Chicago Cubs triumph over Cleveland Indians in an epic 7-game series

Cubs put an end to their bad juju and finally win World Series after 108 years

Cubs players celebrate

Image: Matt Slocum/Associated Press for the New York Times

After such a historic drought of 108 years without winning the World Series, the spectacle offered by the Chicago Cubs against the Cleveland Indians on November 2, 2016 couldn't have been more worth waiting for.

It took almost 5 hours and 10 innings for the Cubs to defeat the champions of the American League in a thrilling 8-7 victory. The Cubs lost an advance of 6-3 in the 8th inning, now facing a tied game.

But they managed to comeback just as they did with the whole series. After Game 4, Joe Maddon's team was behind 1-3, but they pulled through to win the next 3 games and then the World Series. Such a feat had not been accomplished since 1985 by the Kansas City Royals.

In the 9th inning, a 17-minute rain delay cleared the players off the field and added to the suspense of a tied game. When the game resumed, Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero both scored in the 10th inning to give a 8-6 lead to Chicago. Playing at Progressive Field in Cleveland, the Indians had the last say. They added a point and came to a run with two outs, but fell short when Michael Martinez hit a grounder to third-base that was relayed to Anthony Rizzo for the final strike out.

Both teams were hoping to put an end to an unlucky sequence. The Indians did not win the World Series since 1948, and Chicago since 1908. Did it had anything to do with all the weird curses and maledictions that seemed to have plagued Chicago over the decades, like the infamous Black Cat of 1969 or the Curse of the Billy Goat?

Superstition or no superstition, this historic victory answered the plea of many Cubs fans: “At least once before I die!”

Text and page by Eva Leblanc-Morin