Cubs get to raise NL flag

Head to World Series for 1st time in 71 years

Chicago players celebrate after the Cubs beat Los Angeles 5-0 on Saturday night to win the National League Championship Series and advance to the World Series for the first time since 1945.
Chicago players celebrate after the Cubs beat Los Angeles 5-0 on Saturday night to win the National League Championship Series and advance to the World Series for the first time since 1945.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are at long last headed back to the World Series.

photo

AP

Members of the Chicago Cubs celebrate Saturday night after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 to go to the World Series for the first time since 1945.

Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras had home runs early, and the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday night in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

The drought ended when closer Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play, setting off a wild celebration inside Wrigley Field, outside the ballpark and all over the city.

Seeking their first crown since 1908, Manager Joe Maddon’s team opens the World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Indians haven’t won it all since 1948 — Cleveland and Cubs have the two longest title waits in the majors.

CUBS 5, DODGERS 0

“This city deserves it so much,” Rizzo said. “We got four more big ones to go, but we’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to the World Series. I can’t even believe that.”

Javier Baez and pitcher Jon Lester shared the NLCS MVP. Baez hit .318, drove in five runs and made several sharp plays at second base. Lester, a former World Series champion in Boston, was 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 2 starts against the Dodgers.

“Just having fun,” Baez said. “Living my dream, playing like a little kid, moving everywhere, catching the ball and making plays.”

Lester added, “It’s been unbelievable to be here and be part of this. Words can’t really describe where I’m at right now.”

Deemed World Series favorites since opening day, the Cubs topped the majors with 103 wins to win the NL Central, then beat the Giants and Dodgers in the playoffs.

The Cubs overcame a 2-1 deficit against the Dodgers and won their 11th pennant since 1906. They had not earned a World Series trip since winning a doubleheader opener 4-3 at Pittsburgh on Sept. 29, 1945, to clinch the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season.

“We’re too young. We don’t care about it,” star slugger Kris Bryant said. “We don’t look into it. This is a new team, this is a completely different time of our lives. We’re enjoying it and our work’s just getting started.”

Hendricks pitched two-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings. Chapman took over and closed with hitless relief, then threw both arms in the air as he was mobbed by teammates and coaches.

The crowd joined in, chanting and serenading their team.

“Chicago!” shouted popular backup catcher David Ross.

The Cubs shook off backto-back shutout losses earlier in this series by pounding the Dodgers for 23 runs to win the final three games.

And they were in no way overwhelmed by the moment on Saturday, putting aside previous frustration.

Even as recently as 2012, the Cubs lost 101 times.

Bryant had an RBI single and scored in a two-run first. Dexter Fowler added two hits, drove in a run and scored one.

Contreras led off the fourth with a homer. Rizzo continued his resurgence with a solo drive in the fifth.

That was plenty for Hendricks, the major league ERA leader.

Hendricks left to a standing ovation after Josh Reddick singled with one out in the eighth. The only other hit Hendricks allowed was a single by Andrew Toles on the game’s first pitch.

Kershaw, dominant in Game 2 shutout, gave up five runs and seven hits before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth. He fell to 4-7 in the postseason.

“I think that the first thing I saw is the Cubs hitters, they had a great game plan tonight,” said Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts. “And there was a couple mistake sliders that they took advantage of.

“But they were running counts, they used the whole field, and there was traffic all night for Clayton. And he gave it everything he had, but when they did — when he did make a mistake, they made him pay.”

Pitching on five days’ rest, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner threw 30 pitches in the first. Fowler led off with a double, and Bryant’s single had the crowd shaking the 102-year-old ballpark.

They had more to cheer when left fielder Andrew Toles dropped Rizzo’s fly, putting runners on second and third, and Ben Zobrist made it 2-0 a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs added a run in the second when Addison Russell doubled to deep left and scored on a two-out single by Fowler.

LINEUP SHUFFLE

Maddon benched slumping right fielder Jason Heyward in favor of Albert Almora Jr.

"Kershaw's pitching, so I wanted to get one more right-handed bat in the lineup, and also with Albert I don't feel like we're losing anything on defense," Maddon said. "I know Jason's a Gold Glover, but I think Albert, given an opportunity to play often enough would be considered a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder, too."

Heyward was 2 for 28 in the playoffs — 1 for 16 in the NLCS.

SEEN

Kerry Wood, wearing a Ron Santo jersey, threw out the first pitch and actor Jim Belushi delivered the "Play Ball!" call before the game. Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder and actor John Cusack were also in attendance. And Bulls great Scottie Pippen led the seventh-inning stretch.

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