ANAHEIM, Calif. – The way Jon Lester understood The Plan, the Cubs would go full throttle trying to win the World Series in 2016.
How the Cubs got to this point is a completely different story, without the kind of incremental improvement that would gradually raise expectations and create a cautious sense of optimism around the team.
For two nights in Orange County, the Cubs absolutely lived up to the hype, blitzing the Los Angeles Angels and following the offseason playbook with dominant starting pitching, a relentless lineup and across-the-board contributions.
The Cubs looked more like the American League team, outscoring the Angels 15-1 during this two-game sweep.