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7 very important factors in the Cubs-Indians World Series

The World Series kicks off Tuesday evening with the Cubs in Cleveland to face in the Indians in a best-of-seven set.

Here are seven important factors that could determine the outcome of the 2016 World Series:

1. Awesome defense

Thanks to gifted gloves like shortstop Addison Russell, the Cubs featured a historically good defense in 2016, holding opponents to a measly .255 batting average on balls in play — the league’s lowest mark in 40 years. The Indians offer slick defense too, especially on the infield thanks to stellar young shortstop Francisco Lindor.

2. Great starters vs. great relievers

(Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports)

(Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports)

The Cubs and Indians both had great starting rotations for most of the regular season, but a couple of injuries to key Cleveland starters meant that club relied heavily upon its bullpen through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Chicago enjoyed great starts from Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks in Games 5 and 6 of the NLCS and owns a deep staff full of healthy, rested pitchers. The Indians, thanks in large part to dominant setup man Andrew Miller, shut down the Red Sox and the Blue Jays — both great lineups — in the middle and late innings of the ALDS and ALCS.

3. Monster homers

[mlbvideo id=”1208667283″ width=”660″ height=”370″ /]

Home runs were up across baseball in 2016, which is great: Home runs rule. Both teams include plenty of power, with the Cubs built around big-swinging sluggers like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and the Indians bolstered by a whole slew of regulars who established new career highs in homers in 2016. Despite all the good pitching set for the series, someone’s going to hit a huge homer at some point, and it will be quite cool.

4. The spirit of Nick Swisher

Indians first baseman Nick Swisher (PHOTO: MLB Network screengrab)

Indians first baseman Nick Swisher (PHOTO: MLB Network screengrab)

“Wait,” you’re saying, “Nick Swisher never played for the Cubs!” And that’s true. But it’s not the spirit of Nick Swisher the player that haunts the 2016 World Series so much as the spirit of Nick Swisher the legendary bro. Both the Indians and Cubs play in walkable downtown areas with nearby bars and restaurants, which means both Indians and Cubs postseason games are followed by hearty bro-downs near the ballpark. The city that bros it down harder over the next week and a half may also be the city that walks away with a world championship. Maybe not, but it won’t stop local bros from broing it out.

5. Pierogi eminence

Pierogi.

Pierogi.

Cleveland and Chicago both sit within what the questionably edited Wikipedia page for pierogi calls the United States’ “Pierogi Pocket.” Pierogi, for those unfamiliar, are a Polish and Ukrainian-style dumpling stuffed with various fillings, most commonly some combination of potatoes and cheese. They’re delicious, and it’s important both cities attempt to put their best feet forward by presenting visiting sportswriters with a sampling of their most prized pierogi.

6. Goat stuff

A goat (AP Photo)

A goat (AP Photo)

Don’t sleep on goat stuff. Curses are fake, but goats are hilarious. Look at that thing. And since part of the Cubs’ franchise mythology includes a jilted goat, the 2016 World Series will be a massive disappointment if goats are not incorporate in some fashion. Maybe Cleveland follows its pierogi trick by serving everyone — especially me — some curried goat. Goat can be very tasty when it’s prepared right.

7. Something dumb we can’t even imagine yet

Shin-Soo Choo (right) with Jeff Banister (Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports Images)

Shin-Soo Choo (right) with Jeff Banister (Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports)

This photo came from the time last year when an entire postseason series — the ALDS between the Blue Jays and Rangers, specifically — nearly came down to a return throw to the pitcher that Russell Martin accidentally banked off the knob of Shin-Soo Choo’s bat. Part of what makes baseball so enjoyable is the ever-present chance of meaningless nonsense or unspeakably random events dictating the outcome of a game or a series. Maybe Jason Heyward finally heats up after a woeful season and powers the Cubs to victory, maybe some rando from the Indians’ bench gets a start due to injury and has a three-homer game, maybe Lester unveils a perfect pickoff move he’s been hiding all season as part of a long con. They need to play the games, and the games will certainly include plenty of unexpected stuff.

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