2016 Ross World Series Home Run

Lore & Background

The Cubs finished with the best record in Major League Baseball at 103–58 (and 1 tie), and won their first National League Central title since the 2008 season, winning by 17½ games. The team also reached the 100-win mark for the first time since 1935 and won 103 total games, the most wins for the franchise since 1910. The Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS and returned to the NLCS for the second year in a row, where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the World Series, their first appearance since the 1945 World Series and first win since the 1908 World Series. In the World Series, the Cubs came back from a three-games-to-one deficit, winning the final three games. The last time a team came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to win the World Series was the Kansas City Royals in 1985. The Cubs were also the first team to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in a World Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates did it against the Baltimore Orioles in 1979. The World Series victory put an end to the so-called Curse of the Billy Goat and the longest World Series championship drought in history.

In Their Own Story

The night air in Cleveland felt thick with history as the bottom of the ninth unfolded. Ben Zobrist stepped into the batter's box, the weight of a century resting on his shoulders alongside the roar of a hostile crowd. He watched the pitch come in—a slider that dipped just enough to be missed, or so Cody Allen hoped. But Zobrist saw it early. With a smooth, powerful swing, he drove the ball deep toward left field. The silence of disbelief from the home fans turned instantly into a deafening roar as the ball cleared the fence, signaling not just a win, but the end of an era defined by longing.

Reader's Guide

The Cubs began the season on April 4, 2016 at the Los Angeles Angels and finished the regular season on October 2, 2016 at the Cincinnati Reds. They finished with the best record in Major League Baseball at 103–58 (and 1 tie).

Did You Know?

• The Cubs won 103 total games, the most wins for the franchise since 1910.
• The Cubs came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to win the World Series, the first team to do so since the Kansas City Royals in 1985.
• The Cubs were the first team to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in a World Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979.