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Cubs affirm World Series expectations — at least for one game

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The numerous and vociferous Chicago Cubs followers at Angels Stadium on Monday waited all the way until Dexter Fowler reached second base with a game-opening double to start their "Let’s go Cubbies!" chant.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The numerous and vociferous Chicago Cubs followers at Angels Stadium on Monday waited all the way until Dexter Fowler reached second base with a game-opening double to start their "Let’s go Cubbies!" chant.

No sense in sounding too overeager with 161 more games to go.

Fan enthusiasm has been at a fever pitch since the Cubs followed their 97-win season and playoff appearance of a year ago with some major winter upgrading, and Monday’s season opener did nothing to douse that fervor.

The Cubs’ 9-0 thrashing of the Los Angeles Angels — more like a walkover — represented Chicago’s biggest shutout victory ever to start a season, the perfect way to begin the quest for the World Series title that has eluded the club for the last 107 years.

It’s a pursuit that promises to draw fans from all corners of the country. Some 20 minutes after the last out was recorded Monday, their hollers still reverberated into the Southern California night.

"We knew we had a ton of support here with our fans in the stadium, so that was a big boost for us," said winning pitcher Jake Arrieta, who tossed seven innings of two-hit ball. "When they had introductions, we had some pretty good ovations for our players on the road, which is a big deal. We’re a long way from Chicago. That shows you the support we have across the country."

It only figures to grow with performances like these. The Cubs made huge waves in the offseason by spending $272 million on free agents Jason Heyward, John Lackey — both from the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals — and Ben Zobrist.

But it was mostly players from last year’s team doing the majority of the damage against an Angels club that may request to be allowed to start next season against a team in its own league — in every sense of the term.

Fowler — dramatically brought back when he seemed on the verge of signing elsewhere — went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and holdover catcher Miguel Montero homered and drove in three runs in support of Arrieta, who didn’t need much.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner found his groove after the first couple of innings and retired 13 of 14 Angels between the second and sixth. He twice struck out Mike Trout, making him look bad in the process.

"He threw a pretty good change-up to Trout to strike him out and I don’t think he ever thought (Arrieta) was going to throw a change-up," Montero said, "because after he swung at it (Trout) looked at the board like, 'What was that?' "

Even though manager Joe Maddon has encouraged his youthful Cubs to "embrace the target" placed on them by the out-sized preseason expectations, he is taking a different tack when it comes to Arrieta.

Yes, Maddon is counting on Arrieta to pitch like an ace again. But to replicate that awe-inspiring second-half run that saw him go 12-1 with an 0.75 ERA in his final 15 starts last season? Well, let’s get real. To Maddon, that was "unworldly."

Oh, and Maddon added, figure on Arrieta carrying a lighter load than he did in 2015, when his 229 innings pitched ranked third in the majors.

Arrieta then went out and put the lie to much of what Maddon had said, toying with the hapless Angels lineup with such efficiency that he had only thrown 69 pitches through six innings, so he came out for the seventh despite holding a 6-0 lead. Going back to last season, Arrieta has completed 29 consecutive shutout innings.

"Jake rose to the occasion like he can," Maddon said. "Very calm and with great stuff. Once I started seeing that 95 (mph) down and away to righties get called a strike, it was all over."

The Cubs’ championship chase is just beginning, and in a most unlikely place. This was the first time they opened a season in an American League park in the 140 years they’ve been in the NL. But with their rabid, ready-to-travel following, every stadium may feel like Wrigley Field, sans the ivy.

Heyward, one of the major reasons for the optimism, is acutely aware of the intense desire to end the majors’ longest championship drought.

"We have a hungry group of guys," he said. "Everyone’s hungry, from top to bottom, from ownership to fans to us here in the clubhouse. We do have a special group. We have to go make the best of it."

Monday they took a firm first step in that direction.

GALLERY: BEST OF OPENING DAY

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