In the bottom of the 8th, Cubs manager Joe Maddon called on closer Aroldis Chapman to protect a two-run lead with his team four outs away from a title. I’m not watching the game, I’m watching him (Kaplan) watching the game, and he’s standing behind the set with his head in his hands when things are going bad, he’s pumping his fist when things are going good, and I just found it to be the most unique and amazing experience that I’ve had. More than any team in any sport, there are no done deals with the Chicago Cubs. You didn’t grow up and die with this team like I did. And (fellow postgame analyst Todd) Hollandsworth is yelling at me, he keeps going, “Would you relax? We’ve got this, it’s over, it’s good.” And I turned to him, and I said you don’t understand. Now, I hear that they get a hit, it’s 6-4.
So I’m at the other end of our set out near the street, because I can hear the speaker on the side of the stadium. Well, I don’t want to watch 15 seconds delayed. The most intense part of the whole thing is, we’re out on our set, we have a monitor, and it’s 15 seconds delayed. I had a pizza, a milkshake, a hotdog… I had a collection of just awful foods and I housed them all by the third inning.
However, with just nine outs standing between the North Siders and that elusive world championship, nobody felt that lead was safe. The Cubs built up a 6-3 lead through 6 innings thanks to some clutch relief pitching from Jon Lester and home runs from Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez and David Ross. Win or lose, the Cubs were on the precipice of history and here I was, covering the team and tasked with trying to describe and chronicle this momentous event that stretched far beyond just words on a screen.
I think I told myself beforehand, remember this night, because no matter what happens, it’s going to be historic, and just because it was the Cubs, no matter what, it was going to be bigger than probably anything I had ever been a part of. I remember literally every single thing about Game 7. You were up, you were down… it was either going to be the greatest win in Chicago sports history, or the biggest bust ever. It was the greatest roller-coaster ride ever. LUKE STUCKMEYER (on-field and clubhouse reporter) It was torturous, it was brutal, it was one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever gone through, and it was awesome. Game 7 was a microcosm of everything that it is to be a Chicago Cubs fan… everything. This is the behind-the-scenes story of Game 7 and the night that baseball history changed forever.ĭAVID KAPLAN (pre- and postgame show host) Needless to say, it was a memorable night for all involved in the station’s coverage. The historic event was covered heavily by NBC Sports Chicago (then known as CSN Chicago) a group of reporters, hosts and production crew were on the ground at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and it was all hands on deck back at the main production facility in downtown Chicago.
On that night, the infamous 108-year World Series drought was ended by 25 players, plus countless other coaches, support staff, front office members, and of course, a little bit of rain. 2, 2016 - a date that will live in the hearts and minds of Cubs fans forever.