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There might not be another celebration quite like what we are expecting out of the Chicago Cubs and their fans after 108 years of waiting.

The Cubs won their first World Series title since 1908 Wednesday night. Two days later, they will take part in a parade that will likely only be a continuation of a full week of parties.

Longtime fan Bill Murray is certainly looking forward to it, per MLB Network:

Whether you are preparing to join the fun or just watch along at home, here is what you need to know about the upcoming event.

Cubs World Series Parade

Date: Friday, Nov. 4

Time: 12 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

Live Stream: MLB.com; CBS Chicago

The celebration is certain to be a big one, with just about anyone within a few hours drive likely to take the day off and join the fun.

“We’re going to have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time,” mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday, per John Byrne of the Chicago Tribune. “It will be a parade that 108 years have waited for. It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind’s eye, have been envisioning. We’re going to make it a reality in the city of Chicago.”

This is a lot to live up to, but the attendance alone is certain to make this event a memorable one.

As Carrie Muskat of MLB.com noted, the Chicago Blackhawks drew about 2 million people for their parade for their third title in five years. It’s easy to imagine a lot more will care about the Cubs in a city of this size, even considering the fact those on the South Side already celebrated the Chicago White Sox title 11 years ago.

The attention for this series is also much more than anything we have seen in years. Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily reported over 40 million people watched Game 7 between the Cubs and Cleveland Indians, the most for a baseball game in 25 years.

Everyone from the diehards who were suffering for decades to the casual fans who just started watching this week will be able to enjoy this event, which will likely flood the streets throughout the city.

According to WGN, fans will be encouraged to watch from one of three locations, at Addison from Sheffield to Pine Grove, North Michigan Avenue from Oak St. to Ohio St., and Columbus Dr. from Monroe St. to Balbo Ave.

The parade itself will travel from Wrigley Field down Michigan Ave. and then Columbus Dr. toward Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park, where the official rally will take place around noon local time.

There could be north of 3 million people crowding the streets, so either be prepared for some all-day craziness or watch from the comfort of your own home.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The Detroit Tigers have picked up their $6 million contract option on pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, the team announced Thursday.

Rodriguez saved 44 games last year while posting a 3.24 ERA in his first season with the Tigers, who acquired him in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in November 2015.

Although he had five blown saves and his strikeout rate reached a career low at 8.0 per nine innings, the closer found a way to help the team late in games throughout the 2016 campaign.

“We liked the job K-Rod did last season and the numbers show he was a reliable closer for us,” general manager Al Avila said, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. “He stabilizes the back end of our bullpen and provides veteran leadership to our younger bullpen arms.”

Rodriguez is MLB‘s active leader with 430 saves in his career, good for fourth on the all-time list behind only Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith. He has been selected to six All-Star Games and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times.

While he has lost some life on his fastball, Rodriguez remains one of the most consistent relievers in baseball. He is set to retain his role as the Tigers closer, with Alex Wilson and Justin Wilson remaining key cogs at the back end of the bullpen.

The 34-year-old had a $2 million buyout if the team had declined the option on the final year of his contract.

Salary information via Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Texas Rangers have officially picked u p the $5.25 million contract option for Jonathan Lucroy, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. 

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegraph confirmed the report. 

General manager Jon Daniels noted the team would make the move in early October, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, and it is now confirmed.

The Rangers acquired the catcher in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline, a move that only came after he vetoed a deal that would have sent him to the Cleveland Indians.

Despite Cleveland’s playoff run, he had no regrets with his decision.

“I’m good, man,” Lucroy told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN in October. “There’s too much drama with all that. I’m not worried about it at all. It’s over with and in the past.”

Between his time with the Brewers and Rangers, the 30-year-old player batted .292 in 2016 with 82 RBI and a career high with 24 home runs. He was also selected to his second All-Star game, his first time coming in 2014 when he finished fourth in the MVP voting.

The catcher helped solidify the lineup in Texas as the squad went 33-22 over the final two months of the regular season, ending up with the best record in the American League.

While the team fell short in the ALDS, the Rangers return many key players from the recent run and will likely be top contenders once again. As long as Lucroy can stay healthy, he will be a big part of the team’s success over the course of the upcoming year before becoming a free agent in 2017. 

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The New York Mets have reportedly declined the option of Jonathon Niese, ending the player’s second stint with the franchise, per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball and Matt Ehalt of the Record.

New York will pay a buyout worth $500,000, and Niese will be a free agent.

The Mets traded the left-handed pitcher to the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason for Neil Walker, a move Pirates general manager Neal Huntington admitted he regretted. He was then sent back to New York for Antonio Bastardo.

Unfortunately, he struggled in both locations, posting a 4.93 ERA in Pittsburgh before allowing 14 earned runs in 11 innings with the Mets.

It was altogether the worst full year of his career, ending with a 5.50 ERA with an FIP of 5.62, per Baseball-Reference.com.

While the 30-year-old pitcher has had better days in the past, including a 13-win season in 2012 when he posted a 3.40 ERA, he clearly wasn’t worth the $10 million it would have cost to keep him on the roster.

Niese is now a free agent and will hope to take advantage of a light pitching market around the league. He has been a quality starter in the past, posting a 4.07 career ERA in 211 appearances (197 starts) with a 69-68 record.

If given a chance, he can provide depth to a team’s rotation or a long reliever out of the bullpen.

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Ben Zobrist has been named Most Valuable Player of the 2016 World Series while helping the Chicago Cubs secure their first title since 1908.

The outfielder had the game-winning RBI double in the 10th inning of the dramatic Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Baseball Reference noted the historical importance of the game-winning hit:

He also finished the series batting .357 with a .419 on-base percentage, getting a hit in six of the seven games.  

Zobrist has now won back-to-back titles after winning the World Series with the Kansas City Royals last season.

ESPN Stats and Info provided an interesting note on the veteran player:

Per Odds Shark, the No. 4 hitter had 10-1 odds to win this award coming into the series, tied for second-best among Cubs players behind only Jake Arrieta. He lived up to expectations with a strong performance throughout the seven games.

He finished with a .250 batting average and five RBI in 17 postseason games.

His wife, Julianna, provided motivational words from her view of the big play:

Buster Olney of ESPN discussed the lack of pressure Zobrist had put on himself in these big games:

Of course, with a team like this, there were plenty of other options for MVP. Woody Paige of the Gazette noted the possible options:

Kyle Schwarber batted .412 in his appearances as a designated hitter after missing most of the season. Anthony Rizzo hit .360 with some clutch RBI, while Kris Bryant was responsible for some of the biggest moments in the series.

The pitching staff also had some big moments, although Justin Verlander was voting for a sentimental favorite:

David Ross hit a key home run in his last game before retiring.

Still, it was Zobrist who took home the hardware, helping break the longest championship drought in professional sports in his first season with the team.

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The Chicago Cubs have kept their season alive, but the Cleveland Indians are still one win away from clinching the 2016 World Series.

After the Cubs survived with a 3-2 victory in Game 5, Cleveland still holds a 3-2 lead and now gets to return home for the final two games (if the last one is even necessary). One good game, and the Indians can celebrate their second title for the city in the past few months.

Still, Chicago has been in rough spots before, and the team has the talent to keep things interesting heading into the final two games of the series.

World Series Game 6

When: Tuesday, Nov. 1

Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Moneyline (via Odds Shark): Cubs (-140), Indians (+125)

Preview

Considering how much talent is in each of these lineups, neither offense has been especially impressive in this series.

While Cleveland is winning games, the squad is hitting just .236 in the series and .212 in the postseason overall. Francisco Lindor (8-for-19 this round) has been excellent, but the rest of the team has lacked the consistency you want from players of this ability.

Middle-of-the-order hitters Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli have only one RBI between them.

There simply hasn’t been much talk about the Indians offense because the Cubs have been much more disappointing. The unit has only produced 10 runs in five games, a far cry from the five runs per game this team averaged in the regular season.

With just two home runs in this stretch, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement.

On the other hand, even the Indians are aware of the team’s ability to get hot at any moment. 

“You don’t want to give lineups like that momentum, or teams to start feeling good about themselves,” second baseman Jason Kipnis said after Game 5, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “So the best thing to do is kind of put them away before they can do that.”

This puts the pressure on Game 6 starter Josh Tomlin, who is pitching on short rest but should be fine after throwing just 4.2 innings (58 pitches) in his last start. 

While the 32-year-old veteran had an up-and-down season, he has been solid in the playoffs with a 1.76 ERA in three starts. Buster Olney of ESPN noted that a tweak that led to a lot of success:

Tomlin allowed only three baserunners and zero runs in his first start against the Cubs. However, the familiarity going into the second start will be an advantage for the hitters, especially with a little more confidence from the recent win.

Chicago’s lineup won’t explode, but the team should be able to get a few runs across the plate before the bullpen comes in to make a difference.

Meanwhile, Jake Arrieta gets a chance to lead the Cubs to victory for the second time this series after winning Game 2. The reigning Cy Young award winner had one bad start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series but bounced back well with a no-hit bid into the sixth inning his last time out.

The only catch is that Chicago will need him to pitch deep into the game after Aroldis Chapman went 2.2 innings in Game 5. This shouldn’t be a problem, though, with Arrieta‘s talent and the prospect of using the rest of the offseason to recover.

As long as the offense can provide a little breathing room, the starter can do the rest and help force a Game 7.

Prediction: Cubs 3, Indians 1

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The 2016 World Series is down to its final two games with both teams believing they can win their first title in decades.

While the Cleveland Indians still hold a 3-2 advantage, the Chicago Cubs have a newfound confidence after surviving with a Game 5 win. Even with their struggles offensively, this is still a squad that won 103 games during the regular season.

On the other hand, the Indians get to return home with the opportunity to win in front of their home fans.

Here is what you need to know heading into the final few games of the World Series.

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Preview

As it often is in baseball, one of the biggest stories for the final two games of the series is the pitching matchup.

The Cubs will send Jake Arrieta to the mound for Game 6, and if they win, Kyle Hendricks will get the start in Game 7. It’s hard to imagine better options for the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the rotation.

Arrieta is the reigning Cy Young award winner, and even in a down year still had a 3.10 ERA this season. He is also coming off a strong start in Game 2, where he allowed one run in 5.2 innings. Hendricks has been even better with a 2.13 ERA during the season and a 1.31 ERA in the playoffs.

The two pitchers have combined to allow one run in 10 innings during the World Series.

Before Cubs fans start celebrating, however, it’s important to note the team has just a 3-4 record in games started by this tandem in the postseason. Even if these pitchers perform to their ability, the offense needs to live up to its end of the bargain.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports provided this analysis after Game 4:

The offense came alive for a brief moment in Game 5, using a three-run third inning to secure a win. However, these were the only runs of the game. Chicago has only 10 runs in five games, half of them against Trevor Bauer, who they are unlikely to see again in the series.

Instead, Cleveland will use Josh Tomlin and Corey Kluber for Game 6 and 7 (if necessary), two pitchers who have had a lot of success so far this postseason.

While both are going to pitch on short rest, Tomlin only threw 4.2 innings in his last start and 58 total pitches. Kluber was limited to only 81 pitches in Game 4 and 88 pitches in Game 1. Both should be able to come in with maximum effort, especially considering they have all offseason to rest up afterwards.

Considering the bullpen has only allowed three earned runs in 19.2 innings this series, there should be plenty of confidence in the pitching staff for Cleveland.

This once again puts the pressure on the Cubs offense to wake up. The talent is there, with MVP favorite Kris Bryant as well as Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and plenty more. Unfortunately, Ben Zobrist is the only one consistently producing in this round. Outside of Zobrist, the Cubs are hitting .189 as a team in the World Series.

Despite the struggles, there is still plenty of confidence in the clubhouse heading into the final two games.

“We’re making history,” Addison Russell said, per Jayson Stark of ESPN. “So why stop? This is entertaining to us. It’s fun. And we live for this. We see a lot of challenges ahead of us, and we embrace them.”

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Despite doomsday feelings from plenty of fans, the World Series isn’t over quite yet.

The Chicago Cubs bounced back from consecutive home losses to win Game 5, extending the series for at least another game. The Cleveland Indians now have a chance to win it all at home, although their confidence might be wavering a bit.

Of course, the pressure is still on the Cubs to win two more games if they want to win a title for the first time since 1908.

The drama will only pick up in the coming days, so make sure you don’t miss the last two games of the year. 

Preview

The Cubs offense finally came alive Sunday, even if it was for just one inning. Kris Bryant got the scoring going with a solo home run in the third inning, which was followed by runs by Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist.

With a solid start by Jon Lester and a heroic eight-out save by Aroldis Chapman, this was enough for Chicago to escape with a 3-2 win.

Indians manager Terry Francona summed up the closer’s performance in an interesting way, per Buster Olney of ESPN:

However, the offense will have to do more if it wants to win more games. The Cubs still haven’t found a way to solve Cleveland’s bullpen, and Andrew Miller didn’t even pitch in Game 5.

There is obvious talent on the roster, but except for Zobrist, players haven’t been able to string together hits. This needs to change with an upcoming battle against Josh Tomlin.

Although Tomlin lasted only 4.2 innings in Game 3, he didn’t allow a run and gave up only two hits with a walk while on the mound. Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen then helped close out the shutout.

Chicago hasn’t proved it can get much going against the bullpen, so it needs to be aggressive early to score against Tomlin pitching on short rest.

One thing the Cubs should feel good about is the starters over the next two games. Jake Arrieta is set to pitch on full rest, with Kyle Hendricks following him in Game 7 if necessary.

After Lester did his job in Game 5, these two pitchers are all anyone could hope for as second and third options. Ted Keith of Sports Illustrated provided this interesting statistic to keep Cubs fans excited:

Although neither pitcher has been able to go deep into games as often as the coaching staff would probably like, they have kept opponents off the board for much of the postseason. In the World Series, Arrieta and Hendricks have combined for 10 innings with just one run allowed.

Arrieta especially has the experience and confidence necessary to pitch a big road game and shut down a talented Cleveland lineup.

On the other hand, the Indians still have their ace in the hole in the form of Corey Kluber. He has pitched twice already in this series, allowing just one run in 12 innings. In five postseason starts, the 30-year-old pitcher has an ERA of just 0.89.

Most importantly, Francona has kept him from overexerting himself, as he threw only 88 pitches in Game 1 and 81 in Game 4. Even though he will be pitching on three days’ rest for the second time in a row, he should have plenty of energy to give everything he can in Game 7.

Adding this to a superior bullpen led by Miller and Allen, both of whom are likely willing to go as far as necessary to seal the win, the Indians will have the pitching advantage in the final game if it gets to that point.

Look for the Cubs offense to lead the way in a Game 6 victory before the Indians halt the momentum with a dramatic win in Game 7.

Predicted finish: Cleveland wins series 4-3.

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After the Cleveland Indians took a 1-0 World Series lead with a 6-0 Game 1 victory, the Chicago Cubs will now try to even things up in Game 2.

Corey Kluber was outstanding to start things off for Cleveland, racking up nine strikeouts in six shutout innings before the bullpen finished off the shutout. Roberto Perez was also key, hitting two home runs with four RBI from the No. 9 hole in the lineup.

This is just one game in a best-of-seven series, but the pressure is now on the Cubs to bounce back and avoid falling into too deep of a hole before returning home.

World Series Game 2

When: Wednesday, Oct. 26

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio

TV: Fox

Live Stream: FoxSportsGo

Preview

Chicago’s offense was a big disappointment in Game 1. Ben Zobrist did his job going 3-for-4 on the day, but the rest of the team ended up just 4-for-30 (.133 batting average).

Perhaps the most notable statistic was the 1-for-11 mark with runners in scoring position.

We have seen this lineup turn things around in a hurry, especially with elite hitters like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, but the series isn’t off to a great start. On the plus side, the hardest part might be over for the time being.

Matt Spiegel of 670 The Score discussed the necessary strategy:

The Indians are planning on turning to Trevor Bauer in Game 2, although a lot rests on the right-hander’s pinkie.

Bauer’s last start came in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, but he was taken out after facing four batters when his finger started bleeding all over the mound. The pitcher had injured himself fixing a drone earlier in the week and his stitches opened up when he started pitching.

He remains confident going into his next start, however, much to the excitement of manager Terry Francona, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:

While Francona was unsure about whether Bauer or Josh Tomlin would start Game 2, he made up his mind Tuesday, according to Mike and Mike.

The Cubs might have more confidence with their starting pitcher as Jake Arrieta takes the mound. The 2015 Cy Young Award winner wasn’t great in his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers (four earned runs allowed in five innings), but he had a 3.10 ERA during the regular season with a .194 opponent batting average.

Although he hasn’t been as consistent lately, the 30-year-old starter has good enough stuff to give Cleveland’s offense trouble all game long. Even red-hot hitters like Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez can be slowed down by the talented starter.

While the Indians have the usual advantage in the bullpen, this might not be the case Wednesday after Andrew Miller was forced to throw 46 pitches across two innings in Game 1. According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, he hasn’t thrown this much in relief since 2011.

It’s difficult to imagine the lefty getting back onto the mound just one day after such a workload.

Cleveland has other capable relievers, but anyone who isn’t Miller is a relative drop-off considering what he has done this postseason (zero runs in 13.2 innings).

Look for Chicago’s hitters to bounce back while Arrieta does enough to help the Cubs pull even in the series. 

Prediction: Cubs 6, Indians 2

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Cleveland Indians starter Corey Kluber was as good as ever in his Game 1 start in the World Series.

The ace shut down the Chicago Cubs the first time through the order, accumulating eight strikeouts in the first three innings. According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, he became the first to accomplish this feat in the World Series.

Per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, this is also the Indians’ record for strikeouts in a World Series game.

Kluber finished the game with nine strikeouts in six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks. He exited with Cleveland holding a 3-0 lead and the team eventually won 6-0.

C.J. Nitkowski of Fox Sports 1 discussed the pitch that has helped him out in the early going:

This type of effort is nothing new for Kluber, who has been outstanding all postseason long. In three playoff starts over the first two rounds, the right-hander had a 2-1 record and a 0.98 ERA. He also had 20 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

It is a continuation of his success during the regular season, which saw his first All-Star appearance thanks to 18 wins and a 3.14 ERA. He won the Cy Young Award in 2014 during a year where he posted his career-best 2.44 ERA.

Cleveland’s postseason strikeout record is 12 by Charles Nagy in 1996, per ESPN Stats & Info. The most Kluber has had in 2016 is 11, which came on Aug. 31 against the Minnesota Twins.

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