CLEVELAND -- From Ninja Turtle to World Series hero.
Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell tied a Fall Classic record with six RBIs, including the first grand slam by a shortstop, in the Cubs' 9-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 6 on Tuesday. And he did it one day after dressing up for a certain holiday.
“Halloween's my favorite,” Russell said. “It's my nerd holiday. I go all-out.”
He and his teammates went all-out at the plate Tuesday, finally breaking through with a big night on offense and forcing a Game 7 on Wednesday. It’s pretty simple: This season, there is no one you would rather have up with the bases loaded than Russell. He tied for the major league lead with 24 RBIs with the bases loaded in the regular season and added four more with his third-inning blast off reliever Dan Otero.
“It’s unbelievable,” teammate Ben Zobrist said. “It seems like he’s licking his chops when he gets the opportunity. His confidence goes up, and he knows he’s going to get a pitch to hit.”
This didn’t happen overnight for Russell. His progression has been just one of the bright spots for a young core that has helped the Cubs to the brink of a championship. Fellow infielders Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant also homered Tuesday, but Russell is much less seasoned than his teammates. He didn’t go to college or have several years on a rebuilding team to get acclimated. He was thrust into the big leagues last season -- earlier than anyone expected. But he has used the experience to his advantage. He can handle the spotlight just fine.
“It's kind of been throughout the whole year, being part of the Cubs, you're put in the limelight,” Russell said. “And early on, you're forced to deliver whenever the game's kind of on the line. So having that practice throughout the whole season, and then, finally, here comes the big moment in the postseason, in the World Series. It's just, I wouldn't say it's bread and butter, but you definitely learn to control those feelings, so you're able to see the ball and able to think about pitch counts and all that stuff.”
The count was key to Russell’s blast, as manager Joe Maddon, along with several players, recognized his ability to lay off the first two pitches thrown by Otero. Once he got into a hitter’s count, Russell was in control. It’s not what we’ve seen from some of the other young Cubs, who have been known to swing at bad pitches.
“The key to that at-bat was to not swing at the first two pitches,” Maddon said. “That's what we've been talking about the whole time. I mean, if you get over-eager right there, you're going to put that sinker in play. It's a ground ball to third base, inning over, none of this happens.”
None of it happens if Russell doesn’t simply make contact, as he did in the first inning, when a ball fell between two Indians outfielders and scored two runs. Contact is one thing, but power is another. Russell brought it to spring training, when he impressed his manager and coaches in batting practice. Usually, it’s names such as Bryant, Rizzo and Schwarber putting on a show for fans, but this year, it was Russell who came in with a purpose. That carried over to the regular season, in which he drove in 95 RBIs and hit .391 with the bases loaded.
“The first two pitches of that at-bat were tough pitches to lay off of, especially the circumstances,” Rizzo said of Russell's slam. "Then he hits that ball. It’s a game-changer.”
Russell, 22, became the second-youngest player to hit a grand slam in the World Series, behind only Mickey Mantle. That’s pretty good company, but he’s been doing it all year. It's just that much sweeter that he did it in Game 6 of the World Series.
“The ability to handle the clutch situation and get that big hit when it matters is well beyond his years,” Zobrist said earlier this season. “You may as well walk him with the bases loaded. He’s been that good.”
Remember those times around the All-Star Game, when Russell was maligned for making the team? As if he had anything to do with the voting process. Despite being a .237 hitter at midseason, Russell never wavered. He vowed to prove that he belonged with the game’s greats.
"Watch me over the course of my career," Russell said to those All-Star doubters. "The numbers may not be great or whatever, but I contribute to my team every single day.”
But the numbers have been great, especially when there are three men on base.
What will Game 7 bring? The offense around Russell came to play in Game 6, after the Cubs squeaked out a win in Game 5. Now they’ll play the biggest game of their lives, which Russell has been preparing for all year.
“[Wednesday] is a day that you kind of have to put it all on the table,” he said. “I wouldn't even say the luckiest is going to win. It's the people that come up in the big situations. The guys that make the routine plays and the guys that make the spectacular plays to avoid the big inning. I think that's going to be the difference-maker.”