It’s Game 7 and all bets are off.

One of the most famous adages in sports is “anything can happen in a game seven,” which is why a team that once led in a series is dangerously aware of letting it get there. Now the Cleveland Indians, who I still think will win, are in that precarious position.

The Cubs managed to eke out a Game 5 win in their 2016 swan song at Wrigley Field, and they rediscovered their offense in their do-or-die return to Cleveland. Kris Bryant got the 9-3 victory started by lifting that low fast ball he loves for a towering home run off Josh Tomlin, who had his first bad outing of the post-season. The Indians must be worried the same will befall Corey Kluber, working tonight on three days’ rest for the second straight time.

In a game seven, the pressure reverts to the home team that had the big lead, as it did to the Golden State Warriors in the most recent NBA Finals, when the Cavaliers gave Cleveland its first championship since Abraham Lincoln was in office (well, maybe not that far back). And the Indians must score early on Kyle Hendricks, who has already had his one spotty performance and, like John Lester Sunday night and Jake Arrieta last night, is pitching on full rest. Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon wanted to get it to this point, and he did.

What a strange and exciting World Series it has been, well-deserving of a seventh game. The Cubs took a split back to Wrigley and lost a 1-0 decision in Game 3 when their bats went silent and then decided to go with No. 4 starter John Lackey in Game 4. Bad move, 7-2 loss that had much of the Cubs faithful resigned to fate with a 3-1 deficit. But Arrieta was again unhittable in Game 6 until the Cubbies bombed to a 7-0 lead, and here we are with perhaps the best moment in all of sports.

Game 7 of the World Series. How many times has the favorite gone down in such a game? The Indians, with a vastly underrated lineup and at home, remain the favorite. It could be 1-0 or it could be 8-7. Either way, it’s what both teams let happen. And it’s awesome.

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