It wasn't just a baseball game. Honestly, if you were watching in the early hours of November 3, 2016, you know it felt more like a collective exorcism. For 108 years, the Chicago Cubs were defined by what they didn't have. They didn't have a ring since the Roosevelt administration—Theodore, not FDR. They didn't have luck. They didn't have a way to beat a "curse" involving a goat named Murphy. But the Cubs World Series last win changed the DNA of a city and, frankly, the sport itself.
It’s been years, but the details haven't faded. You probably remember where you were when Rajai Davis hit that soul-crushing home run off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning. I remember the silence in living rooms across Chicago. It was that "here we go again" feeling, a familiar weight that had sat on the shoulders of generations.
The Roster That Broke the Universe
Theo Epstein didn't just stumble into this. He built a machine. People forget how bad the Cubs were in 2012. They lost 101 games. They were abysmal. But that was the price for Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Kyle Schwarber. By the time 2016 rolled around, the Cubs were a juggernaut. They won 103 games in the regular season. They weren't plucky underdogs; they were the best team in baseball, which almost made the stress of the World Series worse. If they couldn't win with this team, would they ever win?
The World Series against the Cleveland Indians—now the Guardians—was a collision of two desperate franchises. Cleveland hadn't won since 1948. Something had to give. The Cubs fell behind three games to one. Statistically, they were dead. Only a handful of teams had ever come back from that deficit. But then Game 5 happened at Wrigley, then Game 6 was a blowout in Cleveland, and suddenly, we were at Game 7.
That Wild, Messy Game 7
Game 7 was a fever dream. Dexter Fowler leads off with a home run. The lead grows. It feels safe. Then, Joe Maddon—who was both a genius and a chaotic tinkerer—brings in a fatigued Aroldis Chapman.
The Davis home run.
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That ball barely cleared the fence in left field, but it felt like it traveled a thousand miles. It was a line-drive shot that leveled the score at 6-6. The momentum didn't just shift; it vanished. If you’re a Cubs fan, that was the moment you accepted that the universe simply wouldn't allow it.
Then, the rain.
The 17-Minute Rain Delay That Saved Chicago
The weather played a bigger role in the Cubs World Series last win than most people realize. Just as the ninth inning ended, the skies opened up. It was a brief delay, only about 17 minutes, but it was enough to reset the psyche of a crumbling team.
While the fans were biting their nails in the stands, Jason Heyward called a meeting. It wasn't in a locker room. It was in a cramped weight room near the dugout. He didn't give a "Win one for the Gipper" speech. He basically just told them they were the best team in the league and to remember who they were.
Ben Zobrist—the ultimate professional—doubled in the tenth. Miguel Montero added another. Suddenly, the Cubs were up 8-6.
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Why the 2016 Victory Still Dominates the Narrative
You might wonder why we still talk about this more than other recent champions. The 2020 Dodgers or the 2021 Braves were great, but they didn't have the "Century of Failure" baggage. The Cubs World Series last win was the end of a narrative that had dictated sports broadcasting for a hundred years.
There’s also the human element. Anthony Rizzo tucking the final out into his back pocket. Kris Bryant slipping on the wet grass as he threw the ball to first, grinning before the play was even over. These are images burned into the retinas of anyone who cares about the history of the game.
It also marked the peak of the "Efficiency Era." Epstein had already broken the curse in Boston, and doing it in Chicago cemented his legacy as the greatest executive in the history of the game. He proved that data and psychology could overcome "hexes."
Common Misconceptions About the 2016 Win
People often think the Cubs cruised because they were the favorites. They didn't. They were one inning away from a total collapse.
- The Chapman Usage: Fans still argue about whether Joe Maddon overused Aroldis Chapman. He did. Chapman had thrown 42 pitches in Game 5 and 20 in Game 6 (a game they were winning by seven runs). By Game 7, he had nothing left.
- The Kyle Schwarber Factor: Schwarber missed almost the entire season with a shredded knee. He returned for the World Series and hit .412. It’s arguably the greatest "off the couch" performance in sports history.
- The Goat: Believe it or not, some people actually think the Curse of the Billy Goat was a real thing. It wasn't. It was a marketing gimmick by a disgruntled tavern owner in 1945, but the fact that it took 71 years to return to the Series after that incident made people superstitious.
The Aftermath: What Happened to the "Dynasty"?
The most surprising thing about the Cubs World Series last win is that it didn't lead to five more. Everyone thought the Cubs were the next Yankees. They were young, rich, and talented.
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But baseball is cruel.
The core of Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez eventually aged out or were traded. The pitching staff got expensive and less effective. By 2021, the championship core was gone, scattered across the league to the Mets, Yankees, and Rockies. It serves as a reminder that winning even one title is incredibly difficult, even when you have every advantage.
How to Relive the Moment Properly
If you want to truly understand the gravity of that win, don't just watch the highlights. Watch the documentary The 2016 World Series. Or better yet, go to the intersection of Waveland and Clark in Chicago. You can still see the messages written in chalk on the brick walls of Wrigley Field—names of grandfathers and great-grandmothers who didn't live to see the win, but whose families wanted them there in spirit.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
To appreciate the technical side of how that win happened, look at these three factors:
- Draft Strategy: Look at the 2011-2015 drafts. The Cubs prioritized high-floor college hitters (Bryant, Schwarber) over risky high school pitchers. This created a surplus of trade capital.
- The Zobrist Effect: Notice how Ben Zobrist played. He didn't swing for the fences; he worked counts. His MVP performance in the Series was a masterclass in "situational hitting," something often lost in the modern "home run or strikeout" era.
- Defensive Versatility: The 2016 Cubs were elite defensively. Moving Kris Bryant to the outfield or Javier Baez all over the infield allowed Maddon to play the matchups perfectly.
The 2016 win wasn't a fluke. It was a collision of a decade of planning and 17 minutes of rain. It was the night the most famous losers in sports finally stopped losing.
For anyone looking to study the mechanics of a rebuild, the Cubs’ trajectory from 2011 to 2016 remains the gold standard. Analyze the trade that brought in Jake Arrieta from Baltimore for almost nothing—it’s widely considered one of the most lopsided trades in history and was the final piece of the pitching puzzle. Also, examine the shifting defensive shifts used in Game 7; the Cubs’ coaching staff was ahead of the curve in positioning, which saved at least two runs in the middle innings. Lastly, check out the payroll structure from that year. They spent big on Jon Lester and Jason Heyward, but the "engine" was fueled by players making the league minimum. That balance is the only way to win in a luxury-tax world.