By now, you may be well aware that the Chicago Cubs historic win against the Cleveland Indians last Wednesday evening marks their first World Series win since 1908; 108 years have gone by since the last time this happened, marking the match as the “Win of the Century.”
There were so many forces that aligned to make this a truly engaging and nail-biting game as well; a poetic final game home run for David Ross, who at 39-years-old was the oldest player to hit one in Game 7 and who retired at the end of this season. A game that went into a tenth inning, temporarily delayed by passing showers and a white tarp laid over the field.
The three-run lead the Cubs had at the top of the sixth inning put many Chicagoans at ease, that is until the heart-wrenching recovery by the Indians in the eighth inning with three runs after walking homer-hitting Cubs, fans still reeling from a bases loaded strikeout, bringing the score to a 6-6 tie. No runs in the suspenseful ninth inning; a 17-minute edge-of-seat rain delay just before the extra tenth inning…..
This article wasn’t written to recap Game 7 specifics. You know that the Cubs came back with a double, the Indians narrowing the lead to a single point just before the end.
8 – 7. The first win since 1908, the first time playing in the World Series since 1945, when Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis and his pet goat Murphy were kicked out and he placed the infamous curse on the team ( a win and a curse covered nicely by the Inquisitr’s own Jason Reynolds).
As a writer for the Inquisitr living in Chicago since 2010, the real reason I wanted to write this article was to capture the sheer electricity that energized the city just after the win. The friends I watched the game with felt immense pride to see Chicago illuminated by fireworks, filled with sounds of car horns and cheers, waving “W” flags, the comical response some fans had (says a city worker in passing, “I shoved my foot up that billie goat’s a**!”).
This was a celebration and energy not seen in this midwestern city since the turn of the century, at least when it came to baseball. Over the past few decades, Chicago has now scored championship wins for all five of their teams: the Blackhawks in 2015 with their third Stanley cup in six seasons, the South Side White Sox winning the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros, the Chicago Bulls championship title in 1998, won with Michael Jordan’s 20-foot jump shot, and finally the 1986 win for the Bears in Super Bowl XX.
People filled the streets. Beer and champagne spray drenched bystanders. People danced to “You’re The Best Around” Karate Kid theme by Joe Esposito as it blared from car speakers. A warning from one of the game announcers for bosses to “forgive their employees” came to bear the following day as throngs of exhausted fans returned to work to discuss the excitement with their co-workers.
Then came Friday’s unbelievable rally which local affiliate Fox 32 News reported as the seventh largest gathering in human history, with approximately 5 million attendees. The Chicago River, which has normally only been dyed bright green for St. Patrick’s Day every March, was tinted a brilliant blue to celebrate the home team.
As a relatively recent transplant to this city, I can only reiterate the collective pride Chicago felt on Wednesday and for days after (people are still talking of course). People came from all over the country to watch the final few games and celebrate the win on Friday, and this writer can confirm a certain roommate from Paris (working in Chicago until December) who experienced the excitement first-hand, sharing the amazing news with friends across the Atlantic.
This World Series win for the Chicago Cubs was truly one for the history books, 108 years culminating in a win heard felt the world; a 71-year curse finally broken. The city still feels the energy… now onto the election.
[Featured Image by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Images]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKC5c9cmryg