Rain. It usually ruins everything in baseball, but for the 2016 World Series winner, it was the catalyst for a miracle.
Honestly, if you weren't glued to a screen on November 2, 2016, it’s hard to explain the sheer, suffocating tension in Cleveland. The Chicago Cubs hadn't won a title since 1908. That is 108 years of losing. Think about that for a second. When the Cubs last won before 2016, the Ottoman Empire still existed. Arizona wasn't even a state yet. People were still getting around in horse-drawn carriages. By the time Game 7 rolled around, the weight of a century was sitting squarely on the shoulders of a group of guys who mostly looked like they belonged in a frat house.
The Night the Curse Died
The Chicago Cubs didn't just win; they survived. They were up 5-1. Then it was 6-3. It felt safe. Then Rajai Davis happened. When Davis hit that two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth, the collective heart of Chicago stopped. It was a line-drive bullet that barely cleared the left-field wall, but it felt like a grand slam. You could see it on the faces in the dugout. It was that "here we go again" look. The Billy Goat, the black cat, Bartman—all the ghosts were suddenly back in the room, uninvited and loud.
Then came the rain.
A 17-minute delay. That’s all it took. While the grounds crew pulled the tarp, Jason Heyward called a meeting in a cramped weight room. He didn't give some "Win one for the Gipper" speech. He basically just reminded them how good they were. He told them to forget the eighth inning. They were the best team in baseball for 162 games, and they just needed one more inning to prove it.
Ben Zobrist, who eventually took home the MVP honors, delivered the go-ahead double in the 10th. Miguel Montero added another. When Mike Montgomery came in to get the final out in the bottom of the 10th, it wasn't a strikeout. It was a slow, tricky grounder to third. Kris Bryant slipped. His back foot went out from under him, but he was smiling before he even threw the ball to Anthony Rizzo.
What People Get Wrong About the 2016 Cubs
Most people think this was just a "team of destiny" thing. It wasn't. It was a masterclass in front-office aggression. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer didn't just stumble into this. They tore the team down to the studs starting in 2011. They traded away fan favorites for prospects. They drafted for "makeup"—a scout's term for guys who don't choke when the lights get bright.
Look at the roster construction. You had Kyle Hendricks, a guy who throws 88 mph but locates the ball with the precision of a surgeon, starting Game 7. You had Javier Baez, who tag-swiped runners with a flair that felt more like magic than baseball.
The 2016 World Series winner wasn't just lucky. They were built to handle the pressure. They led the league in Pythagorean win-loss expectation. They had a team ERA of 3.15, which was the best in the majors by a wide margin. Their defense was historically good. We focus on the drama, but the data says they were a juggernaut that almost let a bad inning ruin a masterpiece.
The Terry Francona Factor
We also don't talk enough about how the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) almost pulled this off with a decimated rotation. Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco were out. Corey Kluber was pitching on short rest for the third time in the series. Terry Francona managed that series like a man playing chess with half his pieces missing. He used Andrew Miller in the fifth and sixth innings, breaking every traditional rule about "closers." It almost worked.
If Cleveland had won, we’d be talking about Francona as the greatest tactical genius in the history of the sport. Instead, he’s a footnote to a Chicago parade that attracted an estimated 5 million people.
Why We Are Still Talking About It a Decade Later
Sports are supposed to be a distraction, but 2016 felt like a cultural shift. The Cubs winning was the "impossible" thing that actually happened. It changed the way teams rebuild. Now, every struggling franchise says they are "doing the Cubs thing"—tanking for high draft picks and praying for a Kris Bryant or an Albert Almora Jr.
But they usually miss the key ingredient: leadership. You had David Ross, "Grandpa Rossy," in his final year. He hit a home run in Game 7 at age 39. You had Jon Lester coming out of the bullpen, a three-time champion who knew how to breathe when the air got thin.
The Financial Ripple Effect
The win didn't just change the vibes in Wrigleyville; it changed the economy. The Ricketts family invested hundreds of millions into "Gallagher Way" and the surrounding hotels. The "Friendly Confines" turned into a high-end entertainment district. If you go to Clark and Addison today, it looks nothing like it did in 2015. The 2016 World Series winner turned a neighborhood baseball team into a global corporate titan.
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Breaking Down the Game 7 Box Score Secrets
If you look at the box score, a few weird things stand out that people forget:
- Dexter Fowler's Lead-off Homer: It was the first time in history a Game 7 started with a lead-off home run. It set the tone immediately.
- The Wild Pitch: Jon Lester came in and threw a wild pitch that allowed two runs to score. It was chaotic. It was ugly. It was Game 7.
- Kyle Schwarber's Return: The guy blew out his knee in the third game of the season. He wasn't supposed to play. He showed up for the World Series, couldn't even run properly, and hit .412. It’s one of the gutsiest performances in sports history.
The Actionable Takeaway for Baseball Fans
If you're looking to understand why certain teams "clutch up" while others fold, look at the 2016 Cubs. To apply these insights to how you watch or analyze the game today, focus on these three things:
1. Watch the Bullpen Usage, Not the Names
In the playoffs, the "Save" statistic is garbage. The 2016 series proved that the most important outs usually happen in the 7th or 8th inning. If a manager is saving his best pitcher for the 9th while the game is slipping away in the 7th, he’s already lost.
2. Value Defensive Versatility
Joe Maddon moved guys like Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant all over the field. This allowed him to pinch-hit and shuffle the lineup without losing defensive quality. Teams that have "statue" players who can only play one position are at a massive disadvantage in a seven-game series.
3. Respect the "Reset"
The rain delay is the ultimate metaphor. Sometimes you need to stop, walk away from the noise, and remind yourself who you are. Whether it's a mound visit or a 17-minute storm, the team that regains its composure first usually wins.
The 2016 World Series winner ended a century of misery not with a bang, but with a slow roller to third and a soggy celebration in the Cleveland mud. It remains the high-water mark for modern baseball, a reminder that even the oldest curses have an expiration date.