Baseball-Cubs in World Series for first time since 1945

Oct 22 (The Sports Xchange) - Kyle Hendricks allowed just two hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings while teammates provided early and ample support as the Chicago Cubs advanced to the World Series for the first time in 71 years with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. The Game Six victory in front of 42,386 exhilarated fans at Wrigley Field gave the Cubs a 4-2 National League Championship Series (NLCS) triumph over the Dodgers as they solved the previously unhittable Clayton Kershaw. Cubs left-hander Jon Lester and second baseman Javier Baez were named co-MVPs of the series. Hendricks (1-1 postseason) allowed a leadoff base hit and then little else as he dominated the Dodgers -- recording 18 straight outs until Josh Reddick's one-out single in the eighth. Hendricks struck out six and walked none. Closer Aroldis Chapman took it from there with an inning-ending double play in the eighth and a scoreless ninth. Dexter Fowler went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo added solo home runs for the winners. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (2-1) took the loss after an uncharacteristically rough outing. He gave up five runs (four earned) over five innings, including two home runs. Kershaw struck out four and threw 94 pitches while allowing runs in four of five innings worked. The Cubs secured their first National League title since 1945 after qualifying but losing in the NLCS in 1984, 1989, 2003 plus last year's four-game sweep by the Mets. Chicago faces the Cleveland Indians as the World Series opens on Tuesday in Ohio. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908. Baez's latest defensive gem came in the first inning on Corey Seager's grounder with no outs. Baez alertly tagged a sprinting Andrew Toles as he approached second base and then threw to first to catch Seager for a double play. The Cubs then scored twice in their half of the first. Fowler led off by looping a 1-1 pitch down the right field line for a double. He scored when Kris Bryant lined a shot to nearly the same spot for an RBI single and a 1-0 lead. Rizzo landed on second base when Toles mishandled a liner as the ball hit the heel pad of his glove. Bryant dashed for third and came home for a 2-0 lead on Ben Zobrist's sacrifice to center. Addison Russell led off the second with a double to left and scored on Fowler's two-out single to left for a 3-0 lead. Kershaw hit the 55-pitch mark early in the third when Rizzo doubled to the left-field wall. Zobrist's second sacrifice of the night moved Rizzo to third where he remained as Baez struck out to close the inning. Contreras made it 4-0 to lead off the fourth when he launched an 0-1 pitch to the left field bleachers. Rizzo tagged Kershaw with a homer to right with two out in the fifth for a 5-0 lead. In his previous start last Sunday against the Cubs, Kershaw gave up just two hits and struck out six in seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win. Hendricks took the loss in that game even as he allowed just one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. (Editing by Andrew Both)