108 years later, the Chicago Cubs are World Series Champions once again. In the early morning hours on November 2, 2016, the Cubs ended the longest World Series drought in the history of Major League Baseball with a dramatic 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the series.
During the first game of the World Series, the Cleveland Indians posted an impressive start, bringing in six runs and shutting out the Cubs in front of the Cleveland fans. The Cubs bounced back quickly, winning the following night 5-1, and tying the series before heading to Chicago for Game 3. Game 3 at Wrigley Field was a thrilling 1-0 Indians win, after Coco Crisp hit in an RBI during the top of the seventh inning. The teams remained in Chicago for Game 4, but Indians’ seven runs during the game prevented the Cubs from tying the series again. Game 5 was a must win for the Cubs, who were now down 3-1 in the series. The Cubs sent in 3 runs during the fourth inning, including a homerun from Chicago All Star, Kris Bryant. With the series at 3-2, the teams headed back to Cleveland to finish out the series. The Cubs, once again, pulled through with an excellent pitching performance from Jake Arrieta and a 9-3 romp of the Indians.
Dexter Fowler began Game 7 for the Cubs with a homerun in the first at-bat of the game. His team followed, bringing in 5 more runs. The Cubs held the lead at 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. The Cleveland Indians, however, would not give up so easily. Led by Rajai Davis and Brandon Guyer, the Indians tied the score. Neither team could win the game in the 9th inning, so the Cubs and the Indians headed into extra innings. At this point, the game was rain-delayed, adding to the suspense of the series and giving both teams a chance to regroup after a wild nine innings of play. When the delay ended, the Cubs wasted no time and scored two runs at the top of the inning. The Indians could only score one run against Cubs pitcher, Mike Montgomery, and at the end of the 10th inning, the Cubs were crowned World Series champions.
While the Cubs celebrated in Chicago, Wellesley students rejoiced that the drought had finally ended. Maureen McCord ‘18, a lifelong Cubs fan, watched the World Series games on a projector in the Science Center while doing her homework. “We won so many of our games while I was in the GEOS lab that that classroom has become lucky for me!” she explained. McCord says the century-long history of the Cubs’ unsuccessful seasons has created a camaraderie amongst Cubs fans all over the country. However, McCord states, “As a Cubs fan…this win is kind of life changing, to be totally honest. I used to be able to revel in the Eeyore-y qualities of being a Cubs fan, of being too dumb to stop loving my team even after we lost over a hundred games in 2012. But now I have to adjust to being a winner! That’s a real change!” McCord hopes that the World Series victory will result in a younger following for the Cubs, since many young fans have not been interested in rooting for a losing team in the past. She also hopes that this thrilling series will generate a bigger interest for baseball across the country.
With the lights-out pitching from Jake Arrieta, the versatile fielding from Kris Bryant and the clutch hitting from Ben Zobrist, it’s hard to imagine that this team won’t gain a few more fans by the start of the 2016-2017 season. This team has shown the sporting world what determination, persistence and faith can produce. Congratulations to all Cubs fans! Go Cubs Go!