That was the craziest game I can remember in a long time. Stakes that high, (on my birthday!), watching a game seven where neither team had won a World Series in forever – 1948 for Cleveland and 1908 for Chicago, and to have extra innings? Insane.
The Cubs led off the game with a home run and it appeared they’d bang out like they did to take game six. Instead, Cleveland tied it at one. But the Cubs responded with four runs to take a commanding 5-1 lead until they pulled their starter. Jon Lester came in and David Ross his personal catcher made two poor plays that put the Indians and their racism within two runs, 5-3.
The catcher made up for it the ensuing inning, though, belting one to center field where most of us assumed it’d sit until Chicago ended this awful curse. But, with two outs in the 8th, Aroldis Chapman ran out of gas, letting a 6-4 game become tied after Rajai Davis launched the game-tying home run to left field. You cannot make this stuff up!
The bottom of the 9th was so scary for any Cubs fan, and then, it was raining so hard they pulled over the tarp and we waited during a delay. It seemed to calm the Cubs, who came out swinging in extra innings. We watched them leadoff with a shift-beating base hit, tag up and take 2nd with a pinch runner on a deep fly ball, then Francona got out of hand intentionally walking batters and it cost them. Zobrist drove in the 7th run on a double down the line for runners at 2nd and 3rd, where they walked Chicago to load the bases. A base hit made it 8-6…
And that run was crucial, for with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Cleveland and Davis made it 8-7. Finally, on a grounder to the third basemen, the Cubs ended a 108-year drought as the entire sporting world erupted in celebration. Did this really happen? Game seven, after being down 3-1 in the series, blowing the save – and winning in extra innings?
Why not, Cubs! Congratulations and may it inspire us all, looking at fans like Bill Murray and the old iconic woman in Wrigley who waited forever for this. I certainly know watching them win with my brother evoked every joyous feeling baseball brings out in you as a kid. Is this Field of Dreams heaven? No, it’s just Chicago.