This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Ashley Varela, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”.
If you’ve read this site for any length of time, you know that cherry-picked statistics often do more harm than good when it comes to player evaluation. When used to appreciate the Cubs’ long and tortuous path to their next World Series title, however, they tell a different story altogether.
Game 4 of the World Series went to Cleveland in a 7-2 quasi-slugfest that felt long overdue, but not before they helped break some interesting records at Wrigley Field. Nearly every play involved something that hadn’t happened since the Cubs last hosted the World Series in 1945, and while the list is too lengthy to tackle here, a few parallels should suffice.
In the second inning, with Cleveland down 1-0 after an Anthony Rizzo RBI single, Carlos Santana rocked the first Wrigley Field home run of the series against Cubs starter John Lackey. Lackey was all fastballs against the Cubs’ offense, and this particular 92 mph heater rocketed into the bleachers at 102 mph to even the game.
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Lead photo courtesy Jerry Lai—USA Today Sports.