Kluber told Cleveland.com on Tuesday afternoon about the possibility of pitching in the series' final game. "But if it gets to Wednesday, I'm still doing all my work to be prepared. My mindset was I'd rather be prepared and not have to pitch than try to will us not to get to Game 7 and then not be ready when it comes."

No starting pitcher has won three games in the World Series since Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers in 1968. Should Kluber pull this one out, it would add an additional layer to the Indians' historical run.

2. A High-Scoring Affair?

PHOTO: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians in Game Six of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field, Nov. 1, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians in Game Six of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field, Nov. 1, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cubs' excellent lineup exploded in a big way in Game 6. When first baseman Anthony Rizzo put the game out of reach by blasting a two-out, two-run home run over the right-field wall in the top of the ninth, he brought with him the eighth and ninth runs to the plate, obliterating any hopes Cleveland had of an early World Series victory.

There's an expression in baseball that "momentum is as good as the next day's starting pitcher," a line that speaks to the degree to which great pitching tends to stifle great hitting. But the possibility shouldn't be ignored that the Cubs' young hitters, who had very little collective playoff experience coming into the year, have finally shaken off some early jitters and are in a bit of a groove right now.

Addison Russell, the team's young shortstop, for example, drove in six runs last night and hit a grand slam. Should that energy carry over to second baseman Javier Baez, for example, a talented power hitter who has slumped badly throughout the series, the Cubs' would likely be in a good position to win a high-scoring affair.

3. Cleveland's Elite Relievers

PHOTO: Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-3 to win Game Six of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field, Nov. 1, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-3 to win Game Six of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field, Nov. 1, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The downside of the Cubs' blowout win last night is that none of Cleveland's top three relievers, Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, even warmed up their arms, leaving them well-rested for Game 7.

The three have accounted for 59 of the team’s 124 postseason innings while allowing only one run. Miller in particular, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in a midseason trade, has humiliated opposing batters with his vicious slider. As a result, he recently broke the record for postseason strikeouts for a reliever.

The Indians' well-rested bullpen is a scary proposition for the Cubs unless they get to Kluber early. However, should things go according to plan, the Indians are expected to send to the mound their most dominant pitchers this postseason tonight.

4. 'The Professor' Promises 'Ruthless Approach'

PHOTO: Chicago Cubs' Kyle Hendricks answers questions before Game 6 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Nov. 1, 2016, in Cleveland.
Chicago Cubs' Kyle Hendricks answers questions before Game 6 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Nov. 1, 2016, in Cleveland.

The Cubs' are placing their hopes on 26-year-old Kyle Hendricks, a Dartmouth graduate nicknamed "The Professor," who was regarded as a marginal pitching prospect coming up through the minor leagues due largely to the lack of velocity on his pitches. He throws a 90-mph fastball and complements it with a sinker, a changeup and a breaking ball.

But Hendricks has turned heads by transforming himself into a masterful control artist. Without racking up strikeouts like Kluber, he still managed to win 16 games and maintain an ERA of 2.13 this season.

If the Cubs are going to break their longstanding championship drought, it will be because of Hendricks' masterful manipulation of the strike zone.

The Professor told the Chicago Tribune that he plans to take a "ruthless approach" tonight.

"Taking that same, ruthless approach, every day, every single start, even in the regular season," he said about his game plan. "So that when you get to these big moments, it's basically like it has been the whole year."

5. Franchises on the Brink of History (and Misery)

One way or the other, the winner of tonight's game will make history.

The Chicago Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908, and the Indians haven't won since 1948.

ABC News put in context just how long ago these two teams won a championship, but the short of it is that the America of 1948 and 1908 would be unrecognizable in many ways from our country in 2016.

Naturally, these two championship-starved fan bases will relish a chance to end their drought, and the reaction both at home in Cleveland or in the bars of Chicago is likely to be explosive.

Fans of the losing team, however, will have to suffer through a long winter of imagining what could have been.

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