Chicago Cubs: Top 5 moments of the golden era of Cubs baseball

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 moments of the Golden Era – #1: 2016 World Series

After dismantling the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, there was only one thing left to do. Win the whole thing. Though this time there was no memorable moment for the Wrigleyville faithful as the Cubs fell flat in Game 1, getting blanked, 6-0. Though quickly bouncing back to tie the series thanks to a dominant Jake Arrieta performance and heading back to Chicago, the Cubs would again get shutout in Game 3 to fall behind two games to one in the best-of-seven.

Though there was concern as the Cubs once again found themselves in a 2-1 hole on the road, they reached Game 4, which felt like a must-win game for Chicago. You don’t come back from down 3-1 often, especially in a World Series under insurmountable pressure. Again, the Cubs bats just wouldn’t wake up, and they fell to Cleveland 7-2 with an incredible uphill battle staring them right in the face.

In Chicago for Game 5 and down three games to one and their backs to the wall, this team refused to go down without a fight. A fourth-inning leadoff home run by Kris Bryant was just the antidote to an ailing Cubs offense, and the team rallied for three runs in the inning. Backed by a fantastic performance by Lester and closer Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs were back in business and needed just two more wins. The series then shifted back to Cleveland for Game 6 and a potential Game 7.

Of all these contests, Game 6 was easily the most fun for Cubs fans. The offense came roaring to life behind that year’s NL MVP in Bryant, who sent a towering shot to left-center in the first. He was followed by Addison Russell’s two-run double, opening the flood gates. In the third, the Chicago shortstop blasted a grand slam to make it 7-0.

As historic as Russell’s grand slam was, being that it was the first World Series slam since 2005 and only the 19th in history, more historic was Arrieta’s second win of the series, only the second time it’s been done by a Cub and the first since Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown in 1908.

In Game 7, Dexter Fowler led off with a huge solo shot against Cleveland ace Corey Kluber. Javier Baez and David Ross also added solo home runs of their own in the contest. It felt like Chicago was on cruise control – that is, until things came to a screeching halt in the eighth when Rajai Davis took Chapman deep to tie the game.

But, as we all know now, after a 17-minute rain delay, Schwarber scored on a double by Ben Zobrist. Montero, the hero from Game 1 of the NLCS, followed up with an RBI single of his own, scoring Rizzo in the process. Carl Edwards Jr. came in for the bottom of the tenth, recording two outs but then allowing a pair of baserunners and a run, pulling the Indians within one, 8-7.

Mike Montgomery came on and recorded a ground ball that Kris Bryant  fired to Anthony Rizzo for the third and final out. The Cubs finally won it all, breaking the longest championship drought in the history of American sports.