The game seven matchup between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs was filled with drama and excitement and could be very well considered one of the greatest game seven’s in MLB history. This game was chock full of drama from start to finish with both managers exhausting their bullpens in the latter part of the game to secure the victory. Many people prior to the game were questioning Cubs manager Joe Madden’s decision to allow Aroldis Chapman to pitch in the ninth inning of game six on Tuesday night. Madden felt there was no debate as to why he went with the games top closer as he said: “for me, the game could have been lost right there, and he’s by far our most dynamic relief pitcher.” Madden continued his point by stating “I talked to him before the game once again. He was aware of the scenario. So he went out there and he was outstanding again.”
As the Cubs entered the eighth inning of game 7 with a 6-3 lead over the Indians, Madden called on his elite closer to get six outs and finished the deal for the North Side Cubs. Brandan Guyer gets the rally going for the tribe with a double on a 97 MPH fastball that allows José Ramirez to score. Then Chapman serves up another 97 MPH meatball to the next batter Rajai Davis who takes him yard to tie the game up at 6-6. In the eighth-inning Chapman did not have movement on his fastball and was not deceptive at all to the hitters he was facing. Fatigue was setting in for Chapman as he was building a pitch count of 97 over three to four days of work. Chatman did rebound in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning, relying mostly on his breaking pitches to get guys out.
As if this game needed any more drama the baseball gods opened the heavens to bring us which consequently would be one of the most important rain delays in World Series history. In post-game interviews, Jason Heyward Center Fielder for the Cubs was said to have held a players-only meeting in the weight room during the rain delay. This seemed to fire up the Cubs as they came out with a newfound edge in the extra innings portion of the ballgame. Kyle Scwarber ignited the 10th inning rally with a single that led to Pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr. making a heads up play to tag up from 1st to 2nd base on a Kris Bryant fly to deep center. Indi-ans relief pitcher Bryan Shaw intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo to set up a double-play sit-uation, which backfired on the Indians as Ben Zobrist knocks in the go-ahead run on a double that scores Almora Jr. from 2nd base. The Cubs then scored an assurance run on a Miguel Mon-tero single that allowed Anthony Rizzo to score from third. In the bottom of the 10th inning in classic Cub fashion, young pitcher Carl Edwards Jr almost opens the door for the Indians to make a comeback when Rajai Davis singles with two outs in the 10th inning. The baseball gods then end there 108-year torture of the Chicago Cubs when Michael Martinez grounds out with Anthony Rizzo holding the baseball putting a cap on the historical season for the Chicago Cubs.
Looking back on the MLB season of 2016 it is fitting that the Chicago Cubs close things out and win their first title since 1908. The Cubs were definitively the best team in major league baseball from spring training to the final out of the World Series. Theo Epstein should be praised for the outstanding reclamation project of taking the Cubs from one of the worst franchises in sports into what will be one of the perennial powers in MLB for years to come. Their farm system is stacked with bats, and the major-league roster has tons of talent that are not going anywhere anytime soon. The best may be yet to come in terms of the potential championships this young team can win over the next 10 years.
Congratulations to the 2016 Chicago Cubs and the city of Chicago, you deserve it!!!
