The Chicago Cubs are on their way to the 2016 World Series after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.
The Cubs slayed the goat tonight in their 5-0 shut out win over the Dodgers, earning them their first trip to the World Series since 1945.
Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was the hero of the game, going 7 1/3 scoreless innings with 2 hits and 6 strike outs, allowing no runs and no earned runs. This dominant performance came from a guy who has never lasted more than 6 innings in any of his career postseason starts.
The Cubs kicked things off in the first inning when Kris Bryant hit a line drive to right field for an RBI single, driving in Dexter Fowler. Ben Zobrist’s sac fly was enough to bring in Bryant so that the Cubbies ended the inning up 2-0.
Dexter Fowler came back in the 2nd inning with a grounder to left field, scoring Addison Russell. Fowler was out on the throw to second base but he added a run to bring it to 3-0 Cubbies.
Willson Contreras was the first up in the bottom of the 4th inning and hit a huge home run into left field. The Cubs were up 4-0 until the 5th inning when Anthony Rizzo launched a solo home run into right center field to bring the Cubs up 5-0.
Clayton Kershaw’s last outing in Game 2 of the NLCS was very consistent with what we have come to expect from him: 2 hits, no earned runs, and 6 punch outs in 7 innings of work. By the time Kershaw got through 2 2/3 innings tonight he was already at 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 runs, and only one strike out. Kershaw ended the night after 5 innings of work, allowing 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, and notching only 4 strikeouts.
Related Story: NLCS Game 5 recap: Cubs beat Dodgers 8-4 for 3-2 series lead
The Cubs will meet the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the 2016 World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday, October 25.