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World Series a 'dream come true' for suburban native Kipnis

When Jason Kipnis' 402-foot blast landed in Wrigley Field's right-field bleachers in the seventh inning Saturday night, the Cleveland second baseman had some thoughts going through his head that weren't exactly fit for print.

"Probably can't say the words that were going into my mind," Kipnis said in the postgame interview room after the Indians' 7-2 victory in Game 4. "Kids are watching this channel, but it's just excitement."

This World Series is truly a dream come true for the 29-year-old Kipnis, who graduated from Glenbrook North in 2005. The fact that he's playing in it at all is somewhat of a minor miracle after he suffered a fairly significant ankle sprain while celebrating on the field after the Indians clinched the AL pennant.

"When you go play, nobody's going to care how beat up you are," said Cleveland manager Terry Francona. "He's done a good job of handling it, getting here early and kind of getting it better each day. I do think the more we play, the better he's feeling."

Kipnis was just 2-for-12 in the first three games of the Series, then went 3-for-5 in Game 4 with 1 of those hits being a 3-run homer that gave the Indians a 7-1 lead.

The homer made a bit of history, too, as he became just the fourth second baseman to hit a 3-run HR in the World Series. The others are the Dodgers' Davey Lopes, the Yankees' Chuck Knoblauch and the Phillies' Chase Utley.

"I had a lot of joy in playing this game," Kipnis said, "and to be put into a situation like this and actually have something happen like that is - for lack of a better term - it's a dream come true."

Having friends and family in the stands was certainly special as well, but Kipnis also said he's just happy to finally be contributing to the Indians' cause.

"Well, I think he's contributed before that," Francona said. "He's being a little bit modest, which isn't the worst thing in the world."

The Indians have been able to rely on Kipnis for five straight years as he's averaged 145 games per season. In 2016, he posted career highs with 23 home runs, 91 runs and 610 at-bats. He was also awfully close in doubles (41) and RBI (82).

Now, he's 1 win away from a World Series title. And he's definitely taken a moment or two to soak everything in.

"I got to have dinner with my family the first night we got in," Kipnis said. "And all of it has just been positive reinforcement from people. Just go out, have fun. Enjoy yourself. Take it in.

"They're all like, 'This is something special, so appreciate it.'"

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