Entertainer’s MLB Game 7 Prediction: A Matchup for the Ages

It is the climatic ending that Chicago -and many other parts of the country- has yearned for in over half a century.

For other fans of the Chicago Cubs franchise, it has been a longer wait to achieve what has thwarted them in seven consecutive appearances for the most prized award in the MLB—a World Series Championship.

As if winning the third title in franchise history wasn’t already an impressive feat, the Cubs have climbed from a 3-1 deficit to even the series at three games a piece.

Only five teams in MLB history have mustered the effrontery necessary to come back from that deficit in a seven game series. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST, the Cubs will attempt to stamp their team onto that esteemed list.

Our prediction?

The Cubs will be victorious and put an end to the allusive title that has escaped them since 1908. Moreover, it will quell the heartbreak for many fans who have not witnessed a World Series appearance by the team in their lifetime since or prior to 1945.

But in order to win, they must string together the same formula that has worked for the past two games.

In game six, Addison Russell -who has been harboring a sub-par .213 batting average during the playoffs- dramatically increased his relevancy in the World Series after hitting a game-deciding grand slam in the third inning. In one swing, Russell -who now leads the league for the runs batted in (RBI) category- crushed any hopes of mojo the Cleveland Indians could find after increasing their lead by seven runs.

The Cubs will need to repeat that pattern by building an early lead and relying on their bullpen to defeat the Indians.

Plain and simple.

We have seen them successfully employ this technique in 21 1/2 innings during the World Series; which is partly due to the spectacular pitching of Aroldis Chapman.

The Cubs’ closing ace, who has an impressive 2.51 earned run average (ERA) in the playoffs, gave arguably the most important performance the team could have hoped for in the postseason. With the series on the line, Chapman pitched over two shut-out innings -a much higher workload that he has been called to regularly produce- while striking out four hitters in game five.

However, it won’t be easy -what else is new for this franchise- as the Indians will be calling on their best pitcher, Corey Kluber. The highly touted right-hander has been the bane of the Cubs’ existence during this series. Their counter-punch will rest on its best hitters—Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant to deliver the bulk of the offense.

On the other side of the mound, the Cubs will start their best pitcher in terms of ERA, Kyle Hendricks. While Hendricks did not win his only outing of the series, he has yet to allow a single run to the Indians. He will enter the contest with a league-best 2.13 season ERA and an unfathomable 1.31 ERA in the playoffs.

Indeed, the pitching scene alone will be one worth watching, and you can likely expect this to be a low-scoring contest as Hendricks has yet to allow a run in 15 consecutive innings to date.

In either case, the Cubs will win if they can build an early lead of 2-3 runs on the backs of their most reliable batters, which will allow for their renowned pitching to take care of the rest.