CLEVELAND (WTOL) - The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in ten innings in a dramatic Game 7 of the World Series Thursday night in Cleveland, clinching their first Major League title since 1908.
Game 7 turned out to be one of the most dramatic games and bizarre games in World Series history.
The game pitted Indians ace Corey Kluber on short rest against the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks.
The Cubs struck first with their first batter Dexter Fowler, who hit the first leadoff home run in Game 7 history to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
The Indians answered in the third inning when Carlos Santana hit an RBI single, allowing Coco Crisp to score.
Chicago struck again in the 4th, scoring two runs including a home run by Javier Baez. The Cubs added two more runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead, ending Kluber's night.
But in the bottom of the inning, a wild pitch by Jon Lester, who replaced Hendricks earlier in the inning, allowed the Indians to score two more runs, cutting the lead to two.
Cubs catcher David Ross, who went into the game with Lester, hit a home run in his final game in Major League baseball to extend their lead to three.
Jon Lester left the game in favor of closer Aroldis Chapman late in the 7th inning.
In the bottom of the 8th inning, Brandon Guyer smacked a one-run RBI double to bring the Indians within two runs. That brought up Rajai Davis, who smashed a two-run homer to left field to tie the game at six.
Both teams were held scoreless in the ninth, sending Game 7 into extra innings.
Before the 10th could begin, a rain delay was called, delaying the game until 12:15 a.m.
In the top of the 10th, Ben Zobrist hit a one-run RBI double to give the Cubs a 7-6 lead. Then Miguel Montero hit an RBI base hit to give the Cubs an 8-6 lead.
The Cubs brought in Carl Edwards Jr. to close out the game. With two outs, Rajai Davis hit an RBI base hit to bring the Indians within one run.
Mike Montgomery replaced Edward. Michael Martinez then hit a weak shot toward Kris Bryant, who threw Martinez out a first to seal the Cubs' first championship in over a century.
The 2016 World Series is one for the history books, breaking series ratings records and capturing the attention of passionate fanatics and casual sports fans around the country.
The Cubs won the Fall Classic on the back of an excellent pitching staff, highlighted by starters Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta.
Chicago just etched out the San Francisco Giants in six games in the NLCS, while the Indians dominated the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the ALCS.
The two teams met for Game 1 with aces Corey Kluber and Jon Lester facing off against each other. It was the first World Series game in Cleveland since 1997 against the Florida Marlins.
Kluber dominated the Cubs lineup, striking eight batters in the first three innings. He went on to pitch six scoreless innings before being replaced by Andrew Miller. Miller and the Indians' bullpen completed the shutout as Cleveland went on to win Game One 6-0.
In Game 2, the Cubs' Jake Arrieta pitched a strong game, going five and two-thirds innings allowing only one run and two hits. Meanwhile the Cubs padded a 2-0 lead in the fifth with three more runs to win the game 5-1.
For the next three games, the series shifted to Chicago's Wrigley Field for the first time since 1945, when the Cubs lost the infamous "Billy Goat Series" to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.
In Game 3, both teams were scoreless through six innings, thanks superb pitching performances by Josh Tomlin and Andrew Miller of the Indians and Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs.
In the seventh inning, the Indians broke the tie with an RBI single by pinch hitter Coco Crisp that scored pinch runner Michael Martinez to give Cleveland a slim 1-0 lead. However, it turned out to be all the Cleveland defense needed, as the Indians shutout Chicago for the second time in the series.
Corey Kluber returned the mound in Game 4 to face John Lackey of the Cubs. Again, Kluber dominated the Cubs lineup, pitching six innings and allowing one run.
Meanwhile, the Indians' bats were hot throughout the night. Carlos Santana started the game with a home run in the second inning. Corey Kluber added to the lead with an infield single. Cleveland would go on to win 7-2.
In Game 5, the final game in Chicago, Jon Lester faced off against Trevor Bauer.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with a home run by Jose Ramirez.
But the Cubs bounced back with a huge fourth inning, scoring three runs. The Indians did score once more in the sixth, but Chicago closer Aroldis Chapman came in in the 7th, allowing one hit and no runs to send the series back to Cleveland.
In a series that had been dominated by pitching, Game 6 turned out to be the exception.
In the first inning, the Cubs picked up three runs. Then in the third, Addison Russell smashed a grand slam to give the Cubs a commanding 7-0 lead. The Cubs would hold on to a 9-3 victory and force the decisive Game 7.
With Thursday night's victory, the Cubs break the longest streak in American professional sports without a championship, going 108 years.
Through the years, the Cubs have been the American definition of underdog and lovable losers. But the "Curse of the Billy Goat" had been the albatross hanging over Wrigley Field for over 70 years. And incidents like the black cat in 1969 and the Steve Bartman incident in 2003 only added to the curse's legend.
But the youthful 2016 team seemed to defy that curse from the beginning and many Cubs fans began to embrace the possibility of winning a championship. They reinvigorated a long-suffering fan base.
Now the 2016 Chicago Cubs will go down in baseball lore for generations of Cub fans to come. But the 2016 Fall Classic itself carries more weight than the history made by the Cubs.
The 2016 World Series has reinvigorated a sport many observers said was dying. The series brought in thousands of casual fans of underdogs everywhere. Quite simply, Americans across the country remembered why baseball will forever be America's great pastime.
