CLEVELAND -- It was 43 degrees when Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer threw the first pitch of Game 2 of the World Series at Progressive Field on Wednesday, and it didn't get much better, weather-wise, from there.
Still, though the Cubs and the Indians played through cold, damp conditions, the worst-case scenario -- heavy rain during the game -- never happened. It held off just long enough for Chicago to prevail, 5-1, in a four-hour, four-minute affair that evened the World Series at one win apiece.
• Game 3: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 ET game time on FOX
Include - Html: :: Complete World Series coverage ::
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball made the decision to move Game 2 up an hour, to avoid being caught in a storm that was supposed to begin sometime around 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
That decision proved to be a prudent one. Minutes after the game was complete, the skies opened up, almost at the exact time the weather reports had predicted.
• Shop for World Series gear: Cubs | Indians
Though it didn't pour during the game, the conditions weren't exactly comfortable. The dugouts were heated, but on the field, it was cold. How cold was it?
"I mean, it was so cold, I tried to go to the bathroom in the fourth inning and I couldn't," Indians manager Terry Francona deadpanned. "That tells you enough."
Game 2 tied for the second-coldest World Series game of the Wild Card Era, just slightly warmer than the first-pitch temperature of 35 degrees in Game 4 of the 1997 World Series between the Marlins and Indians, also in Cleveland.
Moving forward, extreme chilliness shouldn't be a problem. According to accuweather.com, the forecast for the rest of the World Series, in both cities, appears to be favorable. When the Cubs and Indians assemble on Friday to play the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years, the weather conditions are expected to be downright balmy -- a high of 68 degrees, with "periods of sun."
Include - Html: :: Coldest World Series games since 1995 ::
Saturday's forecast is about the same, while on Sunday, it's expected to be a little cooler, but no rain is forecasted. Sunnier skies are expected in Cleveland for Games 6 and 7, if the World Series extends that far.
If those prognostications prove accurate, it looks like Wednesday presented the worst of the weather. Cubs starter Jake Arrieta, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in Game 2, admitted that the elements presented a challenge.
Arrieta rode a stationary bike between innings and tried to keep moving in an effort to avoid cooling down too much.
"I think keeping my hand as warm as I could in between innings to not lose feel in the fingertips, because for, not even just a starting pitcher, but for a pitcher, you want to have that consistent feel off your fingertips," Arrieta said. "Especially on your breaking ball, to maintain consistency with how you execute those pitches."

Bauer, who was lifted with two outs in the fourth, offered no excuses for the weather contributing to his short outing.
"Tough conditions to play in on all sides of the ball," Bauer said. "You've got to work through it."
Teammate Jason Kipnis, who made two errors, also shrugged off weather as being a factor.
"World Series, we've got heaters and stuff like that," Kipnis said. "It shouldn't slow you down. [The Cubs] got through it enough to score five runs."