It’s only fitting that a World Series guaranteed to end a championship drought should be decided in Game 7. What’s waiting one more day when you waited all these years?
This is where we stand now: The Chicago Cubs forced the 38th winner-take-all game in World Series history by winning consecutive elimination games. They overwhelmed the Cleveland Indians in Game 6 on Tuesday night, winning 9-3 behind home runs from Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo. Now it comes down to one game to determine whether the Cubs’ 108-year championship drought or the Indians’ 68-year drought ends.
The historical overtones alone give this Game 7 a guaranteed boost. There will be so much riding on every pitch. Decades of angst, anxiety and disappointment will transform into euphoria for one fanbase, while those feelings will multiply for the loser.
It has all the making of an instant classic. So now’s definitely a good time to look back at some previous Game 7s that toyed with fans emotions, delivered memorable results and forever etched themselves into our brains.
BILL MAZEROSKI’S WORLD SERIES WALK-OFF HOMER IN 1960 In World Series history, there has been only one walk-off homer run in a Game 7. That belongs to Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski, who took Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees deep in the bottom of the ninth in 1960. Pittsburgh won the game 10-9 thanks to Mazeroski’s magic and a five-run rally in the eighth inning. (Mark Townsend)
EDGAR RENTERIA BREAKS THE INDIANS’ HEARTS This isn’t the first time the Indians have played a World Series Game 7. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of a 3-2 loss in 1997, when Edgar Renteria of the then-Florida Marlins walked them off in the 11th inning. Florida scored single runs in the seventh and ninth to force extra innings, before loading the bases against Charles Nagy. That’s when Renteria came through, making the Marlins baseball’s first wild-card team to win the series. Fun fact: Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer was at this game as a kid. (Townsend)
LUIS GONZALEZ BEATS MARIANO RIVERA It’s the final inning of the final game of the World Series and your best hitter is at the plate against the best closer in the game. It’s the situation kids dream about, but it actually was a reality. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied against legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to load the bases in the game’s final inning. That brought outfielder Luis Gonzalez to the plate. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Gonzalez hit a bloop shot over Derek Jeter’s head to give Arizona the incredible walk-off win. (Chris Cwik)
SANDY KOUFAX PLAYS THE HERO If you think what Indians Game 7 starter Corey Kluber is about to do is impressive — pitching Games 1, 4 and 7 — take a look at Sandy Koufax’s numbers from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Koufax started Game 2, returned for Game 5 and then pitched on two days’ rest in Game 7. His line from that final game: nine innings, three hits, 10 strikeouts and zero earned runs. Yep, he threw a complete-game shutout in Game 7 of the World Series on just two days’ rest. (Cwik)
JACK MORRIS GOES 10 INNINGS Given the pitching talent we’re going to see in Game 7 of the 2016 series, Game 7 of the 1991 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves might provide the perfect blueprint. Twins ace Jack Morris battled Braves pitcher John Smoltz to a scoreless duel throughout. While Smoltz was taken out after 7 1/3 innings, Morris remained in the contest even after it had gone into extra innings. He pitched a scoreless 10th, which set up Gene Larkin’s walk-off single in the bottom of the inning. Morris gave up seven hits and notched eight strikeouts in the win. (Cwik)
BONUS (non-World Series) GAME 7: HASN’T THIS ALL HAPPENED BEFORE?
Does something about Wednesday’s matchup feel familiar? Maybe it should. The Boston Red Sox met the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 American League Championship Series. That series not only went seven games, but it also featured many eery similarities to what we might see Wednesday. Terry Francona led the Red Sox at that time. Want to guess who he managed against? Yep, Joe Maddon. Maddon and the Rays came out on top in this one after Matt Garza outdueled Jon Lester(!) over seven innings. Coco Crisp was the leadoff hitter for Francona’s Red Sox during the game. Fun fact that means nothing: David Price picked up the save for Tampa Bay. Relevant fun fact: Maddon and the Rays had a 3-1 lead this time before the Red Sox forced a Game 7. Narratives are going to change Wednesday night. (Cwik)
Does something about Wednesday’s matchup feel familiar? Maybe it should. The Boston Red Sox met the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 American League Championship Series. That series not only went seven games, but it also featured many eery similarities to what we might see Wednesday. Terry Francona led the Red Sox at that time. Want to guess who he managed against? Yep, Joe Maddon. Maddon and the Rays came out on top in this one after Matt Garza outdueled Jon Lester(!) over seven innings. Coco Crisp was the leadoff hitter for Francona’s Red Sox during the game. Fun fact that means nothing: David Price picked up the save for Tampa Bay. Relevant fun fact: Maddon and the Rays had a 3-1 lead this time before the Red Sox forced a Game 7. Narratives are going to change Wednesday night. (Cwik)
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