4 unforgettable Cubs facts we learned MLB Network's 2016 World Series Game 7 special

On Thursday night, MLB Network debuted a new special centered around Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, with hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci sitting down with former Cubs skipper Joe Maddon and former Cleveland manager Terry Francona as they broke down key moments from that fateful November night.

Even after almost 8 years, there were still some nuggets in there that I'd either forgotten about since then or maybe had never even heard before. I'm going to go through those - and sprinkle in some other fun facts or stories that really stood out to me when watching - as we look back on what I believe to be the most iconic game in World Series history.

#4: Everyone involved knew the day before Game 7 that David Ross and Jon Lester would enter the game together

It was no secret heading into Game 7 that Maddon's plan was to go from his starter Kyle Hendricks to Jon Lester and then, if all went well, Aroldis Chapman. He said as much on the air prior to the game. But this wasn't something he came up with that day. In fact, everyone involved knew the day prior that Lester was first up out of the pen and Ross would enter with him.

Of course, one of the biggest and longest-standing criticisms of Maddon's game-calling during that Fall Classic centers around when he pulled Hendricks and went with his veteran left-hander. Prior to allowing a two-out baserunner in the fifth, Hendricks had retired 7 straight hitters and had really looked to settle in.

But with a man on and two out, Maddon went to Lester - and things got off to a bumpy start, with a throwing error from Ross and a wild pitch from Lester allowing the Indians to score twice and make it a 5-3 ballgame, completely changing the momentum of the game in the process.

Throughout the special, it was made abundantly clear: Maddon had his gameplan locked in and, no matter what, he was going to do everything in his power to execute it down to the smallest detail. But what may have surprised us as fans at home, clearly, had been thought through and hashed out internally prior to that game with everyone involved.

#3: If the home plate umpire doesn't miss a strike three call in the fifth, Kyle Hendricks would have been back out to start the sixth

On a similar note, looking back at the replay of the game, Maddon said Hendricks 'absolutely' would have come out for another inning of work had home plate umpire Sam Holbrook not missed a 2-2 call that should have been strike three on Indians' slugger Carlos Santana.

When watching that fifth inning, Francona made the same often-heard comparison of Hendricks to Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, pointing out his ability to slow down at-bats when the moments got big - singling out the Santana at-bat as a perfect example of that.

The right-hander perfectly executed a pitch that ran back over the inside part of the plate to the left-handed Santana, but it wasn't well-received by Willson Contreras behind the plate, leading to a ball call from Holbrook. Hendricks went on to walk Santana, bringing Maddon out of the dugout and setting up the situation I just referenced where the Cubs' 5-1 lead quickly shrank to 5-3.

It's incredibly thought-provoking to think about what that game might have looked like had Hendricks got the call, the Cubs held a 5-1 lead heading into the sixth and Lester was only tasked with maybe two innings and Chapman getting a clean ninth inning. No error and wild pitch situation, no game-tying Rajai Davis home run - frankly, it might not have become the all-time classic it is today.

#2: Joe Maddon says Cubs catcher Miguel Montero is the unsung hero for everything he did in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series

Every Cubs fan knows Miguel Montero delivered the game-winning hit through the left side of the infield after Ben Zobrist came through with the go-ahead double down the third base line. But something that really stood out watching Maddon break down Game 7 is that the former Chicago manager clearly feels like Montero is due more credit - even to this day.

Maddon repeatedly praised Montero's work behind the dish, specifically working with Chapman and getting him through the ninth inning after being emotionally crushed by Davis' game-tying homer off him the inning prior with Ross behind the plate.

The change to Montero led to a major change in how the Cubs attacked Indians hitters because he felt much more comfortable catching Chapman's breaking pitches than he did with his fastball after only catching a total of two times in 32 days. That, paired with the fact Chapman was running on fumes and his heater didn't have quite the same firepower it typically did, led to a constant diet of breakers to Cleveland hitters in the ninth.

Somehow - and I'm still not sure how after watching how many of those pitches he hung - Chapman and Montero got through the ninth, setting up the Cubs' historic extra-inning comeback and victory.