World Series: Cleveland draws first blood behind Kluber’s dominant effort

On the same night that the Cleveland Cavaliers raised its first championship banner across the street from Progressive Field, the Cleveland Indians inched a game closer to bringing the city of Cleveland its first World Series title in decades. Corey Kluber silenced the Chicago Cubs’ all-universe bats with an overwhelming display of pitching. Mixing up sliders and outright ornery fastballs, Kluber struck out eight Cubs within the first three innings of Game 1 on his way to nine K’s on the night. Upon Kluber leaving the game after six innings, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen poured in three innings of molten-hot pitching to keep the pressure on a Cubs offense that just could not get going.

With Cleveland’s pitchers taking care of business on the mound, the Tribe’s bats came to life and roughed up Chicago for six runs. Roberto Perez, batting from the ninth slot, poured in four RBIs on two homers. Perez’s first, a solo shot, made the score 3-0 and then in the bottom of the eighth he unleashed a ferocious blast making the score 6-0. Here’s Cleveland’s left fielder Brandon Guyer on Perez’s second dinger of the night:

Game 2 of the 2016 World Series is set for 7:00 pm ET back at Progressive Field and can be heard on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio (XM 89, Sirius 209).

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)