Silence.
Then suddenly a roared erupted in the distance.
Game. Over.
This is the game seven of the world series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
I could see multiple white flags displaying the notorious "W" flying high in the stadium. I couldn't bear the sight so I quickly turned away and trudged down the street with my hat hanging low covering my face. I have never seen so many people utterly speechless while others were exploding with excitement. I'm a Cleveland fan so I know what losing feels like all too well, but this one was different.
I was lucky enough to be able to make the trip up to Cleveland multiple times during the World Series to cheer on the Indians. I was there to witness the errors, the frustration, the tears, the cheers, the home runs, the cries of excitement and it was all remarkably astonishing.
Being able to cheer on my team with thousands of fellow fans is a feeling like no other. High-fiving and hugging strangers, exchanging trash talk with Cubs fans, screaming until your throat felt like you lit it on fire. This is baseball and it is a tragically beautiful game filled with miracles and let-downs.
I've watched multiple World Series over my short lifetime and I can 100 percent say that this past one was a series I will never forget. Unbelievable hitting from the Cubs bullpen and a great defense to add on top of it. Even if you are a Tribe fan like myself, you can't deny the fact that the Cubs definitely earned and deserved the title.
Nevertheless, the Cleveland Indians surely gave Chicago a run for their money both in the beginning of the series and game seven. At the end of the day, if our team can confidently say that they went out there and gave it their all, then that's all that matters.
Overall the tribe played great baseball this entire postseason despite being the underdogs 99 percent of the time. No one thought we would get this far and look at us now. Yes, we lost, but the fact that we even made it to the World Series is unbelievable.
The Cleveland Indians are a relatively young team who aren't that familiar with postseason baseball. Moreover, this leaves room for improvement from mistakes made and the opportunity to come back next year stronger and better than ever.
Watching Rajai Davis hit that game tieing home run was extraordinary and getting to experience that moment while in Cleveland made it a memory I will never forget.
It is utterly heartbreaking that the Tribe lost, but there is no greater feeling than watching our team play their hearts out and leaving everything out on the field at the freaking WORLD SERIES.
Look at the Cavs as a great example. They were a newly assembled team made up of players who have never played together before. They made it to the finals against the Warriors, but ultimately lost the series to them. This inspired the team to come back and be better than ever. They worked hard and persevered to win the championship against the very same team that beat them the year before. I think this is perhaps going to be the same situation with the tribe. We have some things to work on, but I believe this isn't over for the team. We are too young and hungry to fade into the background easily. We are going to fight our way back to the world series next year and maybe, just maybe, win it all.
Good job Cubs; the curse is over. Enjoy your big win, but don't get too comfortable because Cleveland is coming back next year better than ever.
With that being said, let the 3-1 jokes commence.