By James Brennan If you haven't heard already, the Chicago Cubs have won the World Series. It has been quite a long time since they have won one; in fact, they had a 107 season championship drought which used to be the longest streak in the majors. The team that they defeated, the Cleveland Indians, now have the longest streak with 68 straight seasons without a championship. Not only did the Cubs win the World Series, but they did it in historic fashion. Before they got to hoist the the Commissioner's Trophy in the air, they had to complete a huge comeback in the series after being down three games to one. Only four other teams have done this in the 147 years of the MLB.
The Cubs combination of young talent and World Series veterans were a key factor for them beating Cleveland. The Cubs had a handful of players that have either won a World Series before or have been to one. John Lester, David Ross, and John Lackey had won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox; Lester had won two with the Red Sox. Ben Zobrist, the series MVP, had won the World Series with the Kansas City Royals last season. Let's not forget that Joe Maddon, the manager of the Cubs, took the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series back in 2008. To go along with these veterans, the Cubs have a bunch of young All-Stars on their team as well. This includes their first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Addison Russell, and third baseman Kris Bryant. These guys made huge contributions toward the Cub's championship run. The Cub's pitching is also notable. Their pitching staff was led by their three aces: Jake Arrieta, John Lester, and Kyle Hendricks. All three pitchers had great seasons with outstanding ERA's. For the 2016 season, Arrieta had a 3.10 ERA, Lester had a 2.44 ERA, and Hendricks lead the league this season with a 2.13 ERA. As you can see these pitchers were dominant throughout the regular season and it showed throughout their championship run. The last and most important piece of the Cub's was their lights out closer Aroldis Chapman. The Cubs traded for him back in the summer and they haven't looked back since. Chapman finished the season with a 1.55 ERA with 36 saves. If the Cubs got to the ninth inning with a lead, it was more than likely that they were going to win because Chapman is practically unhittable. The Cubs' veterans, young talent, starting pitching, and their lights-out closer are why they finished on top this season. It may have taken the Cubs 107 seasons to win another World Series, but with the talent that they have, they could a couple in a row with this team.
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Dylan EdelmanWilson Senior Archives
January 2020
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