Indians manager Francona tips cap to Cubs
By Larry Fine CHICAGO (Reuters) - Indians manager Terry Francona had his remarkable World Series record dented a bit with the Chicago Cubs' 3-2 win on Sunday, and he will have to wait at least two days for another crack at his third title. Francona, who steered the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series sweeps (2004, 2007), slipped to 11-2 in Fall Classic games but merely tipped his cap to the play of the Cubs, who closed to within 3-2 in the best-of-seven showdown. Tuesday's Game Six will be in Cleveland. "Sometimes you've got to respect what the other team can do, too," the skipper said. "I didn't think we beat ourselves. I thought they beat us." Francona, who has relied heavily on his one-two bullpen punch of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, praised the job done by Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, who was summoned in the seventh by Chicago manager Joe Maddon to get the last eight outs. The Cuban-born fireballer, whose fastball clocks 100 mph and above, stranded a runner on second in the seventh and left Rajai Davis at third after he stole a pair of bases on him in the eighth before he finished with ease in the ninth. "I mean, Chapman, that was a big ask and he answered," said Francona. "That was impressive. "Nobody's ever just run to the bat rack when Chapman comes into the game. I can guarantee you that." The Cubs, who had been shut out twice by Chicago pitching in the series, broke through for three runs in the fourth inning off starter and loser Trevor Bauer who had sailed along until that frame. "It's just they got some fastballs they could handle and they whacked them pretty good," Francona said about the homer by Kris Bryant, double from Anthony Rizzo and single by Ben Zobrist during the rally. The victory kept the Cubs alive in a quest to win their first Fall Classic since 1908. Cleveland has had a long wait of their own, having last won a World Series in 1948. Odds still favor Francona and the Indians. Of the 46 previous teams that held a 3-1 lead in the World Series, 40 of them went on to claim the Major League Baseball championship. (Editing by Steve Keating.)
