October 28, 2016 Cubs.com 71 years later, Wrigley welcomes World tonight! By Anthony Castrovince The ivy is beginning to change from green to red, an awesome autumnal attribute the public has rarely, if ever, seen. The corner of Clark and Addison is bustling with activity in the final days of October, some people simply gawking at the old yard that is still blissfully open for business, others lined up on the off chance an unclaimed ticket should rain down from the heavens or, less majestically but still successfully, from the ticket booths. Over at the Harry Caray statue at Sheffield and Waveland, they've placed green apples at the legs of the beloved broadcaster, a nod to his long-ago promise that "sure as God made green apples, someday the Cubs are going to be in the World Series." Well, finally, they are in the World Series, and it arrives at Wrigley Field tonight, with the Indians and Cubs knotted at one win apiece in a Fall Classic with historic implications. And the sound that is going to emanate out of this building -- from generations of fans who had to wonder if this day would ever come -- will be a roar 71 long years in the making. "It's going to be electric," Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber said. "It's going to be really, really loud." If the Cubs in the Series sounds like baseball's version of a miracle, then so, too, is Schwarber's active status in this Series, just six months after major reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Alas, Schwarber was not medically cleared to play the field in the games played under National League rules, but his prodigious bat, no worse for the rust, did help the Cubs earn a split at Progressive Field to ensure tonight's atmosphere will be all the more festive. "I know that people have been waiting for this for a long time [and] are going to savor it," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "And hopefully on our part, we can do something to really make it even better." On the other side, the Indians are savoring their status as the unwelcome intruders to this North Side soiree. "It is going to be us against the world," Tribe manager Terry Francona said. "But 'us' is pretty good. We have a good feeling." The Indians were still feeling out the possibility of using designated hitter Carlos Santana in left field to keep his bat in the lineup. Santana's lone appearance in left in a big league game came on Aug. 12, 2012, and only for a few innings. Thankfully, the starting pitching options for this one were much easier to decipher. The Indians will send Josh Tomlin to the mound opposite the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks, and both men will be fighting the elements, which will call for 15-20-mph winds blowing out, a potential launching pad. Hendricks is an NL Cy Young Award candidate who has picked up precisely where his rousing regular season left off. He has a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 postseason innings. Tomlin, meanwhile, has been one of those surprise stars October tends to churn out. Injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar thrust Tomlin into a more prominent rotation role than expected, and he has delivered two strong starts against the tough lineups of the Red Sox and Blue Jays, allowing three runs in 10 2/3. And if you think the Cubs returning home to a Wrigley World Series is a great story, consider what's going on in Tomlin's world. His dad, Jerry, hasn't watched him pitch in person since a rare condition left him paralyzed from the chest down in mid-August. The elder Tomlin was released from the hospital last week, and he will be in attendance for Game 3. "He hasn't been to a game in quite a while, and it wasn't looking like he was going to get to come to a game at all," Tomlin said. "So to have him here and just to be able to see him is the thing I'm most looking forward to. But the fact that we get to experience the World Series together is pretty neat." This Series has presented us with no shortage of satisfying subplots, but the games themselves have both been blowouts so far. The Indians locked down that loaded Cubs lineup with their two best weapons -- Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller -- in Game 1, but the Cubs, behind a strong start from Jake Arrieta and a sudden offensive upswing against Trevor Bauer and the bullpen, turned the tables against a sloppy Tribe team in Game 2. Game 3 looms as a potentially important swing spot. The team winning Game 3 of a 1-1 World Series has gone on to win it all on 37 occasions (64.9 percent of the time), including 11 of the last 14 instances. For what it's worth, the home team has won Game 3 after a tie just 45.6 percent of the time and only three times in the last 10 tries. Of course, for the Cubs, this is no ordinary home game. This is a game generations of fans have pined and pleaded for, and their prayers have finally been answered, possibly by the maker of those green apples. Just as Caray suspected, Wrigley Field is finally the center of the sporting world. And finally, the focus will no longer be on the years but the cheers. -- Cubs.com Doc's orders: Schwarber a pinch-hitter in 3-4-5 By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Before the six-month checkup with the orthopedic surgeon who repaired Kyle Schwarber's left knee, the Cubs outfielder was asked to fill out a questionnaire. On the bottom of the page, Schwarber wrote, jokingly, "World Series?" The doctor surprised the Cubs and Schwarber by giving him permission to hit and run the bases. However, Schwarber was told on Thursday that he could not play the outfield as the Series shifts to Wrigley Field with no designated hitter. "It's not disappointing at all," Schwarber said after a brief workout. "It was a long shot at the most. Obviously, I want to be out there with my teammates, but facts are facts. I just can't physically do it. I'll be ready any time during the game to be out there to pinch-hit. "This was a, 'What if?'" Schwarber said. "I wanted to give it a shot. We've got to respect the opinion of the doctor." Dr. Daniel Cooper, who performed the surgery on Schwarber's knee in April, and Cubs orthopedic specialist Dr. Stephen Gryzlo talked to the outfielder and team president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on Thursday. Epstein said the doctors felt there was too much risk in playing the outfield because of the actions involved and instantaneous reaction needed. "This was not just an ACL tear, it was a complete blowout of his knee and multiple ligaments, and an eight-month expected return to play, best-case scenario," Epstein said. "When he saw Dr. Cooper at six months, Dr. Cooper was surprised at the stability of the knee, and understanding what was at stake and Kyle's incredible work and desire to play, Dr. Cooper cleared him to hit and run the bases. That was an aggressive clearance." Schwarber tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in a collision in the outfield with Dexter Fowler in the third game of the season on April 7. The injury was expected to sideline him for a minimum of eight months, and Schwarber was not expected back until 2017. But Cooper gave Schwarber the go-ahead to hit and run the bases, and he went to Mesa, Ariz., to get some at-bats in two Arizona Fall League games. The Cubs were able to take advantage of opening the World Series in an American League ballpark for the first two games and start Schwarber at designated hitter, and he responded well, going 3-for-7 with a double and two RBIs. Now that the Fall Classic has shifted to Wrigley Field where the Cubs and Indians will play National League rules, Schwarber would have to start in the outfield to get multiple at-bats in a game. Now he'll be limited to pinch-hit duties. "Deep down in my heart I wanted to play, but there are obviously doubts," Schwarber said. "Not many people get this opportunity right now, and I'm embracing this opportunity that I've got." Schwarber took batting practice on Thursday and then stood in left field, flanked by coaches Dave Martinez and Mike Borzello. But he wasn't out there to prep to play the outfield and didn't test his knee. "I just kind of stood out there," Schwarber said. "I didn't really do anything to say it was tough or it wasn't tough." Epstein said they needed to talk to the doctors, who are more detached than anyone connected to the Cubs might be after watching how Schwarber provided a spark. "Seeing how well Kyle swung the bat and how it impacted us and the stage we're on, there's the possibility of us getting carried away and throwing caution to the wind," Epstein said. "That's why you have to consult the doctors. Dr. Cooper wants him to play, too, but he could not clear him. We're all disappointed, but we're all really excited to have him as a pinch-hitter and fully confident." During the playoffs last year, Schwarber started in the outfield in eight games, and he recalled having to warm up by hitting off a batting tee at one end of the old clubhouse.