Ricketts praises fans during Play Ball event

CHICAGO — For Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, everything was right about the long-awaited return of World Series baseball to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, except for the 1-0 loss to the Indians in Game 3. Now, he said of the team’s legendary and fully engaged fan base, it is time to “pay them all back.”

On Saturday morning, appearing at Major League Baseball’s Play Ball event with many dignitaries, legends and youth players, Ricketts was upbeat and he said he envisions a lot of Cubs fans heading back to Cleveland after this weekend. Chicago trails in the World Series, 2-1, entering Game 4.

• World Series Game 4: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 ET game time on FOX

“First of all, the park itself looked great, the crowd was great,” Ricketts said. “The neighborhood was alive, and obviously electric — there were thousands of people there. I’d like to thank the city and the police department for making sure that everybody was safe. There were, as far as I know, no real incidents last night, and hopefully we’ll get two more nights where everything works as well as last night.

“Obviously you hope to win the next three and call it a series, but hey, [the Indians are] good. They’ve pitched, they’ve got speed on the bases, they’ve got a little power, they know what they’re doing. They won a lot of games and they’re hot. What we have to do is make sure we bring our ‘A’ game tonight and just try to work it from there.”

Game Date Time (air time/game time) Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 25   CLE 6, CHC 0 Gm 2 Oct. 26   CHC 5, CLE 1 Gm 3 Oct. 28   CLE 1, CHC 0 Gm 4 Oct. 29 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX Gm 5 Oct. 30 8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX *Gm 6 Nov. 1 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX *Gm 7 Nov. 2 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX * If necessary | All times listed ET • World Series coverageShop for postseason gear: Cubs | Indians

Ricketts pointed to …

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