BACK to the Future 2 was one year out as the Chicago Cubs lifted the World Series on Wednesday night, ending their 108-year curse with victory over the Cleveland Indians.
The infamous movie sequel predicted the Cubs would lift baseball’s major trophy in 2015, as a joke, due to the Billy Goat curse which was placed on the team in 1945 — local bar owner Billy Sianis was alleged to have cursed the Cubs after he and his goat were asked to leave a bar filled with Chicago fans.
Sianis was so insulted that he said they would never win a World Series game again or even reach the World Series again (different versions of the story exist).
“There’s no more curse now, the goat is history,” said Cubs fan Rodrigo Gonzales moments after victory had been achieved.
The Cubs, who had not won baseball’s biggest prize since 1908, had seen a 6-3 lead evaporate in the eighth inning but, after runs batted in by Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero, Mike Montgomery gained the final out in the 10th to secure an 8-7 victory.
Cleveland had led the series 3-1 but suffered three straight defeats — the last two on home soil — as their own drought goes on for a 69th year.
“It’s going to hurt,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “Somebody was going to win, somebody was going to lose, I wish they’d lost.”
MVP Ben Zobrist, who helped the Kansas City Royals to the MLB championship last year, said: “It’s unbelievable. I can’t even put it into words. It’s an unbelievable team to be a part of.”
