Congratulations, Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series Champions
Congratulations to the Cubs. The curse is dead, and the best team in baseball gets to call themselves the champs. What a game. What a series. What a season.
Source: FanGraphs
Dave is the Managing Editor of FanGraphs.
Quick trigger finger! Nice
First person who says the ‘D-word’ gets thrown to the wolves.
Davis
Dave
d’Arnaud
Looks like it was Dave Cameron! To the wolves!
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/this-is-how-dynasties-begin/
Baseball!
pretty, pretty, pretty good
One of the greatest games in history.
The only positive of this night was that Trevor Bauer did an excellent job in the tenth and having to deal with IR.
You’re a moron
Well sure, that was nice for him, still a good game in other aspects though.
jlewyckyj,
You are right. How could I forget about the Davis HR?!?
I’m glad we won but boy am I ready to interrogate the crap out of Maddon
NEIGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice graph of the average pulse rate of baseball fans by inning. Fangraphs is the best!
Average heart attacks per second of Cubs fans
Congratulations to BOTH teams for an excellent series.
Amazing how many times FG was right, but also wrong, but also right more, but also that was awesome!
This game was a real classic.
Where does this rate among the game 7’s of all time? Because this was a dandy.
The two immediate games that come to mind are 2001 and 1991. I was 4 when ’91 happened, so I never watched it live (or wouldn’t remember if I did), but my dad is a Twins fan and recorded all the games, so, needless to say, I have seen Puckett’s walk-off in game 6 and Larkin’s “single” in game 7 as many times as I can remember. They were among those first magical moments that turned me on to baseball.
Then I was introduced to Frank Thomas.
2001 was pretty awesome too. I didn’t have those on tape, because my dad didn’t suddenly become a Diamondbacks fan, but Craig Counsell reared his head again.
I don’t think anything beats 2001.
Also 1997
1960 says hello, NYY led twice, PIT led twice , then a walkoff in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. There were 10 runs scored in the last 2 innings. As great as this was, the Tribe never led.
Boxscore – http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT196010130.shtml
How many people reading these comments actually remember the 1960 series? You’d have to be at least 65 years old. I’m not saying that makes that game any worse, but people’s perceptions of what games were the greatest are going to be partially influenced by whether they actually witnessed it.
Of course hardly anyone that’s alive right now witnessed the ’27 Yankees, and we all know that was one of the greatest teams of all time.
Just when I thought it was going to be a snoozer, wow , man what a ball game.
Dvwwerarliztpua avmdeaeolllappawepfp
This game has me at a loss for words.
I know just what you mean . . .
go cubs go, go cubs go
hey chicago what do ya say, the cubs are gonna win today
I think they just grew up and are now the Bears
Oh no, don’t wish that on them. They just won something for the first time in 108 years, don’t put that on them already.
Even though I’m a Pirates fan living in Ohio, I didn’t really have a horse in this race and I’m happy to see the Cubs break their drought.
I’m also happy that we won’t have to hear 24/7 coverage of whether/how the Cubs will break the curse anymore.
A few comments:
1. The winning run got on base via IBB because the Cubs had last pitch advantage.
2. Chapman had an unbelievably gritty performance in the botto of the ninth.
3. Zobrist and the Cubs saved Maddon from a Grady Little fate.
4. Wow!!
I honestly think the main thing that is going to be over looked in this game is Chapman, after blowing the lead in the biggest game of his life, going back out there and pitching a smooth, calm ninth. That had to help get everyone over what would have been a giant mental hurdle.
On point 1: I didn’t like the Rizzo IBB, but that’s a “not really”. Guyer scored the 7th run in the bottom of the inning on a single because he was allowed to take 2nd base uncontested. The Cubs obviously wouldn’t have let him run uncontested if he was the tying run.
On point 2: Chapman entered the game in the 8th and threw 18 straight fastballs. Results of those pitches: 3 hits (HR, double, and single), 8 balls, 6 foul balls, and 1 called strike. No swing and miss strikes on those 18 pitches. After those pitches – which got to the 2-0 count on Gomes with a tie game and Crisp on first – he started mixing in sliders to Gomes (3 swing and miss strikes on 2 sliders and a fastball) and the hitters in the 9th (10 sliders and only 4 fastballs). There was a dramatic change in pitch selection after Chapman’s initial problems.
On point 3: Yes, if the Cubs had lost this game after the 8th inning, Chapman being used up 5 runs in Game 6 would be discussed for years.
On point 4: Wow, indeed! That was one of the most exciting baseball games that I’ve ever watched!
Chapman being used in game six is really no excuse though. Even on Chapman’s off days, he’s still throwing 98. Sure, it’s not 102, but 98 is not easy to handle either. Should have mixed in those sliders a bit earlier. I wonder if relief pitchers know how fast they’re throwing when warming up. Seems like pretty important information to have on hand.
IIRC, the first thing to go can be command or velocity, depending on how the pitcher wants to get back in control. If this statement isn’t clear, it’s the debate the pitcher has with himself, “Do I take a little off to maintain control? Or keep throwing gas and hope I’m not too wild.”
So those 8 balls and that HR (in Rajai’s red zone) were PROBABLY poor command.
I think you’re right, and that it’s possible for command, velocity, or movement (or some combination of the three) to decline. I looked at Brooks Baseball and don’t see Pitch F/X data yet for Game 7.
Chapman also has a well-known aversion to throwing sliders with runners on base. It’s been mentioned in at least one post at this site and by Mitchel Lichtman in the comments. I don’t know if it’s that Chapman worries about wild pitches, or if he gets concerned about missing the zone with the slider and walking the batter to put multiple men on base.
4. Holy cow!!
As a Cubs fan, I’m very happy, but I think Francona outmanaged Maddon, he just didn’t have as many horses.
Also, their few horses like Miller and Kluber just did not have it today.
Francona made some pretty questionable decisions as well. It’s just easy to focus on Maddon because his decisions are a bit “out there” if you know what I mean. People give him crap for the Baez bunt but I blame Baez anyway. That pitch was right down the middle and he still fouled it off. Maddon doesn’t wait for the “big inning.” He treats every run as a rarity. Whether you think that’s a good thing or not is up to you.
Francona’s most questionable decision in Game 7 was how long he stuck with Kluber. It wasn’t just that Kluber was giving up hard contact, but the lack of strikeouts. The fact that Miller got hit hard and gave up some runs spared Francona from a lot of second-guessing on the Kluber decision, because most commentators aren’t going to argue the decision after Miller gave up 2 runs on 4 hits (1 HR) in 2.1 innings. I don’t know if it just so happens that the Cubs hit Miller in Game 7, or if Francona knew something we don’t about how Miller’s level of fatigue.
The one decision by Francona that sticks out to me was leaving Bauer in through the 3 run 4th inning in Game 5. Maybe Miller wasn’t a great option pitching on his 3rd straight day. Miller throwing a 2nd inning up big the night before was part of that, but Miller’s first inning in Game 4 when that game was closer looked like the correct decision at the time. Shaw was available with a day of rest, however, and perhaps could have made it into the game for a stretch with 3 out of 4 RH hitters (Russell, Heyward, Baez, Ross). Try to piece together the rest of the game with Shaw, 1 inning from Miller, 2 innings from Allen, and getting an inning out of Salazar or Clevinger against the bottom of the order.
We can also question starting both Bauer and Tomlin on short rest. Perhaps it should have been a Salazar and Merritt piggyback start in Game 5 followed by Bauer on normal rest in Game 6 with Tomlin available out of the bullpen in Game 6 or Game 7. I cut Francona some slack on this one, however, because he didn’t have great options available. And trying to get 2 short rest starts out of Kluber was, IMO, an absolutely necessary call with the options available.
I still thought that, overall, Francona did a better managing job than Maddon in the series.
Putting the bunt sign on with a 3-2 count is “out there” for a reason, though.
For those I love who are Cubs fans
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
As a Cubs fan, I am probably a little biased, but I think that was one of the best games I have ever watched in my time on this earth. I think it had almost everything you could ask for in a game and it was beyond amazing to watch. It was something that both of my grandfathers would have wanted to watch, but unfortunately they were not able to see.
I want to send some love to Cleveland. They played an amazing series and I couldn’t have hoped for a better team and fanbase to share the experience with.
If an AL team must win I have rooted for the Indians since the Lofton/Belle/Alomar teams and I will continue to do so as long as it isn’t against the Cubs.
I don’t think any of us could have asked for a better story line from this, and the final game was what we all could have hoped for, except for some of us rooting for the other outcome.
If I become one of “those” fans I hope I get called on it quickly.
Best and Thanks,
Cubs call Bryan shaw, Bryan sha… Cuz he gave them the w! Just kidding… Great fucking game, shame one team had to lose.
Congratulations Cubs and what a game of the Indians, great team, great heart, great passion. And the Cubs, in this Homeric game to finish the historic Curse of the Billy Goat.
A good game? Of course, in Spain 1.00 am to 6:00 am, and after this sleep one hour and a half, and go to work, for a bad game I prefer sleep.
Great year, thanks Fangraphs for this season and now we can read your nices articles during the hard and long Winter.
I’d like to thank the Indians for a fantastic series and congratulate them on a great season! It didn’t end well. but you guys are definitely worthy! I hope you guys get it next.
This game might have ruined baseball for me. I’ll never see a bigger game in my life. Holy cow…
I’m surprised there is no Johnforthegiants post about how the cubs still suck
I’ve been waiting for him to see what he could possibly say now… It would be nice if he shows up… cowardly if he doesn’t.
He’s in hiding. All those death threats from Bartman.
Kris Bryant is a once and a lifetime player and honestly if I was starting a team he would be my number 1 choice. I know the popular choice is probably Trout or Posey but really Bryant is insanely good errrr GREAT! He adjusted mid at bat to hit curveballs. Even when he was fooled he made small in swing adjustments. He really threw his hips and drove with his hands to produce a better swing for the bender. The way he planted his foot in correlation to his eyes making minimal shifts stay postured through the zone was o-face inducing.
I would love to be in a baseball league against you — you can pick Bryant and I can pick Trout. If all your picks are that ill-informed, it would be easy to field a team to stomp all over yours.
Paging Johnforthegiants. Johnforthegiants?