The Curse is Broken!

For the first time in more than 100 years, the Chicago Cubs are World Series champions

NOVEMBER 03, 2016

By Dante A. Ciampaglia

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GREGORY SHAMUS—GETTY IMAGES

The Chicago Cubs celebrate their World Series win.

Throw away those lucky charms and put the goat back in the barn. The curse has been broken. The Chicago Cubs are World Series champions once again. It only took 108 years to get here.

RON VESELY/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Rajai Davis of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

Chicago defeated the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, in a wild Game 7 to win its first major league title since 1908. The victory ends the longest championship drought in North American sports. That honor now belongs to the Indians, who haven’t won a World Series since 1948.

“It was like a heavyweight fight, man. Just blow for blow, everybody playing their heart out,” said second baseman and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist. “The Indians never gave up either, and I can't believe we're finally standing, after 108 years, finally able to hoist the trophy.”

The Cubs won the Fall Classic in dramatic fashion. Chicago was down 3-1 heading into Game 5. But after dominating the Indians in Games 5 and 6, the Cubs set up a winner-take-all Game 7 in Cleveland.

Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler opened the scoring with a lead-off home run in the first inning. Chicago never trailed in the game, but the Indians never backed down. After entering the bottom of the fifth down 5-1, Cleveland scored two runs to get back in the game. Chicago answered in the sixth when catcher David Ross—playing in his final game—hit a home run to give the Cubs a 6-3 lead.

That’s how things stayed until the bottom of the eighth. But then Cleveland outfielder Brandon Guyer slapped a two-out double to drive in a run. And in the next at-bat, outfielder Rajai Davis hit a two-run homer over the left field wall to tie the game, 6-6.

All of a sudden, Chicago fans felt the curse tighten its grip—and their hopes of celebrating a championship slip away.

Neither team scored in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings. Then came a 17-minute rain delay. It gave the Cubs the chance they needed to regroup.

“We just got together. [Rightfielder] Jason Heyward called a meeting, all the players, and we rallied together, we rallied strong,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “We knew that we could do this. We know we keep fighting, we never quit, we always say it, and we pull together, and the boys believed.”

DAVID J. PHILLIP—POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist celebrates after being named World Series MVP.

When the game finally resumed, Chicago went right to work. With two men on, second baseman Ben Zobrist hit a one-out double that scored a run. Two batters later, catcher Miguel Montero hit a single, bringing one more Cub home and pushing the score to 8-6.

In the bottom of the tenth, the Indians refused to quit. Chicago reliever Carl Edwards got the first two outs quickly then walked Guyer. Two batters later, Guyer came home on a Davis single. Cleveland fans could almost taste a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

But then the Cubs slammed the door. Michael Martinez grounded out. All of a sudden, the Chicago Cubs were world champions. Celebrations erupted on the field, in the stands, and on Chicago’s North Side, where thousands gathered outside Wrigley Field to watch the game.

“It could not have been a more entertaining, difficult series to win,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. “It's really great to get beyond [the curse and the superstition] and continue to move forward.”

Next for the Cubs is a parade in Chicago and an offseason full of celebrations. For the Indians, it will be a long winter of wondering how they let a title slip away. But if we learned anything from the 2016 World Series, it’s that curses and losing streaks are meant to be broken. It’s only a matter of time before Cleveland ends its long wait for another championship. And it’s only three and a half months until the start of spring training.

Did you watch the World Series? Do you think the Cubs are the world champions?