First, let me congratulate the Chicago Cubs on being the 2016 World Series Champions. Yep, you read that right, the Cubbies from Wrigleyville defeated the Indians from “Believe-land” by a score of 8-7. Being a Cincinnati Reds fan, it is tough to see a division rival win the “Fall Classic,” but it is good for the game of baseball. It is good for the sport, the fans, ad every city that hosts a major league baseball club. It gives people hope. I mean come on, if the Cubs can win, any team can win.
The 2016 sports year has been the weirdest year in recent memory. It all started with the Pittsburg Penguins winning the 2016 Stanley Cup during their 50th anniversary season. It continued with the Cleveland Cavaliers winning their first NBA championship after being down in the series, 3 games to 1 against the highly favored Golden States Warriors. The Chicago Cubs’ season started with this same kind of oddity. They were given the best odds to win the World Series. Fast forward through seven months of domination, and we get to the series that every sports fan has been waiting for; the Chicago Cubs versus the Cleveland Indians.
The Cubs entered the series with the largest championship drought in Major League Baseball history (107 years), whereas the Indians came into the series with the fifth largest championship drought (67 years). Regardless of the outcome, the 2016 World Series looked as if it was going to be historical, and it turned out to be just that. These are truly the best two teams in baseball. However, I want to focus on Game 7 and how it was jam-packed with everything a sports fan wants to see in a championship game. The Cubs battled back to tie the series at 3 games apiece after trailing 3 games to 1 to the Indians, who had only lost two games in the postseason to that point.
So, after a historic comeback, we start Game 7 of the 2016 World Series in Cleveland, Ohio, with a leadoff home run by Chicago Cub’s Centerfielder, Dexter Fowler. Excitement from the first pitch: check. In the bottom of the third, Indian’s Designated Hitter, Carlos Santana, gets a RBI single to tie the game at one apiece. Close game in the last game of the championship: check. The Cubs then plated home two more runs in both the fourth and fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead. A visiting “underdog” takes a big lead: check. The Indians bring the game within two runs after two runners scored on John Lester’s wild pitch, which went off of the facemask of the veteran, David Ross.
Unforeseen event sparks a comeback: check. The Cubs take the lead to 3 with a solo home run from the veteran catcher, David Ross. Veteran hits a home run in the final at-bat in his final game of his career: check. At this point, Cubs fans could almost taste victory. With the Cubs up by 3 runs going into the latter half of the 8th with the fastest throwing closer in MLB history on the mound, it looked as if this would be the year for Chicago.
The Indians had something else in mind, scoring 3 runs from a Guyer RBI double and a Rajai Davis 2 run homerun. The home team tying the game in an elegant fashion: check. What is a classic World Series Game 7 with extra innings? To add even more suspense, a fifteen-minute rain delay. The Cubs took a 2 run lead in the Top of the 10th on a Ben Zobrist RBI double and a Montero RBI single. The Indians battled back in the bottom of the 10th inning with a RBI single from Rajai Davis, but ultimately, it didn’t matter.
The Chicago Cubs outlasted the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings by a final score of 8-7. Cub’s flame-throwing closer, Aroldis Chapman, gets credit for the win in Game 7 that ended the 107-year drought. This game and series were one for the history books. Fox Sports announced that this game was the most watched baseball game in 25 years with more than 40 million people viewing. Wednesday night’s game is now the fifth-most watched sporting event of 2016, behind the Super Bowl, AFC and NFC Championship Game, and the AFC Divisional Championship game. These ratings just go to support my belief that Game 7 and the 2016 World Series was the most anticipated and best game in baseball history.
