The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series since 1908, and it only feels appropriate that they put their dedicated fans through one of the most back-and-forth, stress-inducing baseball games in recent memory.
They prevailed, 8-7, against the Cleveland Indians in Wednesday's Game 7 at Progressive Field in a 10-inning battle that saw a dramatic game-tying home run off Aroldis Chapman from Cleveland's Rajai Davis in the eighth, a rain delay after the ninth and three combined runs in that extra inning.
Ben Zobrist notched an RBI double in the 10th and earned World Series MVP honors. The team shared him accepting his trophy:
The Cubs also passed along a clip of the final out with the potential winning run at the plate and captured manager Joe Maddon holding the Commissioner's Trophy:
The players naturally reacted to the historic accomplishment, via the Cubs:
While the players made the headlines, the long-suffering fans were more than ready to join in on the fun. Wall to Wall Sports of 10TV in Columbus, Ohio, captured hundreds of those supporters singing in ecstasy after the championship victory.
The fans outside Wrigley Field also soaked in the moment:
The Cubs' most famous fan reacted to the triumph, via SportsCenter:
Bill Murray wasn't the only celebrity pleased to see Chicago break the curse, as Kyle Griffin of MSNBC noted:
Snapping a 108-year championship drought didn't happen by accident; this team won an MLB-best 103 games this season, the culmination of president of baseball operations Theo Epstein's rebuilding plan that has been in motion since he took over in 2011.
Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez and David Ross all hit home runs, Zobrist and Miguel Montero drove in crucial runs in the 10th inning, Jon Lester pitched three innings out of the bullpen after starting Game 5, starter Kyle Hendricks allowed one earned run in 4.2 innings and Mike Montgomery earned a cathartic save.
Sports Illustrated captured the deserving celebration:
Now attention will turn toward the 2017 season as the team that hadn't won a title in over a century looks to defend its crown. Chicago is well-equipped to compete for years to come with a young core that includes Anthony Rizzo (27), Kris Bryant (24), Addison Russell (22), Baez (23) and Willson Contreras (24), among others.
Even if the Cubs add a handful of titles in the coming years, their fans will never forget the one that ended the suffering.
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