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Indians starter Corey Kluber emerges as a postseason powerhouse

 
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 25:  Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in Game One of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on October 25, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.  (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) 678125457
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 25: Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in Game One of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on October 25, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) 678125457
Published Oct. 31, 2016

CHICAGO — To properly appreciate the postseason of the Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber, first consider that only two other pitchers have started on short rest more than once in the same postseason over the past 10 years: CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees in 2009 and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers this year.

Despite managers' short leashes on starters in the postseason, Kluber not only has taken the mound twice on three days rest but also has pitched the Indians to within one win of their first World Series title since 1948.

Should the Series reach a Game 7, he's scheduled to take the mound on short rest again.

"He needs to be a household name with how good he is," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said.

Kluber, in his first postseason, is 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA in five starts. His career postseason ERA ranks sixth (with a minimum of 30 innings). The only pitchers with a better career ERA in the postseason are Mariano Rivera, Harry Brecheen, Wade Davis, Jeremy Affeldt and Babe Ruth. Randy Johnson, with five victories in the 2001 playoffs, is the only starter to win more games in a single postseason than Kluber. Francisco Rodriguez, a reliever, won five games in 2002.

"He's proving over and over just how good he is," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Kluber.

No Indians player has quite carried the same burden as Kluber.

"What he's done in the playoffs for us is Cy Young caliber," Indians catcher Chris Gimenez said, and that was before Kluber delivered another win in Game 4 on Saturday.

With their standout rotation hobbled entering the postseason, the Indians were down to a three-man staff: Josh Tomlin, Trevor Bauer and Kluber. The Indians needed Kluber, who strained a quadriceps in the final week of the regular season, to pitch well — and often.

"He's been our rock," Indians outfielder Rajai Davis said. "He's been our foundation. He's been our everything."

Davis then added with a grin, "If we can, in our celebration, we'll put him on our shoulders and march around the field."

Before this postseason, Kluber had never pitched on short rest in the major leagues. But he started Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on three days' rest.

Kluber had thrown 61/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 of the ALCS, a 2-0 victory for the Indians. Although he was not as sharp in Game 4, he was effective; Kluber allowed two runs over five innings in a 5-1 loss. That experience prepared him for the World Series workload.

"It helped with the in-between from the last one to this one," Kluber said. "The recovering and all that sort of stuff, having one fewer day and that, I kind of had an idea of what I needed to do."

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Kluber neutralized the Cubs lineup in the World Series opener with his late-moving two-seam fastball, allowing four hits and no runs in six innings. He was not as sharp, at first, in Game 4 at Wrigley Field, giving up a run in the first inning. But then he began to baffle the Cubs with his curveball, finishing with six strikeouts in six innings.

"That's why, when you see guys in the past come back on three days' rest, like the Bumgarners, they don't get enough credit, because it's pretty hard," Kipnis said, comparing Kluber to Madison Bumgarner, who carried the San Francisco Giants to a 2014 World Series title by starting twice in the final round and pitching in relief in the clinching game.

Kluber, 30, won the American League Cy Young Award in 2014 with an 18-9 record and a 2.44 ERA over 2352/3 innings, but he is not a household name. He plays in a small market and was a late bloomer, reaching the majors when he was 25. He had his first solid season when he was 27. And he is disciplined, quiet and reserved.

"What makes him great is his consistency," Indians catcher Roberto Perez said earlier this season.

Kluber rarely shows any emotion on the field: no fist pumps, no laughing, few facial expressions. When he smiled on the mound while waiting to be removed from Game 1 of the World Series, many teammates noticed the uncharacteristic moment.

"He does a great job of locking it in before the game and during his work and preparation," Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall said. "But if you get him off the field or around the golf course, he loosens up."

His intensity at the ballpark is well known among his teammates. The Indians' pitching coach, former Rays pitcher Mikey Callaway, said that if Kluber was preparing for a start — from lifting weights to bullpen sessions — he was dead serious, rarely making eye contact or chatting.

"I leave him alone," Callaway said.

Before his Game 1 series start, Kluber was asked if there were any photos of him smiling, perhaps in Little League or high school.

"I'm sure there are somewhere," Kluber said, with a laugh. "It's just the way that I am when I'm out there competing and being locked in. I don't really worry about much else."

Kluber's intensity has produced stellar results. He stumbled a bit in 2015, after his Cy Young season, going 9-16 with a 3.49 ERA over 222 innings. This season, he was named to his first All-Star Game, and he finished again with an 18-9 record and a 3.14 ERA over 215 innings.

Indians reliever Andrew Miller, who also has had an impressive postseason, has praised the variety of pitches Kluber has at his command.

"He's a complete pitcher, and it's fun to watch," Miller said earlier this season. "He's one of the best pitchers in baseball."