On Oct. 26, 2016, the Chicago Cubs jumped out to a lead and never looked back. With reigning Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta on the mound, it was never not comfortable for Chicago.
Down 1-0 in the World Series at that point, the Cubs desperately needed a win to keep their hopes afloat. Heading back to Chicago down 2-0 was not recipe for success. Though it's a hole that's been overcome before, that deficit is something all teams would rather avoid.
Though Arrieta didn't follow up his Cy Young season with one of the same caliber, he was still a dominant pitcher in 2016, during the short peak of his career.
That season he pitched to a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts and did much of the same in the postseason, allowing nine runs in 22.1 innings with 25 strikeouts and seven walks. That day, his 5.2 innings of one-run ball were more than enough to hold the Cleveland Indians at bay.
After Anthony Rizzo's RBI double in the first, Kyle Schwarber added on in the third with an RBI single, but it was the fifth inning where the wheels fell off for the Indians.
Nine Cubs came to the plate, and three runs scored. Ben Zobrist, Schwarber, and Addison Russell all drove in runs to make it 5-0 Chicago.
Chapman closed the game out stress-free 501 as the Cubs headed back to Chicago looking to put a stranglehold on the series.
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