The Chicago Cubs will take the field in a World Series game for the first time since 1945 when they battle the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, and they’ll make quite a bit of history when they do it.
According to Cubs manager Joe Maddon, Kyle Schwarber will be the team’s designated hitter for the first game of the series, making the lefty slugger the first ever DH the Cubs will ever have in a postseason game.
What’s more, if Dexter Fowler bats lead-off for the Cubs in the game (which he has done throughout the postseason), then he will become the first African-American player to ever play for the Cubs in a World Series game, as their last World Series berth (1945) predated the integration of baseball by Jackie Robinson in 1947.
As for the rest of the lineup, it is now set, and here it is:
1 Dexter Fowler – CF
2 Kris Bryant – 3B
3 Anthony Rizzo – 1B
4 Ben Zobrist – LF
5 Kyle Schwarber - DH
6 Javier Baez - 2B
7 Chris Coghlan - RF
8 Addison Russell - SS
9 David Ross - C
Coghlan is getting the start in right field over Jason Heyward, who has struggled throughout the playoffs. Schwarber is also making his 2016 postseason debut batting fifth in the order, with Baez moving down a spot.
