14 highlights from ESPN’s re-airing of the Chicago Cubs’ Game 7 win in the 2016 World Series — featuring guest commentary from Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo
Rizzo #Rizzo
It happened. It really happened.
Not even the abomination that is 2020 can take that away from Chicago Cubs fans.
ESPN on Tuesday re-aired the Fox Sports telecast of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, which ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian set up as “the biggest night in the history of Major League Baseball,” a winner-take-all clash between franchises enduring epic droughts.
The four-and-a-half-hour show featured commentary from Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, former manager Joe Maddon, current skipper David Ross and reporter/host Sarah Spain.
After Bryant fired across the diamond to Rizzo for the final out, Joe Buck hollered: “The Cubs win the World Series! Bryant makes the play. It’s over! And the Cubs have finally won it all, 8-7 in 10!”
Here are 14 highlights from the re-air — and four things I did not remember from the game.
1. Fowler, who hit the first-ever leadoff home run in a World Series Game 7, had never watched a replay of the game. Why?
“Stress. I still get stressed out. I had nightmares even after we won about the Rajai Davis home run (in the eighth inning). Right now I’m nervous for myself and I know the outcome.”
2. Fowler on the meaning of the title: “I saw a lot of grown men cry.”
3. Bryant said his palms were sweaty as he re-watched the game because “we care. This was the biggest game in our lives.”
4. Bryant on his game-ending hurl to Rizzo: “I’ll tell you right now: I think everyone on that field, maybe besides Rizzo because all he had to do was field it and touch the bag, everyone was like: Don’t hit it to me. Please don’t hit it to me. That’s going through all of our minds, I don’t care what anybody says.”
5. Bryant on the other half of Bryzzo: “He can have the worst game of his life but if we win the game, he is there cheering you on. Anthony is the comic relief in the clubhouse.”
6. Rizzo on the Cubs fans that stuffed the stadium in Cleveland: “If it wasn’t 50-50, it was pretty close. That energy they brought for us is something we will never take for granted.”
7. Rizzo on tucking the game ball into his back pocket: “Me and Rossy came up with the idea. I got the DS (Division Series) ball, the NLCS ball and I thought: Man, if I can get this trifecta, that’s it right there. Catch it, boom, put it in the pocket and go crazy.”
He said he believes the ball is outside the office of owner Tom Ricketts.
8. Rizzo on the removal of Kyle Hendricks after just 63 pitches (1 earned run, 4 hits) following a 3-2 walk to Carlos Santana: “That’s the only time I’ve ever heard Kyle get emotional on the mound. Probably the only time I will ever hear him get emotional. I ran in there real quick to tell him how awesome he was … he was saying he was being careful with Santana to face (Jason) Kipnis because he felt more comfortable with (the matchup).”
9. Maddon on whether he was nervous re-watching the game: “The worst part of it is the last out. You always feel as though when KB slips, the ball is going over Rizzo’s head. All of a sudden it’s face-high and all I could think about was the 108 years.”
10. Maddon, now managing the Los Angeles Angels, on the legacy: “Yesterday I’m riding my bike up here and a dude stops me and wants to thank me for the World Series. That goes on and on.”
11. Ross became the oldest player, at 39, to homer in a Game 7. He also had a rough go on defense after being inserted into the game.
“The swinging bunt (by Kipnis). Slow getting out of the box. I almost kill Rizz (with the errant throw) and then that (Jon Lester wild pitch) hits me off the mask, I trip over my own feet and all chaos … Cleveland was rocking. It was definitely a mess, but I know how it ends now so I can definitely smile about it.”
12. Schwarber on the 17-minute rain delay: “The biggest thing was looking at everyone’s emotions … you’ve got people mad, crying, ready to go. I’m leading off the next inning and I’m trying to mentally prepare myself. In my mind: I’m gonna get on, boys. Get me in.”
13. Schwarber on Ben Zobrist’s game-winning hit, a slasher down the left-field line: “They’ve got the spray charts and all that, all the advance meetings; they know where to position people. I think that was the 108-year curse getting broken, a little magic on that ball.”
14. Schwarber said before the final pitch, the players in the dugout were shouting and debating Mike Montgomery’s pitch selection.
“What’s he gonna throw? We’re freaking out … Curveball and he gets him to roll over.”
Things I forgot.
1. Javier Baez made a lousy throw on Lindor’s routine grounder in the first. He committed a second error when he tried to backhand a slip from shortstop Addison Russell.
Baez also struck out trying to bunt. But he did hit a solo blast.
2. Bryant’s baserunning was superb on both runs scored — a sac fly and essentially a single by Rizzo. He motored home from first on that one.
3. Hendricks got jobbed on his 2-2 pitch to Santana. His sinker caught the inside corner. His next pitch was high.
“That call,” Maddon said, “pretty much got him out of the game.”
4. Kipnis, the Glenbrook North alum, hustled home from second on Lester’s wild pitch.
Said Rizzo: “The respect I have for Kipnis there … his ankle is a balloon because he rolled it — a story that doesn’t get talked about. From second busting it the whole way with a grade 2 or 3 sprained ankle. That’s the respect you have.”
And now they’re teammates.
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