Honestly, if you weren't there, it’s hard to explain the sheer, suffocating tension of the MLB baseball playoffs 2016. It wasn't just about sports. It felt like a collective exorcism for two fanbases that had spent a combined 174 years wondering if God just straight-up hated them. You had the Chicago Cubs, carrying 108 years of "billy goat" baggage, and the Cleveland Indians, who hadn't tasted a title since 1948.
It was a collision course.
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The October Narrative Nobody Saw Coming
When the postseason kicked off, the San Francisco Giants were supposed to have that "even year magic." Everyone thought Bruce Bochy would just find a way. But the Cubs were a juggernaut. They won 103 games in the regular season. They had Kris Bryant playing like a video game character and Anthony Rizzo providing the soul of the team. Yet, the playoffs are a different beast entirely. You saw it in the National League Division Series. The Giants didn't just roll over; they pushed the Cubs to the brink in Game 4 before Chicago staged a four-run rally in the ninth inning that felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
Then you had the American League side of the bracket. Cleveland was basically an afterthought to many national pundits because their rotation was held together by literal duct tape and prayers. Danny Salazar was hurt. Carlos Carrasco was out. It was Corey Kluber and then a massive question mark. But Terry Francona, being the mad scientist he is, decided to break baseball. He started using Andrew Miller—a guy who should have been a standard closer—in the fifth and sixth innings. It changed how we think about the "fireman" role in the bullpen forever.
Why the MLB Baseball Playoffs 2016 Changed Pitching Forever
Before this specific postseason, managers were pretty rigid. You had your starter go six, your setup guy do the eighth, and your closer do the ninth. Boring. Predictable.
Francona threw that out the window.
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During the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, Miller was coming in whenever the leverage was highest. If the bases were loaded in the fifth? Call the tall lefty. It frustrated a high-powered Blue Jays offense that featured Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Cleveland dismantled them in five games. It was clinical. It was weird. It was revolutionary.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers and Nationals were busy playing an NLDS for the ages. Remember Game 5? Max Scherzer vs. the world? Clayton Kershaw coming out of the bullpen on zero rest to shut the door? That’s the kind of desperation that defined the MLB baseball playoffs 2016. There was no "save it for tomorrow." Tomorrow didn't exist.
The NLCS: Curse vs. Hollywood
The Cubs had to get past the Dodgers to even reach the World Series. This was the hurdle they always tripped over. Everyone remembers Kyle Hendricks—"The Professor"—outdueling Kershaw in Game 6. It was quiet. It was efficient. When the final out landed in Anthony Rizzo’s glove, Wrigleyville didn't just cheer; it exhaled. A century of anxiety just evaporated.
But the job wasn't done.
The World Series: A Seven-Game Heart Attack
If you want to talk about the MLB baseball playoffs 2016, you have to talk about Game 7. It’s widely considered the greatest baseball game ever played. Period.
Cleveland was up 3-1 in the series. The Cubs were dead. Buried. Done. Then they clawed back. They won Game 5 at home. They crushed Cleveland in Game 6 behind an Addison Russell grand slam. Then came the finale.
Dexter Fowler leads off Game 7 with a home run. The Cubs build a lead. It looks like a blowout. But then, Rajai Davis happens.
A tiny outfielder with almost no power hits a two-run homer off a gassed Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth. The camera caught LeBron James in the stands losing his mind. The stadium was shaking. I'm telling you, the air felt different. It felt like the Cubs were destined to lose in the most "Cubs" way possible.
And then? The rain.
The 17-Minute Rain Delay
Nature literally paused the game. During that delay, Jason Heyward—who was struggling at the plate—called a players-only meeting in a cramped weight room. He told them they were the best team in the world. He told them to breathe.
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When the tarp came off, the Cubs scored two in the 10th. Cleveland scored one back. With the tying run on base, Mike Montgomery—a guy who wasn't even supposed to be the hero—got Michael Martinez to hit a soft grounder to Kris Bryant.
Bryant slipped. His foot went out from under him. He was smiling while he threw the ball.
Cubs win. 8-7.
The Aftermath and Legacy
People often forget how much that postseason cost both teams. Cleveland's pitching staff was so overworked that they struggled the following year. The Cubs, while they remained competitive, never reached that peak again. It was a "win at all costs" moment for the entire sport.
We saw the rise of the "super bullpen." We saw the decline of the traditional starting pitcher role in October. The MLB baseball playoffs 2016 were the blueprint for the modern game. If you watch a game today and see a starter get pulled after four innings even though he’s cruising, you can thank Joe Maddon and Terry Francona’s 2016 strategies for that.
Common Misconceptions
- The Cubs cruised: They really didn't. They were down 3-1. Statistically, teams in that position lose 85% of the time.
- Aroldis Chapman was the hero: Actually, he almost blew it. He was overworked. He threw 273 pitches in the postseason. His velocity was down, and he was pitching on fumes.
- Cleveland choked: No. Cleveland played out of their skins. They were missing two of their three best starters and still took the best team in a generation to 10 innings in Game 7.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you want to truly appreciate what happened during the MLB baseball playoffs 2016, you should do the following:
- Watch the "Rain Delay" Documentary: There are several deep-dive films specifically about those 17 minutes in the weight room. It’s the best leadership lesson you’ll find in sports.
- Analyze the Bullpen Usage: Go back and look at the box scores for Andrew Miller. Look at his "Innings Pitched" versus the "Inning Entered." It’s a masterclass in modern analytics.
- Visit the Hall of Fame Online: The 2016 collection features the jersey worn by Ben Zobrist (the World Series MVP) and the cleats Bryant wore when he made that final throw.
- Check the Statcast Data: This was one of the first years we had high-end Statcast data for the playoffs. Looking at the exit velocity on Rajai Davis’s home run compared to the pitching speed of Chapman shows just how improbable that moment was.
The 2016 postseason wasn't just a tournament; it was a shift in the tectonic plates of baseball history. It proved that curses aren't real, but pressure certainly is. It showed that a single rainstorm can change the destiny of a city. Mostly, it reminded us why we sit through 162 games of "boring" baseball—just for the chance to see a 10th inning like that one.