Game 2 scorecard for 2016 World Series

Paintings can be engineered, but most often they are better off simply being painted.

Over-thinking the first scorecard is very easy to do. I worked until about 3:30am, because there were so many fun stats to dig out. With the Cubs being in the World Series after 71 years, the trivia overflows. “First time since this”, “first time to do that.” You can’t miss out! With all this trivia overload, instead of writing it straight onto the scorecard, I was typing all the information first on a laptop. After the game the typed file served as a reference to figure out where to put what pieces of trivia on the physical scorecard.

This extra step of first typing all the information first into my computer is a rather tedious process. I was trying to engineer the card, rather than let the card develop by itself. There’s a reason why people keep score DURING the game, and not AFTER the game. Scorecard keeping captures that moment right when it happens.

Sure, you can fill out a scorecard after the game, and put in all the information correctly and exactly. But then it’s just rote reporting. Instead, writing the plays and notes down as the game progresses is more like narrating.

With the scorecard for game 2, I ditched the process of typing notes into my computer as the game progresses. Instead, writing them directly onto my scorecard proved to be more direct. Pencils have erasers for a reason. You can erase stuff if you need to move things around.

Instead of loading up the scorecard with tons of trivia, this scorecard is focused on the drawings. Game 2 features four drawings.

Jake Arrieta all serious

My favorite is the caricature of Jake Arrieta. His deadpan laser-focused face nails him perfectly. Along with with upright cap and flat-edge bill. Photo reference via @Cubs Twitter

Kyle Schwarber and the Schwarb-O-Meter

The Kyle Schwarber drawing… could be redone. This was the first drawing I did for game two, and honestly… I traced a photo on my laptop screen. You can tell the drawing is traced. It doesn’t really have any soul. But the very moment of Schwarber reaching first base is full of life. All year long Schwarber had to sit on the bench while he watched his teammates reach base and do the “Am I supposed to be on this base?” routine. Finally, he had the chance to reach base and do the “this base?” question to his teammates in the dugout. The smile on his face is priceless. Photo reference from FOX broadcast.

The Schwarb-O-Meter was rather humorous, because I’m a big Shawon Dunston fan. In the 80s and 90s the Bleacher Bums had the Shawon-O-Meter tracking Dunston’s batting average with every at bat. WGN would always provide a shot of this handmade sign. Schwarber shares the same uniform number as Dunston, #12, making the connection even deeper. Photo reference from FOX broadcast.

Willson Contreras long pants

The fourth drawing is Willson Contreras’ crazy long pants. In the 5th inning Contreras hit a grounder to the second basemen who made an error allowing Contreras to barely be safe at first base. The Fox camera angle of the bag showed him to safe by milliseconds, and it also showed how long his pants are. In fact, his pant leg was caught on his spikes. It’s a wonder that he was able to run down the line in these cartoonish pants. Photo reference FOX broadcast.

Factoids on scorecard

Pre-game

• Cleveland leads series 1-0
• This time we are playing for real! (especially after striking out 15 times in the previous game)
• Potential rain, games starts one hour earlier at 6:08pm CST
• 43 degrees, cloudy, 11mph wind right to left
• At Progressive Field. 38,172 (103.6% full)
• Kris Bryant wins Hank Aaron Award
• Jason Kipnis grew up as a Cubs fan (something we’ll hear a lot of during this series)
• Starting Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer had a 6.39 ERA in September. At home he allowed 15 of his 20 HR
• New postseason record! Cubs batting order features six players age 24 or younger

1st inning (top) Chicag Cubs batting

• Kris Bryant gets his first World Series hit. (a rather funny stat, because all these players are getting their first World Series hit. But I included this on the card, because hopefully the Cubs will be in many more World Series; and their star player Kris Bryant will be getting plenty more World Series hits
• 10-pitch at bat for Ben Zobrist
• Kris Bryant becomes first Cub to score a run in the World Series since Peanuts Lowrey in Game 7, 1945.

1st inning (bottom) Cleveland Indians batting

• Jake Arrieta walks the third batter, Francisco Lindor, on four pitches

2nd inning (top) Chicag Cubs batting

• Javier Baez singles on a high bounce

3rd inning (top) Chicag Cubs batting

• Kris Bryant lines out to third base on a pitch over the plate

5th inning (top) Chicag Cubs batting

• Ben Zobrist’s triple is his 5th hit this World Series.
  • Cubs with 5 hits over first two games of the World Series:
    • 2016 Ben Zobrist
    • 1938 Stan Hack
    • 1932 Riggs Stephenson
• Kyle Schwarber’s RBI single is is 10th RBI in 10 career postseason games

6th inning (bottom) Cleveland Indians batting

• Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter is ended by Jason Kipnis’ double

7th inning (top) Chicag Cubs batting

• Willson Contreras walks after an 0-2 count

7th inning (bottom) Cleveland Indians batting

• Carlos Santana strikes out with two runners on first and second base. Indians were behind 1-5.

Cubs summary

• Arrieta most all-time postseason strikeouts by a Cub with 44
• 12 strikeouts by Cubs pitchers. Franchise record most in World Series game since 1908.

Indians summary

• 196 pitches thrown by Cleveland. Their 2nd most this year
• 1st World Series loss for Terry Francona

Julia factoid

My daughter’s six-month doctor check-in was today. 14 pounds (Ernie Banks’ number) & 26 inches (Billy Williams’ number). Julia got a pair of band-aids on her legs from her doctor’s shots. I was tempted to make the factoid about how the stripes on her legs look like Anthony Rizzo’s eyeblack.

Game 2 promos Chicago magazine ran on social media

Chicago magazine website
The Cubs’ bats came alive, and Jake Arrieta pitched more than 5 no-hit innings.

Facebook post
“This gorgeously detailed scorecard for the Cubs’ first winning World Series game in 71 years … :’)”

Twitter
“Now THAT is more like it! #flythew”

Twitter
“Game 2 of the #WorldSeries gets the illustrated scorecard treatment (check out that Schwarb-O-Meter)”

Twitter
“Relive the beauty of #WorldSeries Game 2 with this elegantly drawn scorecard”

The Kyle Schwarber promo for game 2 that wasn’t run by Chicago magazine:

Tomorrow’s scorecard

The game 3 scorecard covers the Cubs first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945!