Members of the Chicago Cubs work out at Wrigley Field on Thursday. The Cubs are set to host the Cleveland Indians for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday.Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber was followed by fans with cameras and cellphones. A couple of pitchers from the Cleveland Indians played hacky sack in the outfield.
So, no, nothing like the last World Series at Wrigley Field.
The Fall Classic returns to one of baseball's iconic ballparks on Friday when the Cubs and Indians face off in Game 3 after splitting the first two nights in chilly Cleveland. It's the first World Series game at Wrigley since Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg helped the Detroit Tigers to a 9-3 victory in Game 7 on Oct. 10, 1945.
The expectation is, well, even more bedlam than usual. The Cubs, seeking their first championship in 108 years, played in front of packed, frenzied crowds for much of the season, and even the Indians are looking forward to the scene.
"Tomorrow's going to be unbelievable," Cleveland slugger Mike Napoli said. "I watched when they clinched to go to the World Series and how crazy it was and seeing the fans in the streets where they had to have police escorts. You could just see the crowd just part ways.
"So it's going to be fun. It's something that I wanted to be a part of, and thought that it would be an unbelievable World Series," he said.
It's been pretty great so far, and it's only getting started.
Corey Kluber pitched the Indians to a 6-0 win on Tuesday, striking out nine in a dazzling performance. After Josh Tomlin makes his third playoff start in the Wrigley opener, Kluber looms over Game 4 on Saturday night on short rest.
The Cubs returned to Chicago on a high after working over Cleveland's pitching staff in a 5-1 victory Wednesday night. Trevor Bauer lasted just 3 2/3 innings, beginning a parade to the mound that included six relievers and a total of 196 pitches.
"That was the plan, to get at least one over there and bring it back home," second baseman Javier Baez said. "Everybody is excited to be here in Chicago. Everybody has been waiting for this moment."
Schwarber will be relegated to pinch-hitting moments for the next three games after doctors said it was too soon after major left knee surgery to risk putting him in the outfield.
The move takes one of Chicago's best bats out of the lineup after a surprising return by the slugger for the World Series.
"We're going to respect the doctors," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "They're the professionals here. Kyle understands that. He wants to play, he's the ultimate gamer, but he understands that the doctor's judgment has to rule the day in this case."
Schwarber was ruled out for the year after he tore two knee ligaments in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler in Chicago's third game of the season.
But he had an encouraging checkup with Dr. Daniel Cooper on Oct. 17 in Dallas, clearing the way for a short stay in the Arizona Fall League before serving as the designated hitter in Cleveland.
Facing major-league pitching for the first time in six months, Schwarber doubled and walked in Game 1. He added a pair of run-scoring singles Wednesday night, leading to lengthy phone conversations with Cooper and Dr. Stephen Gryzlo, one of the Cubs' physicians, that ultimately led to the safe route for the 23-year-old catcher/outfielder.
"Facts are facts," Schwarber said. "I just can't physically do it. So I'm going to be ready at any time during the game to go out there and pinch-hit."
Schwarber was selected by Chicago with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Indiana University. He made his major-league debut last June, part of a wave of bright young talent that helped the once-downtrodden franchise blossom into one of baseball's top clubs.
The Middletown, Ohio, native hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs in 69 games last year, but really rose to prominence in the postseason.
He hit .333 with a franchise-record five homers in nine playoff games, including a drive that reached the top of a Wrigley Field videoboard.
Schwarber stood in left for a short while during batting practice on Thursday, but he never took any fly balls. He had already talked to the doctors at that point.
"There's just too much risk in playing the outfield because of the dynamic actions involved, the instantaneous reactions, the need to cut in the outfield, the dynamic, athletic movements that are unanticipated in the outfield, your instinct in reacting to balls that just aren't the case when you're running the bases," Epstein said.
The Indians will juggle their lineup, too, likely starting designated hitter Carlos Santana in left field in Game 3.
Without a DH because they're playing in a National League ballpark, the Indians are prepared to put Santana, who has only played the position for a few innings in his career, out in left at Wrigley Field, where he'll have to deal with the wind and the rowdy bleacher crowd never mind the pressure.
Indians manager Terry Francona said he has "anxiety" in making the move but feels it gives his team the best chance to win.
Santana, who hit 34 homers during the regular season, last played left in 2012 during a 14-1 loss.
He's been taking fly balls in preparation for his start and said he's excited about the opportunity.