Why Joe Maddon May Have Lost The World Series For The City of Chicago in Game 1 of the World Series

     In baseball's post season, you cannot give up any outs, any at bats and definitely any games. Every pitch is crucial and every play can determine the outcome of an entire series. Here is why the insertion of Kyle Schwarber in to the starting lineup cost the Cubs game 1 and may have cost the Cubs the World Series. Now before you accuse me of second guessing our beloved coach whom I love as well, after the game, please note that when I first heard the possibility of this news before it broke I said no way would they make this move.  Then once the news broke, I posted a highlight of Schwarber on my facebook page before the game stating that he is my favorite player however I did not agree with this move.  See that post HERE.  Schwarber should not have been put in that situation and should not be expected to be able to deliver over an entire game. If he does, great, I am wrong, Cubs win the World Series and I am the happiest fan in the world. Baseball is about timing and is also about numbers and having multiple opportunities. Contreras probably should have been the DH. He is batting .400 in the post season and has come up with timely hits all year including in both rounds of the playoffs. Therefore he should have had every opportunity. Schwarber delivered what proved to be a meaningless 2 out double in the 2nd inning but barely missed the fences in what would have been an epic home run. He struck out when it counted the most, representing the tying run in the 8th inning with 2 on and looked off balance.

     My biggest fear going into this series was 1) Maddon being too smart and making one move too many, 2) Javier Baez trying to do too much on the biggest stage and making a crucial error at the worst time. What the Cubs attempted to do was catch lightning in a bottle from a guy (who again is my favorite player) but hasn't played all year. Not to mention interrupting the Cubs chemistry. This was similar to what the Bulls attempted to do in 1995 in Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA. Although it galvanized the NBA and gave the city hope, ultimately the Chicago Bulls lost to Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic and Michael Jordan was not in NBA shape which contributed to that loss.  Jordan came back during the tail end of the regular season so he had time to attempt to get up to speed but was unsuccessful. Schwarber is being asked to come back in the championship round against the best pitching with only four opportunities per game to get his swing and his timing back. This is something that it usually takes months in spring training to do. He was asked to do it in one day on the biggest stage. Trying to catch lighting in the bottle should have better been applied ie, the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers.  For those who didn't know, that year, their best player by the name of Kirk Gibson was hobbled by injury and was only placed in the game as pinch hitter in the 9^th inning in an all or nothing dire situation.  After limping up to the plate, he of course after almost striking out, delivered a two strike home run which galvanized the team and the city and lead the Dodgers to capturing their last World Series title against the heavily favorite and loaded Oakland Athletics team who was lead by the bash brothers Mark Mcquire and Jose Canseco.  Had Gibson been inserted in the starting lineup, he would have surely struck out several times and the Dodgers may not have even been in that situation to make a comeback in the latter innings. 

     I am no journalist or paid baseball expert (believe me had I known that these guys would make millions just talking about sports and giving their opinions, I would’ve gladly traded in my Engineering degree for a Journalism degree). I am merely giving my opinion, like they do, through my knowledge and vision of what was my favorite game growing up in the city of Chicago.  I pray that the Cubs can recover from this game 1 loss but as you probably already know 12 out of the last 13 teams that won the first game went on to win the World Series.  In the past 30 years, 86% of teams that won the first game, went on to win the World Series. None of those teams had a 108 year curse hanging over their head. Cubs will have to once again defy the odds. They have been resilient all year. If this series goes 7 and the Cubs lose, this game will be remembered for its missed opportunities. If this is really our year, they will overcome this and their weakness against the off-speed pitch to bring home the trophy. Please feel free not to correct me on any misspellings or typos because like I said, I am no Journalist lol.  #GoCubsGo 

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