25 Most Memorable MLB Postseason Moments
23. The Chicago Cubs break the curse of the billy goat, winning the 2016 World Series
MLB Postseason Moment: November 2nd, 2016. The Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series, breaking a 108-year drought, defeating the Cleveland Indians in seven games.
Why It’s Memorable: The Chicago Cubs trailed the Cleveland 3-1 in the series, all but dead in the water. The Indians were looking to end a drought of their own, with their last World Series title in 1948, where something had to give.
The Cubs won game five, sending the series back to Cleveland, where they still had much work to do. After winning game six, we were treated to a game seven for the ages, that went extra innings in the process.
That alone doesn’t do this game justice, where the Cubs were up 6-4 with their flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman in to close it out one inning early in the 8th. Rajai Davis smashed a two-run home run to tie the game up, sending the Cleveland crowd into a frenzy.
A 17-minute weather delay killed a bit of that momentum, allowing the Cubs to regroup, where they scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning. The Indians put together a mild rally but were only able to muster together one run, with the Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in over a century.
There’s more than just the 108 World Series drought, with the Cubs (allegedly) jinxed by the “Curse of the Billy Goat,” wherein 1945, Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis pet billy goat caused such an awful smell in the “friendly” confines of Wrigley Field, that he was banned by Cubs owner Phillip K. Wrigley from the complex. A furious Sianis allegedly declared:
"“You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again. You are never going to win a World Series again because you insulted my goat.”"
The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers in seven games, after leading the series 2-1. So this monumental win in 2016 was even more meaningful than just a 108 years of normal suffering but killed the curse of the awful (smelling) billy goat.