In a rematch of the 2016 World Series, the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago Cubs 9-8 last night at Progressive Field.

This game could be described as …

·      A wild and woolly encounter

·      A romp ‘em, stomp ‘em affair

·      A real “ring-a-ding-dong dandy”

While Cleveland blew a five-run lead, the Guardians overcame several pitching problems and gave the hometown fans a happy ending.

LONG-BALL LUNACY

After two scoreless innings, the action picked up in the third as Cubs left fielder Ian Happ hit his 20th home run to give Chicago a 2-0 lead.

Pete Crow-Armstrong added a solo homer in the fourth, knocking Cleveland starter Ben Lively out of the game.

Josh Naylor put the Guardians on the board with an RBI single in the fourth. Jhonkensy Noel then delivered a three-run bomb off Cubs ace Shota Imanaga to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead.

The Guardians weren’t finished, as Steven Kwan homered in the fifth. Later in the inning, David Fry singled to score Jose Ramirez.

Noel delivered another round of “Big Christmas” cheer with a solo home run in the sixth. He also saved a pair of runs with a full-layout catch in right field.

If you’re keeping score, that put Cleveland ahead 8-3. That sounds like a comfortable lead … right?

BACKUP BULLPEN

Usually, manager Stephen Vogt would turn the game over to Cade Smith, then Hunter Gaddis, and finally Emmanuel Clase. But the first two were overworked and not available. Vogt had to rely on Peter Strzelecki and Nick Sandlin instead.

The Cubs scored four times in the seventh, with Dansby Swanson striking the big blow with a three-run double.

Seiya Suzuki tied the game for the Cubs in the eighth on a sacrifice fly.

But Cleveland pulled out the victory, as Josh Naylor hit an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.

Sandlin got the win to improve his record to 7-0. Clase picked up his 22nd consecutive save and his 36th of the season.

Will tonight’s game match this level of excitement? Left-hander Matthew Boyd will make his Guardians debut on the mound at 6:40. Javier Assad (5-3) will start for the Cubs.