CHICAGO - Talk about an October surprise.
An Indians team dismissed and all but ignored throughout the postseason is on the brink of a championship few saw coming.
With Corey Kluber again flummoxing hitters and Jason Kipnis driving a stake through the heart of the team he grew up rooting for, the Indians took Game 4 of the World Series, 7-2, in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 41,706 that by the latter innings was church-quiet.
The Indians, who haven't won a World Series since 1948 - they own the second-longest drought in the sport behind the Cubs, who haven't won since 1908 - lead the best-of-seven, 3-1.
Cleveland, which won the first two games at Wrigley, hosting the World Series for the first time since 1945, sends Trevor Bauer to the mound against Jon Lester Sunday night in a potential clincher.
Kluber, the story much of the postseason for an Indians pitching staff that brought a 1.65 ERA into the game, allowed one run and five hits over six innings, pitching on three days' rest for just the second time in his career. Though not as dominant as in Game 1 when he threw six shutout innings, the 30-year-old right-hander, with a still wicked two-seamer and fluttering curveball, nonetheless consistently kept Cubs hitters off-balance. Kluber, who came in 3-1 with a 0.74 ERA in his first four starts of this postseason, walked one and struck out six.
Cubs right-hander John Lackey allowed three runs (two earned) and four hits over five innings, departing with his team trailing 3-1.
After the Indians tacked on a run in the sixth against Mike Montgomery, Kipnis, from a Chicago suburb sucked the remaining energy from the crowd in the seventh when he hammered a 3-and-1 pitch by lefty Travis Wood deep into the night in right, the three-run shot making it 7-1.
The Cubs' primary accomplishment was scoring against Andrew Miller.
The left-hander came in unscored on over 15 innings this postseason, comprising eight appearances, with 27 strikeouts and four walks.
After a scoreless seventh, Dexter Fowler hit a leadoff homer in the eighth to make it 7-2.
The Cubs actually did lead in the game.
After Lackey struck out two in a perfect 16-pitch first, they got to Kluber in the bottom half.
Dexter Fowler led off by slapping a 1-and-2 curveball opposite-field to left for a leadoff double, the ball glancing off the tip of a diving Rajai Davis. Kris Bryant popped to short but Anthony Rizzo lined a 0-and-1 fastball to center for an RBI single that made it 1-0.
Carlos Santana, who got the start at first in place of Mike Napoli, led off the second by destroying a full-count fastball to right for his third homer of the postseason, tying it at 1. Santana, who joined Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig as the only first basemen to hit a World Series home run at Wrigley, tied with Napoli for team-lead in homers this season for the Indians with 34.
Jose Ramirez grounded out and Lonnie Chisenall reached on a throwing error by Rizzo, the third baseman. Roberto Perez grounded back to Lackey, which put Chisenhall on second with two outs. Cubs manager Joe Maddon chose to intentionally walk Tyler Naquin to get to Kluber.
Kluber, in an eight-pitch at-bat, fouled off consecutive full-count pitches before topping one toward third. Bryant charged, bare-handed the ball and threw to first, the throw likely late anyway, and deflecting off the glove of Rizzo, the first baseman. The ball trickled away, which allowed Chisenhall to steam around third and score to make it 2-1.