With the Cubs beating the Indians 9-3 last night, we are going to get a Game 7.  As we have seen over the course of history, sometimes you get a great Game 7 like the last one in 2014 when Madison Bumgarner came out of the pen to shut down the Royals again.  You can get a very good one like 1986 when the Red Sox knocked Ron Darling out early only for Sid Fernandez to stabilize the game and give the Mets a chance to overcome an early 3-0 deficit.  Then you get the 2002 and 2011 World Series where teams coming off deflating losses didn’t really play close games.

Tonight, there is a lot of unknowns.  Will there be a Gene Larkin or a Jose Mesa tonight?  Do we see one fo the unhittable relievers suffer the same fate as Mariano Rivera did in 2001?  Worse yet, will there be a Fred Snodgrass moment that will leave people talking about a player’s decision for centuries?  Right about now there are about three things we know:

1. One fanbase is going to be left in even more excruciating pain than they already are;
2. The other fanbase will experience joy like none other; and
3. This game will have to be off the charts to even match Jack Morris–John Smoltz in 1991.

There are a number of factors at play in deciding who is the hero and who is the goat (pun intended) in tonight’s game.  Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

Defense Matters

Arguably, the difference in last night’s game was right field defense.  In the first, the indecision between Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall led to two additional runs in the first inning for the Cubs.  For his part, Chisenall has had a terrible World Series in right field.  On the other side, Jason Heyward had a great game defensively in right field capping it off by nailing Roberto Perez at second to snuff out any chance at in improbable rally in the ninth.  With that said, Rajai Davis absolutely has to start tonight’s game for the Indians.

David Ross Should Start

We have already seen the impact of pitch framing in one game of the World Series so far.  You know Perez is going to get every call for Corey Kluber tonight.  You don’t know that about Willson Contreras.  Yes, Contreras has been decent in that area, but he is not on par with David Ross.  If you want Kyle Hendricks to get the calls Kluber is going to get, you need Ross out there.

You also need Ross out there for another reason.  As Joe Maddon has already indicated, Jon Lester may come out of the bullpen to pitch tonight.  If that is the case, the Cubs will need Ross to catch him to help neutralize the running game.  The last thing you want is to have a runner steal second off the Lester-Contreras pairing late in the game.  You also don’t want to remove your better bat in Contreras late in the game should you need offense.  With that being the case, Ross should start.

Chapman’s Game 6 May Haunt the Cubs

Because Maddon screwed up, he didn’t have a reliever available to pitch the bottom of the ninth.  As such, Chapman threw an additional five pitches he didn’t need to throw.  No, five pitches will not make or break Chapman.  Still, keep in mind, Chapman had to come off the bench and warm up and throw five unnecessary pitches.  He wasn’t close with most of them either.   Between Games 5 and 6, Chapman has now thrown 62 pitches over the course of three days.  That’s a huge workload for him.  No one knows how that will affect him in Game 7.

Kluber Just Needs to Go Four Innings

Kluber is once again going on short rest.  While it worked out well in Game 4, we do not know if he can pitch as well in Game 7 especially with him going against a Cubs team with a lot more confidence at the plate.  Fortunately for him and the Indians, he does not need to go deep into the game.  With the Indians effectively getting blown out last night, Terry Francona did not need to go to Joe Shaw, Andrew Miller, or Cody Allen.  Accordingly, each reliever should be good for at least two innings a piece meaning Kluber just needs to get through the fourth, preferably with a lead.  And who knows?  With the way Francona has used Miller, Kluber may only need to go three.

Both Managers Need a Quick Hook

As we know with Kluber going on short rest, and with the way Francona has managed this postseason, the Indians will not be afraid to lift him early in the game even if Kluber isn’t struggling.

Maddon needs to adopt a similar approach as he has the past few games.  While he doesn’t have the talented bullpen Francona has, he has both Lester and John Lackey available in the pen.  Both have proven themselves as good postseason pitchers, and for his part, Lackey was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.  Should Hendricks face early trouble, like he did in Game 3, Maddon should get him because it is not likely the Indians will run themselves out of an inning again.  By the way, I’m sure Jake Arrieta will also make himself available to pitch if need be.

We Don’t Know Who the Hero Is Going to Be

Seeing how hot he is lately, you would be inclined to guess Jason Kipnis would be the guy to carry the Indians tonight should they win it, but remember it was Perez who was the hero in Game 1 with him hitting two home runs.  For the Cubs, it was Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo who got going last night, but for all you know Javier Baez could return to his NLCS form and get the big hits tonight.

Remember, it was Craig Counsell who played a major factor in two ninth inning rallies to help their teams overcome a one run deficit in a Game 7.  It was Larkin who got the winning hit in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.  Heck, it was Bill Mazeroski of all people who hit the walk off home run to end the 1960 World Series.  Seeing who gets the big hit tonight is part of the fun.

Overall, this has been a good World Series.  Tonight’s game could make it a great World Series.