Cleveland Indians: Processing the Game 7 Loss

The Cleveland Indians got as close to a championship as a team can get, but fell short to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.

It’s hard to put the excitement and sadness of Wednesday’s Game 7 into words.

The Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs fought their hearts out, each trying to give tortured fan bases a championship after generations without one. The Cubs ultimately prevailed, but it is hard for Indians fans to hang their heads after the loss.

There is an inherent pride associated with being a Cleveland sports fan. The teams may lose, but the optimism of a championship still remains. The Indians were unable to finish off the Cubs after holding a 3-1 lead in the World Series, but they were the underdogs in the series. This is not to make an excuse, but no one expected the Indians to even be in that situation.

Cut to Game 7, where Corey Kluber is making his third start of the World Series. He can only go four innings, turning the ball over to Andrew Miller, who has also worked his hardest throughout the entire postseason.

Neither pitcher could hold the Cubs scoreless, but it’s hard to be mad at either player. Those two put on a show for Indians fans all postseason, and served as beacons of hope during talks of curses and ghosts of the franchise’s past.

Certain players struggled, but others were there to pick each other back up when things got tough. The fact the Indians scored seven runs in Game 7 is amazing in itself, considering the Cubs threw Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman. Each pitcher gave up at least one run, showing the resilience of this Indians team.

And who will ever forget the Rajai Davis home run? Down 6-4 in the eighth inning after Brandon Guyer drove in a run, Davis came up and hit a line drive over the left field wall, off Chapman, to tie the game in the eighth inning. If Cleveland was ever going to be so loud the city broke the sound barrier, that was the moment.

The Indians obviously lost the game, but that moment will forever live on as one of the greatest in Indians history.

No team wants to enter the offseason after a Game 7 loss, but it should only motivate this team further in 2017. With a healthy pitching staff and a healthy Michael Brantley, there is no reason why this team can’t be back in the World Series next year.

The Indians just need to look at the Kansas City Royals as an example. The Royals lost a heartbreaking Game 7 in 2014, only to come back and win the whole thing in 2015. They can also look right across the street, as the Cavaliers avenged a 2015 loss with a 2016 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Next: Indians Fall Short in Game 7

It is going to be tough to get over, but the loss will only make this team stronger. Finishing short of a championship was not the goal, but who can say it wasn’t a magical season?