Yardbarker
x
Seven reasons why the Cubs had the greatest postseason run ever
Members of the Chicago Cubs celebrate defeating the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. LG Patterson/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Why the Cubs had the greatest postseason run ever

The Chicago Cubs met with destiny on Wednesday night and finally turned the page on a century plus eight years of championship-less seasons. The curse of all curses was lifted, as the Cubs capped one of the great World Series of all-time, with one of the great Fall Classic contests ever.

With their collective backs against the wall and behind enemy lines (albeit enemy lines with A LOT of Cub blue in the stands), they finished their wire-to-wire run as baseball’s best team. And storyline sagas aside, the 2016 Cubs deserve to go down in history as more than just curse lifters; they deserve to be grouped in amongst the great teams of all-time for the way they went about completing their task.

What made this Cubs team special was a lot more than the outcome on the box score. Rather, it digs into the very way that they had to go about reaching Tuesday night, and then triumphing by the end of it.

1. They both met – and defied – expectations

It is far from easy to be the wire-to-wire best team in baseball, in both meeting the hype, realizing the talent and then consistently keeping your collective heads above water to succeed throughout the course of the longest and most arduous season in all of sports. But the Cubs did it, and it route to doing so, became the first team to be the only team in baseball to win 100 games, then advance on to win the World Series, since 2009.

In all, only two 100 win teams since the turn of the century even made it to the World Series at all, so they had already defied expectation in one regard. Yet when they got to the postseason, they were as tried as any other team within it, having two series go the full duration and having to twice come back from multi-game deficits in the National League Championship and World Series. The Cubs were able to have successful runs as a dominant, regular season force, while also being able to get their hands dirty and grind through the playoffs. That is commendable (and rare) diversity.

2. The big moment never felt too big

In order to take Game 7, they not only had to chase down a 3-1 series deficit, but they also had to survive one of the toughest games in World Series history, and one that easily could have lost their way within.
The Rajai Davis home run versus Aroldis Chapman has to easily rank as one of the most improbable happenings in World Series history. It was the type of moment that could have zapped the momentum from a team that was in cruise control nearly at the time. However, they endured that moment, worked out of the inning, held up their momentum through a brief rain delay and then led an inspired attack in the top of the 10th inning as if the setback had never happen. That type of gusto takes not only confidence, but also balls of steel.

3. They rediscovered their power stroke

One of the great advantage the Cubs carried into the series was a substantial advantage in the power potential department. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell all possess game changing power, while Javier Baez, Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler are to be respected in the category as well. But through the first three games of the series, the Cubs had a grand total of zero long balls.

That all changed in Game 4, when Dexter Fowler took Andrew Miller deep for what was an inconsequential hit in that game’s outcome, but something that lit a spark in the Cubs lineup from then on. Kris Bryant’s game changing three-run shot in the fourth inning of Game 5 provided all the offense the Cubs required to stay alive. Bryant put the Cubs on the board with another shot to kick off Game 6, before Addison Russell’s grand slam later on affirmed the fact that the Cubs’ sleeping giants had reawakened for real.

Fowler set the tone in Game 7 with a statement shot against the previously untouchable Kluber to lead things off, while Baez’s solo shot later ushered Kluber from the game. All in all, they hit eight home runs from Game 4, onwards. Proving yet again that power, both as potential and realized, changes everything.

4. MVP Zobrist is the most selfless player of all-time

But if there is anybody in baseball that can get in where he fits in, it is Zobrist, who has long been regarded as the premier utility man in the game. So it should be no surprise that he walked away from Cleveland on Wednesday night as World Series MVP, despite spending most of the postseason at a position he had spent little time at during the season.

Despite making the All-Star team as a second baseman earlier in the year, Zobrist took the move from his most familiar position in stride and continued to be the timely hitter and provide the tenacious at-bats he always has. That was most evident in his final at-bat of the season, when he ripped an RBI double to the opposite field to bring in the game-winning run, after having Rizzo intentionally walked to reach him. After a postseason of putting the team first, he was able to put the team over the top.

5. David Ross oozes intangibles

The footage of Ross helping to both ease the mind of his young superstar Rizzo during Game 7, while also preparing him on the run for what was ahead, says everything possible about how valuable the now-retired catcher was to the Cubs’ chemistry this year.

He will make for a fantastic manager one day.

6. Kyle Hendricks is a cool customer

While the fire of Jon Lester and John Lackey was much discussed, and the often eye-popping arsenal of Jake Arrieta gets its due praise, there was no better option to turn to this October for Joe Maddon than the seemingly pulse-less Kyle Hendricks.

The 26-year-old NL ERA champ posted a 1.00 ERA in his first postseason, and probably got the hook too soon in a fifth inning that he still had in control. He entered the World Series tied with Lew Burdette and none other than Bob Gibson for the most consecutive scoreless postseason innings, and extended that mark into the third inning of Game 7.

What was most important however was the calm and stoic demeanor Hendricks carried with him, which belies his age and the position that he was in during his first postseason. It was steadying factor for a fired up Cubs team and lulled both the Indians fans – and bats – to sleep as well.

7. Joe Maddon: The man without fear

One thing that cannot be said about the eccentric and borderline quirky Cubs manager is that he is afraid to fall on the sword. Maddon made bold moves with his pitching throughout Game 7, including pulling his still sharp starter Hendricks for Lester midway through the fifth inning. It was a move that was instantly debated and doubted by onlookers, especially when Lester allowed two runs across shortly after coming in.

However, Lester settled in and carried the Cubs into the late innings and delivered a savable situation to Chapman. And despite the fact that a likely fatigued Chapman was touched up when he came in, Maddon used his three best pitchers on the year in the season’s most important game. He chose to live or die with the best horses he rode in on, which included bringing in Ross along with Lester. Ross added a late home run which was invaluable as the lead slipped away, but also amped up his younger teammates, who upped their play to match that of their 39-year-old clubhouse leader.

Maddon may not have always made the textbook move, but in a situation where everything was on the line and survival was an inning-to-inning proposition, the skipper’s fearlessness is as big of a part of why the Cubs completed the most important three game winning streak in the history of baseball on Wednesday night.

Can you name every player on the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series winning roster?
SCORE:
0/25
TIME:
6:00
CF
Dexter Fowler
DH
Kyle Schwarber
PR-DH
Albert Almora
3B
Kris Bryant
1B
Anthony Rizzo
LF
Ben Zobrist
SS
Addison Russell
C
Willson Contreras
C
David Ross
PR
Chris Coghlan
C
Miguel Montero
RF
Jason Heyward
2B
Javier Baez
P
Kyle Hendricks
P
Jon Lester
P
Aroldis Chapman
P
Carl Edwards
P
Mike Montgomery
P
Pedro Strop
P
Jake Arrieta
P
Travis Wood
P
Hector Rondon
P
John Lackey
P
Justin Grimm
RF
Jorge Soler

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.