2016 World Series Game 7

Lore & Background

The deciding seventh game was the fifth World Series Game 7 to go into extra innings, and the first since 1997 (which the Indians also lost). It was also the first Game 7 to have a rain delay, which occurred as the 10th inning was about to start. The Cubs became the sixth team to come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across Lake Erie, biting through the thin fabric of the stadium seats. Inside Progressive Field, the air was thick with the scent of rain and anticipation. In the dugout, a player stared at his cleats, the weight of 108 years pressing down on shoulders that had carried the hopes of an entire city. As the eighth-inning rain delay stretched into eternity, whispers turned to prayers. When the tarp finally lifted, the scoreboard showed a deficit that felt insurmountable. Yet, as the first pitch was thrown after the storm, something shifted in the atmosphere—a collective exhale from Wrigleyville to Cleveland. The bat connected with a sound that echoed through history, silencing the doubters and rewriting the story of the franchise forever.

Reader's Guide

The game was played at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Cubs were the away team. The game went into extra innings after a 6–6 tie through nine innings. In the top of the 10th inning, Ben Zobrist hit a go-ahead RBI single. The Cubs won 8–7.

Did You Know?

• Game 7 was the first World Series Game 7 to have a rain delay, which occurred as the 10th inning was about to start.
• The Cubs became the sixth team to come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series.
• This was the fifth World Series Game 7 to go into extra innings, and the first since 1997.