Rally mode: Cubs try to buck odds of 3-2 hole

The Cubs beat the Indians, 3-2, in Game 5 of the World Series at Wrigley Field on Sunday night, sending the Fall Classic back to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday at Progressive Field.

Only five teams have come back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win the World Series since it adopted the 2-3-2 format in 1925. The Cubs need two straight wins in Cleveland to become the sixth.

• Game 6: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 p.m. game time on FOX

• Five of 34 teams with a 3-1 World Series deficit have won the WS (1985 Royals most recently)

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   CHC 3, CLE 2 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

• Three of those five won the final two games on the road (1979 Pirates most recently)

• Seven of 38 teams with a 3-1 League Championship Series deficit have rallied to win the LCS (2012 Giants most recently)

Looking at the big picture, the math still favors the Indians. Of the 64 teams that have had a 3-2 lead in the World Series, 43 of them (67 percent) have won it all. Of course, that means 21 clubs have come back from a 3-2 deficit. And since the World Series switched to a 2-3-2 format in 1925, there have been six clubs to win Games 6 and 7 on the road: the 1926 Cardinals (over the Yankees), the ’34 Cardinals (over the Tigers), the ’52 Yankees (over the Dodgers), the ’58 Yankees (over the Braves), the ’68 Tigers (over the Cardinals) and the ’79 Pirates (over the Orioles).

• Shop for Cubs World Series and NL champs gear

That Bucs team is the true inspiration for this Cubs club, as not only did it win the final two games on the road, but it also came back from a 3-1 deficit. Since then, there have been eight clubs that came back from a 3-2 deficit in the World Series. Here’s a look at how those eight (plus the “We Are Family” Pirates of ’79) pulled off their epic comebacks.

2011: Cardinals over Rangers In an epic Game 6 at Busch Stadium — considered one of the greatest Fall Classic games of all time — St. Louis found itself down to its final strike in a 7-5 game. David Freese drove a 1-2 pitch from Texas closer Neftali Feliz off the wall in right field for a two-out, two-run triple to tie the game in the ninth.

The Rangers answered with a Josh Hamilton two-run homer off Jason Motte in the 10th. But in the bottom of the 10th, once again down to their final strike, the Cardinals got a …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com