The 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians shifts to Wrigley Field for Games 3-5 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the North Siders will not have the luxury of starting one of their impact players from the first two games.
According to the team’s Twitter account, Kyle Schwarber was not medically cleared to play the outfield with the designated-hitter role no longer an option in the National League park:
Schwarber tore his ACL and LCL in April but worked his way back in time to DH in the first two games in Cleveland, which the teams split.
Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said Schwarber “pushed back” but ultimately understood the decision from the medical side of things, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Epstein also said “I’m in awe of what he did” when discussing the power hitter’s comeback.
Schwarber talked about the decision, per Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew: “It’s not disappointing at all. It was a long shot at the most. Facts are facts. I just couldn’t physically do it.”
Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago pointed out Schwarber said he would be ready to pinch hit if necessary.
Chicago will surely feel the loss in its lineup. Baseball Tonight put his postseason performance through the first two years of his career into historical perspective:
Schwarber went 3-for-7 in the first two games in Cleveland with a double off the wall, two RBI, two walks and a run scored. He also drilled five home runs in nine postseason games last year for a Chicago team that advanced to the National League Championship Series before losing to the New York Mets.
The numbers in the first two games this year would be impressive if he played the entire season. They are even more astounding considering he tallied a mere four at-bats all year before his injury.
While this is a setback for the Cubs on paper, they still won an MLB-best 103 games during the regular season and reached the World Series largely without Schwarber‘s presence on the field. Just having him as a potential pinch hitter is more of a boost than even the team’s most optimistic fan could have realistically expected following his injury.
Chicago has a plethora of options to use in left field, including the versatile Ben Zobrist, the powerful Jorge Soler, Willson Contreras, Albert Almora Jr. and Chris Coghlan.
They will also have Schwarber looming as one of the most dangerous pinch hitters in World Series history.
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