As the old saying goes: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

This statement rings true for the Chicago Cubs, a team that hadn’t seen a baseball championship since 1908, after they closed out a storybook year by beating the Cleveland Indians in the World Series this year.

In response, thousands of fans in Chicago took to the streets in the early hours of the morning, and Chicago schools reported a high number of tardy and absent students the morning after the Cubs won.

The sheer magnitude of the Cubs’ previous championship drought made the victory celebration all the more raucous. Over one hundred years of waiting saw many myths unfold about why the Cubs couldn’t win. For instance, the “curse of the Billy goat” details the story of a man who cursed the Cubs when stadium officials refused the man and his goat entrance into the ballpark. Another theory, the curse of Steve Bartman, arose after Cubs fan Steve Bartman unintentionally knocked a foul ball out of the Cubs’ Moises Alou’s hands during the sixth game of the 2003 series against the Marlins. The Cubs, despite leading before Bartman’s interference, would go on to give up eight runs in that same inning and lose the game. Subsequently, some believe, the Cubs reign of bad luck started.

However, going into 2016, the Cubs were one of the favorites, with a strong team built up by years of good decisions and alterations to the lineup. Although the Cubs have, as a whole, one of the youngest teams in the MLB, they went into the season with the oldest starting pitching rotation. Some of the defining moments of the championship season came from this group of veteran pitchers, such as Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21st, and Jon Lester’s suicide squeeze.

The no-hitter by Arrieta was a captivating pitching performance that solidified his strength as a pitcher at a time when some thought his play was on the decline. Jon Lester’s suicide squeeze against the Mariners for a walk-off win in extra innings also gave the Cubs a much-needed win. The Cubs went into the postseason hot, being the first team to hit 100 wins on the season. They finished with one hundred and three wins, and fifty-eight losses.

Similarly, the Cleveland Indians, this year’s runner up, had their fair share of spectacular plays during the season. Their postseason record before the World Series was 8-1, going into the postseason with a three game win-streak. The Indians finished with ninety-four wins, and sixty-seven losses.

The World Series this year contained some of the most exciting moments of the season. Not only did the pressure and intensity of the World Series culminate to deliver a true sense of the season’s climax, but also the addition of a winner-take-all game seven created an atmosphere like no other.

Game seven of this year’s World Series was an emotional rollercoaster for both Chicago and Cleveland fans. The Cubs led for the majority of the game before Cleveland’s Rajai Davis smacked a fastball over the stadium wall. This, a two run homer, tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning and sent the Cleveland faithful at Progressive Field into a frenzy. The game ultimately went into extra innings, and after a rain delay that only added to the drama, the two teams played on past midnight. It was the Cubs’ Ben Zobrist, with an RBI double in the top of the tenth inning, gave the world champion Cubs the lead for good.

Baseball is known as America’s pastime, so many people have strong opinions on this past World Series. For example, Karen Fung ‘20 congratulated Chicago on its win: “I think it was hard fought, and that both teams played great, but I’m glad the Cubs won. They deserved it!”

Cameron Mourey ‘18, on the other hand, said, “I’m ecstatic, and very proud of the young players who proved themselves and reclaimed the Cubs’ glory. I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.”

The season has drawn to a close, and the MLB returns fresh and new on April 2nd, with teams looking once again to write their name into the history books.