The Chicago Cubs had not won a World Series in over a century-up until November 2. The fans of the Cubs had been dying for a World Series Championship ring since 1908. The curse of the billy goat, which has been haunting the cubs for over a century, has finally been broken.
The curse of the billy goat goes back to 1945 when William Sianis, then owner of The Billy Goat Tavern, brought his goat to the World Series game with him at Wrigley Field. Sianis’s goat’s odor bothered other fans. Due to the smell, Sianis was asked to leave the ballpark. As he left, he said angrily, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more!” He cursed the Cubs never to win another World Series– ever again. The Cubs would go on to lose the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers and had not won a World Series since 1908–up until now.
They had their chance to lift the curse for good as the series was tied 3-3 against the Cleveland Indians who haven’t won a world series since 1948! These were the longest championship droughts in all of baseball.
It all came down to game seven from Progressive Field in Cleveland Ohio, with starters Corey Kluber of the Indians and Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs. The Cubs took on the challenge and conquered the curse.
The Chicago Cubs faced a 3-1 deficit in the series and rallied back led by the bats of Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell. Russell who drove in six of the Cubs’ nine runs batted in game six! The Cubs’ bats came alive in a game they had to win to force a game seven, along with a strong start from 2015 Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta who held the Indians to two runs in their 9-3 victory in game six.
The curse of the billy goat was finally shattered after the Cubs won game seven, ending the 108 year drought, coming back three games to one in the series. The Cubs would become champions and Ben Zobrist was named World Series Most Valuable Player due to knocking in the leading run in the top of the tenth inning.
The Indians put up a valiant effort considering they were down by four runs at one point during the game. Arguably this was the most memorable game seven in baseball history, consisting of home runs, a rain delay, extra innings drama, and plenty of emotion by all the players on both sides.
One player deeply affected was David Ross, the Cubs catcher, who is now officially retired. Game seven was his final game, in which he’d gone out with a championship and a home run. There couldn’t have been a more dramatic or better way for the Cubs to break the curse and to finally give their fans a World Series win.