On This Day: Cubs End World Series Drought in Game 7

On this day in Chicago Cubs history, we look back on the most meaningful day the franchise has ever seen.

November 2, 2016. Exactly 10 years ago today, the Cubs broke the curse and became World Series champions.

After 108 years of heartbreak and painful memories, it took a Game 7 in extra innings for the Cubs to prevail in Cleveland and finally reach the top of the mountain.

The Cubs entered Game 7 having already pulled off a remarkable comeback just to get to that point. Cleveland had taken a commanding 3-1 series lead, putting Chicago on the brink of another heartbreaking postseason exit. But the Cubs responded with consecutive victories in Games 5 and 6, forcing a winner-take-all showdown at Progressive Field.

And it didn't take long for the Cubs to make their presence felt.

Dexter Fowler led off the game with a solo home run against Cleveland starter Corey Kluber, giving Chicago an immediate 1-0 lead. The Cubs added two more runs in the fourth inning before Cleveland got on the board, and Chicago continued to build its advantage as the game progressed.

Javier Báez launched a solo home run in the fifth inning, and veteran catcher David Ross added another in the sixth. Ross was playing the final game of his Major League career, and his home run off Andrew Miller gave the Cubs a 6-3 lead.

At that point, it seemed like the Cubs were well on their way to ending the curse. But as Chicago fans had learned over the previous 108 years, nothing was ever going to come easy.

Cleveland mounted a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, with Brandon Guyer delivering an RBI double before Rajai Davis stepped to the plate against Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman. With two outs and the tying run at the plate, Davis launched a two-run home run down the left-field line, sending Progressive Field into a frenzy and tying the game at six.

Just like that, Chicago's three-run lead had disappeared. The Cubs were six outs away from a World Series championship, and suddenly there was a very real possibility that another historic season would end in heartbreak.

Neither team scored in the ninth inning, sending Game 7 into extra innings. But before the 10th could begin, rain started falling in Cleveland, forcing a 17-minute delay.

During that delay, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward reportedly called a players-only meeting in the clubhouse, encouraging his teammates to regroup and reminding them of everything they had accomplished to reach that moment. Whether the speech itself made a difference is impossible to know, but the Cubs certainly looked like a different team when play resumed.

Kyle Schwarber opened the 10th inning with a single, and pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr. advanced to second base on a deep fly ball from Kris Bryant. After Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked, Ben Zobrist delivered what would become the most important hit of his career.

Zobrist ripped an RBI double down the left-field line, scoring Almora and putting the Cubs back in front, 7-6. Miguel Montero followed with an RBI single to bring home Rizzo, giving Chicago an insurance run and an 8-6 advantage heading into the bottom of the 10th.

Of course, Cleveland wasn't finished.

Rajai Davis delivered another RBI hit in the bottom of the inning, cutting Chicago's lead to 8-7 and bringing the potential winning run to the plate. But Cubs reliever Mike Montgomery entered the game and got Michael Martinez to ground out to third baseman Kris Bryant, who fired across the diamond to Rizzo for the final out.

And just like that, 108 years of frustration were over.

The Chicago Cubs were World Series champions for the first time since 1908, completing one of the most remarkable comebacks in baseball history. They became just the sixth team at the time to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the World Series, doing so with three consecutive elimination-game victories.

Zobrist was named World Series MVP, but there were countless heroes throughout the Cubs' championship run. From Fowler's leadoff home run to Ross delivering in the final game of his career, and Montgomery recording the biggest out in franchise history, it took contributions from just about everybody to get the Cubs across the finish line.

For generations of Cubs fans who had waited their entire lives to see a championship, November 2, 2016, was more than just a baseball game. It was the end of a century of disappointment and the culmination of everything the franchise had spent years building toward.

Ten years later, it remains the greatest moment in Chicago Cubs history.