Ranking each Chicago sports franchise’s best team of the past decade

4. 2016 Chicago Cubs (103-58)

The 2016 Chicago Cubs were coming off of a season where new manager Joe Maddon took them to the NLCS. Even though the Cubs got swept by the Mets in the NLCS, they had great odds to win the World Series.

The Cubs won nine of their first 12 games to start off the 2016 season. They finished with the best record in baseball and were favorites to win the World Series by a mile. This team was led by 28 players in their 20s. Anthony Rizzo won the first base Golden Glove and was second in team hits.

Second-year player Kris Bryant led the team in hits and tied with Rizzo for batting average. He was coming off of winning Rookie of the Year and was a rising star in the league. The Cubs brought in Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees to help their playoff push.

Chapman was a key relief pitcher throughout the playoffs, saving and ending many games. During the regular season, the then 28-year-old Chapman held a 1.01 ERA. In the playoffs, he became more dominant.

In the first round, the Cubs faced the Wildcard winner San Francisco Giants. The Cubs made quick work of the Giants, winning the series in four games. Just like 2015, the Cubs were in the National League Championship Series. They were matched up against the L.A. Dodgers. The Cubs were more prepared in 2016 and knew what it took to get over the hill. The Cubs won that series in six games, sending them to the World Series.

The 2016 World Series was the first time the Cubs went to the World Series since 1946. The Cubs, at the time, hadn’t won a World Series in 108-years. That is the longest stretch in the history of the four major sports.

The Cubs would get smashed around in Game 1. They lost 6-0 in Cleveland. Jake Arrieta would start Game 2 for the Cubs. Arrieta and the Cubs blew out the Indians, 5-1. Game 3 was a lot closer. It was a shutout for both teams through six innings. The Indians would score the games only run in the seventh inning. The series was 2-1 Cleveland after three games.

Going into Game 4, the Cubs needed to get a win. The game was played in Chicago, but that didn’t help the Cubs at all. The Cubs would get pushed around, after scoring first. Before the Cubs could get a second run on the board, it was 7-1 Cleveland. The Indians would win their last game of 2016 7-2.

After that, instead of panicking, the Cubs ran the table. They took Game 5 in Chicago 3-2. They went to Cleveland and won Game 6 9-3. That set up Game 7 on November 2nd, 2016.

After the top half of five innings, the Cubs were up 5-1. The Indians would score two runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Cubs scored one run in the sixth and led 6-3. The Indians scored three late runs in the eighth inning. That was enough to send the game to extra innings.

Right before the 10th inning was going to start, it started to downpour. This was the fifth time in league history Game 7 had a rain delay. During the delay, team leaders like Jason Heyward took their time explaining the importance of this game. They weren’t going to come this far to not win the World Series. Other players took turns speaking, like Rizzo.

Going into the 10th inning, the Cubs had a clean slate. The game was 6-6. The Cubs scored two runs and held the Indians to one in the tenth. The Cubs finally won their first World Series since 1908.

This was a feel-good moment for the city of Chicago. This was probably the best moment so far in the 21st century for Chicago sports. Even if they wait another 108 years to win again, it was a special moment everyone got to share with their families.