Kluber’s big at-bat spurs Indians’ early rally

CHICAGO — The American League pitcher thrust into his obligatory at-bats in a National League setting is little more than a scavenger — scraping, clawing and searching not just for something resembling a positive at-bat but for the very bat he’ll take with him to the plate.

Corey Kluber found himself in that position in the lead-up to Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field on Saturday night, and his eventual stick selection was a little bit about feel and a lot about feasibility. The Indians’ best pure hitter, Michael Brantley, had logged all of 39 at-bats in this 2016 season because of continued shoulder troubles following offseason surgery, and yet it was his bat — perhaps appropriately, in a season that has been very much about overcoming the adversity of his absence — that contributed to a pivotal sequence of events in the 7-2 victory that put the Indians one win away from their first championship in 68 years.

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“I figured,” Kluber said of Brantley’s bat, “it’s got a lot of hits left in it.”

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   CLE 7, CHC 2 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

The Indians, quite frankly, hadn’t been hitting much, both in this Fall Classic and in this postseason, in general. Theirs has been an approach built on awesome execution from a short-handed pitching staff, with just enough offensive contribution to produce early or mid-inning leads that hold up in the hands of Andrew Miller and Co. in the back end of the bullpen.

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So, what happened here, on a night when the Cubs were intent on reaffirming the fortitude that made them 103-game winners in the first place, was somewhat of a stray from the script. The Indians, for only the third time this October and only the second time in 10 postseason victories, actually didn’t strike first. It …

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