108 years and 10 innings later, it’s over: Cubs win World Series!

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CLEVELAND – When Kris Bryant’s throw to first was safely in the glove of Anthony Rizzo in the bottom of the 10th inning, it was finally over.

An 8-7, extra-inning victory over the Indians on the road in Game 7 of the World Series finally ended – and finally put an end to more than a century of misery and mockery.

Go ahead and run down the list of all the presidents that have come and gone, the world wars that have been fought and won, the states that have entered the union and the countless tears, heartache and hopelessness generated in Chicago for 108 years of Cubs baseball.

Just know this: For all who have waited and yearned, this one, long, wet night in November in Cleveland was nothing short of the best thing since 20 years before sliced bread.

That’s really how long it’s been since Frank Chance and the boys beat the Tigers in 1908 and started making space in their parlors for all the trophies that seemed sure to follow.

“It’s fitting it has to be done with one of the best games of all-time,” said team president Theo Epstein, who now has presided over the ends of the two most storied “curses” in major league history – having been the general manager in Boston 12 years ago when the Red Sox ended the 86-year “Curse of the Bambino.”

“What a testament to our players,” Epstein said. “During the rain delay they said, ‘this is only going to make it sweeter, boys.’ Our fans deserve this so much – and all the former Cubs. This is for Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.”

Joe Maddon’s boys needed to survive their manager’s heavily scripted pitching machinations, a three-run rally in the eighth by the Indians against a gassed Aroldis Chapman that sent the game to extra innings, and to endure a brief rain delay before the 10th.

But it might have been that 17-minute rain delay that contributed as much as any of the 13 hits or 172 pitches thrown by the Cubs in this epic Game 7.

“I believe the rain delay was God telling us to calm down,” said Dexter Fowler, whose homer leading off the game was the first in Game 7 World Series history. “Because the boys settled down, they settled in and we pulled it out.”

Jason Heyward made sure of that in an impromptu team meeting during the rain delay after Chapman’s blown lead in the eighth and a scoreless ninth.

“I know how everybody felt,” veteran catcher David Ross said. “But Jason Heyward stepped up and said it, and spoke up and said this is about your teammates, this is about we’re the best team in baseball for a reason. Continue to play our game, support one another. These are your brothers here.”

The 10th inning rally was started, of course, by Kyle Schwarber, who wasn’t even supposed to be playing this soon after that so-called, season-ending knee injury — then led off with a single.

By the time veterans Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero delivered RBI hits later in the inning, the surprisingly Chicago-strong crowd at Progressive Field started the roar.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But we made it a little bit more difficult than that even,” said Zobrist, who was 10-for-28 in the seven games and won the Series MVP award. “Just to see this team pull through in this moment, not only down 3-1 [in the Series] but then the kind of Game 7 that was played out there, that should end any talk of any curse.”

When Mike Montgomery got the final out to quell another Indians rally in the bottom of the 10th, the Cubs started the party more than a century in the making.

Bryant admitted to emotions as he sank to his knees after the final out.

“It was just a hard-fought game. They came back, we came back,” he said. It was probably one of the best Game 7s ever. Fortunately, we were on the right side of it.”

Thousands of Cubs fans remained well after the game, waving `W’ flags and serenading the players on the field with what certainly was the loudest rendition of “Go Cubs Go” performed east of Lake Michigan.

“Whenever you pass from one atmosphere into another, there’s a lot of energy. It takes a lot of energy to blast a rocket ship up into space,” said a reveling Bill Murray, the most prominent celebrity fan along for the postseason ride. “It takes a lot of energy to blast yourself to the World Series. There’s a lot of energy. There’s a force field you’ve got to pass through, and they Indians put it up.

“And [the Cubs] did it.”

As the postgame celebration continued, some of the players hoisted retiring veteran clubhouse leader Ross onto their shoulders for a ride to the dugout, to a huge ovation.

Ross, of course, hit one of the Cubs’ three homers in their first Game 7 postseason win in three tries.

“A lot of ups and downs. I’m totally exhausted,” Ross said. “These guys are winners. When you want to crumble, when ball goes over the fence [in the Indians’ eighth], these guys keep battling back.”

These new-age Cubs pulled this all off by coming back from the brink of elimination to win three straight games an epic seven-game Series, becoming the first team since the Royals in 1985 to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series – first since the 1979 Pirates to do it on the road.

“We started as heavy favorites and we went wire to wire,” Rizzo said. “We were written off [down 3-1] and to come back is the best feeling in the world.”

They trailed 1-0 in Game 5 on Sunday at home when National League MVP favorite Kris Bryant homered leading off the fourth inning.

They scored twice more in that inning and never trailed again in the series – though it got a lot more complicated than that by the time manager Maddon watched his scripted-by-Hollywood pitching plans for the night blow up after pulling starter Kyle Hendricks with two out and a runner at first in the fifth, leading 4-1.

Maddon kicked most of his bullpen to the curb for the first nine innings Wednesday, sending starters Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to the bullpen early in the game and, apparently, drooling for the chance to return to 100-mph closer Chapman for the finish.

In executing that plan, Maddon finally discovered the limits of the willing but far from sharp left-hander, costing the Cubs a chance for history in nine innings on this night.

He got three innings out of Game 5 winner Lester – swapping him and personal catcher Ross into the game for Hendricks and Willson Contreras with two out and one on in the fifth. It cost two quick runs on a Ross error and a two-run wild pitch before Lester settled in.

But he still took a 6-3 lead just four outs from the finish line before allowing an infield single and watching Maddon emerge from the dugout 55 pitches after handing him the ball.

Enter Chapman. Exit the Cubs’ lead.

A ringing double by Brandon Guyer drove home one run, and after fouling off several pitches, Rajai Davis lined a 2-2 pitch from Chapman over the wall down the left-field line to tie.

Chapman was in tears in the dugout after the inning. “It was a very emotional moment,” Chapman (through the team translator0 said, crediting Ross with pulling him out of it. “He said keep your chin up; we’ve got this; we’ll pick you up.”

After a scoreless ninth, the tarp was pulled onto the field for 17 minutes.

“We regrouped during the rain delay. Give our guys all the credit,” Maddon said. “What a bunch of professionals. We never quit.”


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