CHICAGO — For a split second, everything had gone the Cubs’ way. Trevor Cahill threw a nasty knuckle curve, and the Mets rookie Michael Conforto looked fooled, swinging through strike three with two outs and a runner on third base in a 2-2 game. But the ball hit the dirt and spun away from catcher Miguel Montero glove and sped toward the backstop.
Stunned, the Wrigley Field crowd watched as Conforto reached first base and Yoenis Cespedes scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning.
This is the Cubs’ first championship series since 2003, and they are relying on several rookies to play important roles, many of whom have not played a full season of major league baseball.