The 2016 World Series is going all the way to the best of 7 games – for the 38th time – after the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 on their home turf Tuesday night.
Chicago has not won a World Series in 108 years while the Indians have not won a title since 1948, according to MLB.com. One team's bad luck will end Wednesday night in Cleveland.
The Cubs won the last two games to rally from a 3-1 deficit.
"This riveting World Series with the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians deserves to go the distance, with a heart-stopping, nail-biting, nerve-racking final game of the season between the two teams with the longest combined championship droughts in history at 178 years," said Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
"One franchise will revel until February. The other will be tortured for another grim winter."
Back in the Windy City, the Chicago Tribune said the World Series was a welcome distraction for everyone there.
"For a week, the city has been held captive by the World Series and a North Side team attempting to make history," said the Trib. "They've gathered at bars, senior centers, firehouses, restaurants and even the neighborhood liquor store to share the experience together, to revel in an ecstasy that Chicago baseball fans rarely feel this time of year."
For Indians fans, it's a chance to get rid of Game 7 memories from 19 years ago when Cleveland lost late in the game to the Florida Marlins, noted the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"This is what the Indians have longed for since 1997," said the Plain Dealer's Zack Meisel.
Game 7 will feature two of the best pitchers in the game. The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks was the Major League's earned runs average leader during the season (2.13 ERA) and has not given up a run in his last two starts, per MLB.com.
The Indians' Corey Kluber has already won Game 1 and Game 4 for the Indians, coming back on short rest after collected a 0.89 ERA through the playoffs, noted MLB.com.
"It's been a very well-contested Series," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, per MLB.com. "Both sides have played really good baseball. [There's] been outstanding pitching. ... All of a sudden, our offense is having a resurgence, which we need. Of course we want to be the group that breaks the string, but it's just correct and apt that we'd go seven games."
"It's an honor to even be a part of it, and we're going to give it everything we have," said Indians manager Terry Francona, per MLB.com. "I can't imagine a better group of guys to go through something like this with. I'm looking forward to it already."
MLB.com said that of the 37 previous World Series coming down to a decisive final game, the home team has won 19 times, the visiting team 18. The 1912 World Series, in which the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants, went to eight games after a tie in Game 2, noted MLB.com.
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