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It's just another game preview, right? Just like the 178 others I've posted here since Opening Day, April 4, 2016.
Well, no, of course it isn't. It's the one you, and I, have waited for all our lives.
On this day when I struggle to put all my thoughts and feelings on this game together... some songs, perhaps, sum it all up best. (With convenient YouTube links so you can play them and sing along!)
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight -- Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight"
Tonight's the night
It's gonna be alright ...
Ain't nobody gonna stop us now -- Rod Stewart, "Tonight's The Night"
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out
We're gonna rock this town
Make 'em scream and shout
Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock
We're gonna rock till you pop
We're gonna rock till you drop
We're gonna rock this town
Rock it inside out -- Stray Cats, "Rock This Town"
I had a dream so big and loud
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I stretched my hands out to the sky
We danced with monsters through the night
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I'm never gonna look back
Woah, never gonna give it up
No, please don't wake me now
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife -- American Authors, "Best Day Of My Life"
Temperatures will again be near 70 degrees at game time, very unusual for early November, but a real plus for players and fans. Rain is expected to move in around 11 p.m. ET, according to the Weather Channel. Hopefully the Cubs will have wrapped up the win by then. Just in case, here's a radar loop to help you keep track.
Here are today's particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Fowler CF, Schwarber DH, Bryant 3B, Rizzo 1B, Zobrist LF, Russell SS, Contreras C, Heyward RF, Baez 2B
The change in start time eluded us. The clock is fixed! #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/2es8V7IyHt
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 2, 2016
Indians lineup:
Santana DH, Kipnis 2B, Lindor SS, Napoli 1B, Ramirez 3B, Chisenhall RF, Davis CF, Crisp LF, Perez C
Game 7.
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) November 2, 2016
Here we go.#RallyTogether
PREVIEW: https://t.co/a8GKoeQTtW pic.twitter.com/iKpoUxb5zZ
Kyle Hendricks
vs
Corey Kluber
What can I say about these pitchers that hasn't already been said?
Kyle Hendricks, National League ERA leader, in fact, MLB ERA leader. "The Professor," who wins with guile, smarts and location rather than velocity, threw 4⅓ shutout innings in Game 3, though he struggled to get through those innings without allowing a run. He hasn't been quite as good on the road this year as at Wrigley Field, and this is his first postseason start away from Wrigley.
Fun fact about Hendricks:
#Cubs Hendricks is 4th pitcher to lead ML in ERA and start Game 7 WS in same year. Others: Newhouser ('45), Koufax ('65), Gibson ('68)
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) November 2, 2016
More on Hendricks with tonight's starting catcher:
Kyle Hendricks with Willson Contreras catching in 2016 (with postseason)
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) November 2, 2016
16 games, 1.47 ERA, 92.0 IP, 67 Hits, 74 K, 0.978 WHIP#Cubs
Corey Kluber, 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner, who's been nearly untouchable this postseason. The Cubs did manage a run off him in Game 5, and he's pitching on three days' rest for the second time in eight days. Will that workload (though his pitch count was kept fairly low by Terry Francona) and the familiarity Cubs hitters now have with him help those hitters break through the same way they did in Game 6?
You all know how big a fan I am of Kyle Hendricks. Now, in the most important game he's ever pitched, I hope the intelligence and calm he's shown this entire season, and the way he always picked the team up when they needed him most, gets the Cubs the biggest victory they've had in 108 years.
Today's game is on Fox. Announcers: Joe Buck, John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Indians site Let's Go Tribe. If you do go there to interact with Indians fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2016 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used at the end of 2015. Here's how it works.
You'll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream™ containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in the game's StoryStream™ as noted above.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.