(CNN) The Chicago Cubs ended their 71-year absence from the World Series by pushing aside the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

Long the subject of a so-called curse, the Cubs continued their spectacular season at Wrigley Field late Saturday.

They now head to Game 1 of the World Series in Cleveland, where they will face the Indians on Tuesday.

A photo posted by Anthony Masterson (@mastertones) on Oct 22, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

Long time coming

The last time the Cubs appeared in the World Series was 1945, when the team lost to the Detroit Tigers.

The Chicago Cubs has the longest championship drought in the National League after winning a title in 1908 -- 108 years ago. The Cleveland Indians, which has the longest drought in the American League, last won the World Series title in 1948.

Unreal A video posted by Anthony Masterson (@mastertones) on Oct 22, 2016 at 7:43pm PDT

Fans steadfast till the end

Cubs fans have long been conditioned to expect the worst through decades of team misery.

But during Saturday's game, the Cubs gave fans some breathing room. They scored in the first inning and never looked back, shutting out the Dodgers.

Now they're just four wins away from the World Series title.

The Chicago Cubs pose after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the World Series.

"The Chicago Cubs are the chimpanzees of baseball's zoo -- cute, popular, always a delight to see," CNN contributor Mike Downey wrote earlier this month.

"They just don't inspire any awe or fear the way the lions and tigers do. You never think of the Cubs in terms of menace and prowess, circling their prey. You think of the Cubs as sacrificial lambs."

This year though, the Cubs roared. These Cubs have been highly touted since spring training, with many baseball writers predicting a championship.

They started hot with 11 wins in their first 14 games and spent all but one day in first place. They posted a 103-58 record, the best in baseball. That's the most games any Cubs team has won in one season since 1910.

"Incredible. Absolutely incredible," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "We are witnessing history right before our eyes."

The Billy Goat curse

Saturday's victory may have put the curse of the Billy Goat to rest.

Legend has it that a Chicago tavern owner named Bill "Billy Goat" Sianis pronounced a curse on the club on October 6, 1945 -- just a month after the end of World War II.

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Sianis went to Wrigley to cheer on his beloved Cubs against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, according to the tavern website , which dedicates a page to the Billy Goat curse.

For Game 4, he purchased a ticket for himself and one for his pet goat Murphy, thinking it would bring the Cubs luck.

But ushers stopped Sianis from entering with Murphy. Sianis appealed directly to then club owner P.K. Wrigley, asking him why he couldn't take his personal mascot to the game.

"Because the goat stinks," Wrigley replied, according to the Billy Goat Tavern.

So Sianis threw his arms up and cursed the team.

"The Cubs ain't gonna win no more!" he declared.

When the Cubs lost the series to the Tigers, Sianis sent Wrigley a telegram.

"Who stinks now?" it read.

The Cubs were never the same again. Over the years, ghoulish pranksters have left dead goats at the stadium. They became known as the "Lovable Losers." A popular Chicago T-shirt reads, "What did Jesus say to the Cubs? Don't do anything till I get back."

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Last year, the Cubs won 97 games. In the National League Championship Series, however, they were swept by a New York Mets team that won 90.

And who could forget the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS between the Cubs and Florida Marlins?

The Cubs led 3-0. They were just five outs away from their first trip to the World Series since 1945.

Then a lifelong Cubs fan named Steve Bartman, seated down the left field line, reached for a foul ball. He tipped the ball away from the outstretched glove of leaping Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. His interference was the catalyst for a heartbreaking Marlins rally and eventual series win.

Loyalty to the Cubs

Despite decades of misery, the Cubs have won over many steadfast fans. One of them is actor and comedian Bill Murray, an Illinois native. On Friday, he crashed the White House briefing room in a Cubs jacket.

He was seen cheering and laughing in the crowd as fans reveled throughout Chicago.</s>Michael Wilbon joins Sage Steele to celebrate the Cubs advancing to the World Series. (2:03)

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo caught the ball for the final out and Wrigley Field erupted.

"I'm sleeping with this thing tonight," the Chicago Cubs first baseman told the pulsating crowd moments later, kissing the prized souvenir. "Are you kidding me? We're going to the World Series."

Cubs ... World Series? Yes, the Cubbies!

Next up, Game 1 in Cleveland.

With fans chanting, singing and waving those Ws, shaking the century-old ballpark and jamming the streets of Wrigleyville, the Cubs celebrated a moment many of their faithful wondered whether they would ever see.

Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw, Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early and the Cubs took their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday night to win the NL Championship Series in six games.

"Listen to them. Outside before the game was crazy. Inside the game was crazy," Cubs pitcher Jon Lester said.

"These guys have done nothing but support us from Day One. It's been unbelievable to be here and be part of this. Words can't really describe where I'm at right now," he said.

Cursed by a Billy Goat, bedeviled by Bartman and crushed by decades of disappointment, those "Lovable Losers" now have a chance to win it all.

Trying to win their first crown since 1908, manager Joe Maddon's team opens the World Series against Cleveland on Tuesday night.

The Indians haven't won it all since 1948 -- Cleveland and Cubs have the two longest title waits in the majors.

"This city deserves it so much," Rizzo said. "We got four more big ones to go, but we're going to enjoy this. We're going to the World Series. I can't even believe that."

All-everything Javier Baez and Lester shared the NLCS MVP. Baez hit .318, drove in five runs and made several sharp plays at second base. Lester, a former World Series champion in Boston, was 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers.

The drought ended when Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play , setting off a wild celebration. And if they bring home the elusive championship?

"I may make the `W' a tattoo," said chairman Tom Ricketts , who once lived across the street and met his wife in the bleachers.

Deemed World Series favorites since opening day, the Cubs topped the majors with 103 wins to win the NL Central, then beat the Giants and Dodgers in the playoffs.

The Cubs overcame a 2-1 deficit against the Dodgers and won their 17th pennant. They had not earned a World Series trip since winning a doubleheader opener 4-3 at Pittsburgh on Sept. 29, 1945, to clinch the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season.

The eternal "wait till next year" is over. No more dwelling on a history of failure -- the future is now.

"We're too young. We don't care about it," star slugger Kris Bryant said. "We don't look into it. This is a new team, this is a completely different time of our lives. We're enjoying it and our work's just getting started."

Hendricks pitched two-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings . Chapman took over and closed with hitless relief, then threw both arms in the air as he was mobbed by teammates and coaches.

The Dodgers sent the minimum 27 batters to the plate and no one got past first base.

The Cubs shook off back-to-back shutout losses earlier in this series by pounding the Dodgers for 23 runs to win the final three games.

And they were in no way overwhelmed by the moment on Saturday, putting aside previous frustration.

In the 1945 Series, the Billy Goat Curse supposedly began when a tavern owner wasn't allowed to bring his goat to Wrigley. In 2003, the Cubs lost the final three games of the NLCS to Florida, punctuated with a Game 6 defeat when fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul ball.

Even as recently as 2012, the Cubs lost 101 times.

This time, no such ill luck.

Bryant had an RBI single and scored in a two-run first . Dexter Fowler added two hits, drove in a run and scored one.

Contreras led off the fourth with a homer.Rizzo continued his resurgence with a solo drive in the fifth.

That was plenty for Hendricks, the major league ERA leader.

Hendricks left to a standing ovation after Josh Reddick singled with one out in the eighth. The only other hit Hendricks allowed was a single by Andrew Toles on the game's first pitch.

Kershaw, dominant in Game 2, gave up five runs and seven hits before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth. He fell to 4-7 in the postseason.

"This day is never fun, the ending of a season," Kershaw said.

The Dodgers haven't been to the World Series since winning in 1988.

Pitching on five days' rest, Kershaw needed 30 pitches to get through the first. Fowler led off with a double against the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, and Bryant's single had the crowd shaking the 102-year-old ballpark.

Fans had more to cheer when left fielder Andrew Toles dropped Rizzo's fly, putting runners on second and third, and Ben Zobrist made it 2-0 a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs added a run in the second when Addison Russell doubled to deep left and scored on a two-out single by Fowler.

LINEUP SHUFFLE

Maddon benched slumping right fielder Jason Heyward in favor of Albert Almora Jr.

"Kershaw's pitching, so I wanted to get one more right-handed bat in the lineup, and also with Albert I don't feel like we're losing anything on defense," Maddon said. "I know Jason's a Gold Glover, but I think Albert, given an opportunity to play often enough would be considered a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder, too."

Heyward was 2 for 28 in the playoffs -- 1 for 16 in the NLCS.

SEEN

Kerry Wood, wearing a Ron Santo jersey, threw out the first pitch and actor Jim Belushi delivered the "Play Ball!" call before the game. Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder and actor John Cusack were also in attendance. And Bulls great Scottie Pippen led the seventh-inning stretch.</s>Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw; Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early and the Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

CHICAGO – Cursed by a Billy Goat, bedeviled by Bartman and crushed by decades of disappointment, the Chicago Cubs are at long last headed back to the World Series.

Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw; Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early and the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday night in Game 6 of the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

The drought ended when closer Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play, setting off a wild celebration at Wrigley Field.

Seeking their first title since 1908, the Cubs open the World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Indians haven’t won the World Series since 1948.

“This city deserves it so much,” Rizzo said. “We got four more big ones to go, but we’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to the World Series. I can’t even believe that.”

Manager Joe Maddon’s team, deemed World Series favorites since spring training, topped the major leagues with 103 victories in the regular season, then beat the San Francisco Giants and Dodgers in the playoffs.

The Cubs took their 17th pennant. They had not earned a World Series trip since winning a doubleheader opener 4-3 in Pittsburgh on Sept. 29, 1945, to clinch the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season.

The eternal “wait till next year” is over. No more dwelling on a history of failure — the future is now.

“We’re too young. We don’t care about it,” Cubs star slugger Kris Bryant said of the curse. “We don’t look into it. This is a new team. This is a completely different time of our lives. We’re enjoying it and our work’s just getting started.”

Hendricks pitched two-hit ball for 71/3 innings. Chapman got the final five outs.

Kershaw could have started Game 5 on three days’ rest, but manager Dave Roberts decided to save him for Saturday. Roberts was hoping more days off would help Kershaw duplicate his performance from Game 2, when he pitched seven innings of two-hit ball in a 1-0 victory.

The decision worked out quite well — for the Cubs. After winning a pair of shutouts in Games 2 and 3, the Dodgers dropped the next two by a combined score of 18-6. Even the great Kershaw was unable to slow Chicago’s momentum.

The lefty allowed four earned runs and seven hits while dropping to 4-7 with a 4.55 earned-run average in 18 playoff games.</s>Chicago Cubs advanced to the World Series for the first time in 71 years with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

The Game Six victory in front of 42,386 exhilarated fans at Wrigley Field gave the Cubs a 4-2 National League Championship Series (NLCS) triumph over the Dodgers as they solved the previously unhittable Clayton Kershaw.

Cubs left-hander Jon Lester and second baseman Javier Baez were named co-MVPs of the series.

Hendricks (1-1 postseason) allowed a leadoff base hit and then little else as he dominated the Dodgers – recording 18 straight outs until Josh Reddick’s one-out single in the eighth. Kyle Hendricks struck out six and walked none.

Closer Aroldis Chapman took it from there with an inning-ending double play in the eighth and a scoreless ninth.

Dexter Fowler went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo added solo home runs for the winners.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (2-1) took the loss after an uncharacteristically rough outing.

He gave up five runs (four earned) over five innings, including two home runs. Kershaw struck out four and threw 94 pitches while allowing runs in four of five innings worked.

First league title 

 

 The Cubs secured their first National League title since 1945 after qualifying but losing in the NLCS in 1984, 1989, 2003 plus last year’s four-game sweep by the Mets.

Chicago faces the Cleveland Indians as the World Series opens on Tuesday in Ohio. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908.

Baez’s latest defensive gem came in the first inning on Corey Seager’s grounder with no outs. Baez alertly tagged a sprinting Andrew Toles as he approached second base and then threw to first to catch Seager for a double play.

The Cubs then scored twice in their half of the first.

Fowler led off by looping a 1-1 pitch down the right field line for a double. He scored when Kris Bryant lined a shot to nearly the same spot for an RBI single and a 1-0 lead.

Rizzo landed on second base when Toles mishandled a liner as the ball hit the heel pad of his glove. Bryant dashed for third and came home for a 2-0 lead on Ben Zobrist’s sacrifice to center.

Addison Russell led off the second with a double to left and scored on Fowler’s two-out single to left for a 3-0 lead.

Kershaw hit the 55-pitch mark early in the third when Rizzo doubled to the left-field wall. Zobrist’s second sacrifice of the night moved Rizzo to third where he remained as Baez struck out to close the inning.

Contreras made it 4-0 to lead off the fourth when he launched an 0-1 pitch to the left field bleachers. Rizzo tagged Kershaw with a homer to right with two out in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.

In his previous start last Sunday against the Cubs, Kershaw gave up just two hits and struck out six in seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win.

Hendricks took the loss in that game even as he allowed just one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. (Editing by Andrew Both)</s>Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (40) celebrates with catcher David Ross after Game 6 of the National League baseball championship series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Chicago. The Cubs won 5-0 to win the series and advance to the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)</s>The long-suffering Chicago Cubs advanced to the World Series for the first time in 71 years with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

The Cubs, known as the "The Lovable Losers" given years of heartbreak and misery since their last World Series triumph in 1908, clinched the best-of-seven National League Championship Series 4-2 at home and set off wild celebrations across the city.

Chicago will face the Cleveland Indians, who have not celebrated a Major League Baseball title since 1948, in the best-of-seven World Series starting on Tuesday in Ohio.</s>The Chicago Cubs dispatched the Los Angeles Dodgers with power and pitching on Saturday to win the National League pennant and reach their first World Series in 71 years.

The Cubs, for more than half a century viewed as the lovable losers of old ivy-covered Wrigley Field, beat the best pitcher of the now generation in Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in a 5-0 victory that clinched the National League pennant, 4-2.

Next up, the Cleveland Indians and the Curse of the Billy Goat.

The long-suffering Cubs head to Cleveland on Tuesday to begin a best-of-seven for Major League Baseball’s championship with a chance to end the longest title drought in major North American professional sports – 108 years – and erase a fabled curse.

Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras blasted home runs to support the two-hit pitching of Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman that sent Cubs fans into delirium, rocked the 102-year-old stadium in Chicago and ignited a city-wide celebration.

Transformed by a new management regime led by team president Theo Epstein, who also helped the Boston Red Sox exorcise the Curse of the Bambino with their first Series win in 86 years, the Cubbies will enter the 112th Fall Classic as favourites after a major league-leading 103 regular season wins.

The Indians had their own history of sporting futility in the city on the southern shore of Lake Erie once nicknamed the “Mistake on the Lake”, going without a World Series title since 1948.

But no club touches the ordeal of the Cubs, whose deprived fans have waited four decades longer than their Cleveland counterparts.

The Cubs were an early power in the major leagues, winning their second World Series in a row in 1908 in the fifth edition of the Fall Classic.

The Cubs remained a strong team over the next few decades but kept falling short in the World Series. They were runners-up in six World Series in the years following when they once again won the National League pennant for another crack at the title in 1945.

Legend has it that Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave Game Four of the 1945 Series at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Tigers because the odor of his pet goat, Murphy, was bothering other fans.

Outraged, Sianis cursed the Cubs on his way out of the World Series game, shouting they would never win another.

Seventy-one years later, and 108 years in total, the Cubs and their fans are still waiting.

These Cubs look well equipped to end the drought.

Built by a combination of shrewd trades, draft choices and heavy spending on the free agent market, the new Cubs have a young, power-hitting team featuring third baseman Kris Bryant, first baseman Rizzo and shortstop Addison Russell.

They support a veteran starting rotation anchored by Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, National League ERA leader Hendricks and John Lackey.

Led by manager Joe Maddon, brought in last season as the final piece of their championship puzzle, the Cubs went from 101 losses in Epstein’s first season in charge in 2012 to one step from baseball heaven.</s>CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs won their first National League pennant since 1945 and are a step closer to ending a 108-year World Series drought after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 on Saturday to clinch a 4-2 victory in the NL Championship Series.

Chicago's Kyle Hendricks outpitched Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw while Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early at Wrigley Field.

The pennant drought ended when closer Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play, setting off wild celebrations among the success-starved fans.

The Cubs will open the World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday. The Indians haven't won it since 1948.

"This city deserves it so much," Rizzo said. "We got four more big ones to go, but we're going to enjoy this. We're going to the World Series. I can't even believe that."

Hendricks pitched 7-1/3 scoreless innings. Aroldis Chapman took over and closed with hitless relief, then threw both arms in the air as he was mobbed by teammates and coaches.

Javier Baez and pitcher Jon Lester shared the MVP award for the series. Baez hit .318, drove in five runs and made several sharp plays at second base. Lester, a former World Series champion in Boston, had a 1.38 earned run average in two starts.

The eternal "wait till next year" is over. No more dwelling on a history of failure — the future is now.

"We're too young. We don't care about it," star slugger Kris Bryant said. "We don't look into it. This is a new team, this is a completely different time of our lives. We're enjoying it and our work's just getting started."

The Cubs shook off back-to-back shutout losses earlier in this series by pounding the Dodgers for 23 runs to win the final three games.

And they were in no way overwhelmed by the moment on Saturday, putting aside previous frustration.

In 1945, the Billy Goat Curse supposedly began when a tavern owner wasn't allowed to bring his goat to Wrigley. In 2003, the Cubs lost the final three games of the NLCS to Florida, punctuated with a Game 6 defeat when a fan reached out to snare a ball that would have been caught by an outfielder, allowing a Marlins rally that turned the course of the series.

Even as recently as 2012, the Cubs lost 101 games. This time, no such ill luck.

Bryant drove in one run and scored in a two-run first. Dexter Fowler added two hits, drove in a run and scored one.

Contreras led off the fourth with a homer. Rizzo continued his resurgence with a solo drive in the fifth.

Hendricks left to a standing ovation after allowing a single with one out in the eighth. The only other hit Hendricks allowed was on the game's first pitch.

Kershaw, dominant in Game 2 shutout, gave up five runs before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth. He fell to 4-7 in postseason games over his career; a stark contrast to his dominance in regular season games.

The Dodgers haven't been to the World Series since winning in 1988.

Pitching on five days' rest, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner was forced to throw 30 pitches in the first inning alone. Fowler led off with a double, and Bryant's single had the crowd shaking the 102-year-old ballpark.

They had more to cheer when left fielder Andrew Toles dropped Rizzo's fly, putting runners on second and third, and Ben Zobrist made it 2-0 a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs added a run in the second when Addison Russell doubled to deep left and scored on a two-out single by Fowler</s>CHICAGO — Cursed by a Billy Goat, bedeviled by Bartman and crushed by decades of disappointment, the Chicago Cubs are at long last headed back to the World Series.

Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early and the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday night in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.

The drought ended when closer Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play, setting off a wild celebration at Wrigley Field.

Seeking their first title since 1908, the Cubs open the World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Indians haven’t won since 1948.

“This city deserves it so much,” Rizzo said. “We got four more big ones to go, but we’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to the World Series. I can’t even believe that.”

Manager Joe Maddon’s team, deemed World Series favorites since spring training, topped the majors with 103 wins, then beat the Giants and Dodgers in the playoffs.

The Cubs took their 17th pennant. They had not earned a World Series trip since winning a doubleheader opener 4-3 at Pittsburgh on Sept. 29, 1945, to clinch the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season.

The eternal “wait till next year” is over. No more dwelling on a past history of failure — the future is now.

“We’re too young. We don’t care about it,” star slugger Kris Bryant said. “We don’t look into it. This is a new team. This is a completely different time of our lives. We’re enjoying it and our work’s just getting started.”

Hendricks pitched two-hit ball for 7 1/3 innings. Chapman got the final five outs, then threw both arms in the air and got mobbed by teammates and coaches.</s>(CNN) The Chicago Cubs finally ended their 71-year absence from the World Series by pushing aside the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

Long the subject of a so-called curse, the Cubs continued their spectacular season at Wrigley Field late Saturday.

They now head to Game 1 of the World Series in Cleveland, where they will face the Indians on Tuesday.

A photo posted by Anthony Masterson (@mastertones) on Oct 22, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

The last time the Cubs appeared in the World Series was 1945, when the team lost to the Detroit Tigers.

The Chicago Cubs has the longest championship drought in the National League after winning a title in 1908 -- 108 years ago. The Cleveland Indians, which has the longest drought in the American League, last won the World Series title in 1948.

Cubs fans have long been conditioned to expect the worst through decades of team misery..

But during Saturday's game, the Cubs gave fans some breathing room. They scored in the first inning and never looked back, shutting out the Dodgers.

Now they're just four wins away from the World Series title.

"They just don't inspire any awe or fear the way the lions and tigers do. You never think of the Cubs in terms of menace and prowess, circling their prey. You think of the Cubs as sacrificial lambs."

This year though, the Cubs roared. These Cubs have been highly touted since spring training, with many baseball writers predicting a championship.

They started hot with 11 wins in their first 14 games and spent all but one day in first place. They posted a 103-58 record, the best in baseball. That's the most games any Cubs team has won in one season since 1910.

"Incredible. Absolutely incredible," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "We are witnessing history right before our eyes."

Saturday's victory may have put the curse of the Billy Goat to rest.

Legend has it that a Chicago tavern owner named Bill "Billy Goat" Sianis pronounced a curse on the club on October 6, 1945 -- just a month after the end of World War II.

For Game 4, he purchased a ticket for himself and one for his pet goat Murphy, thinking it would bring the Cubs luck.

But ushers stopped Sianis from entering with Murphy. Sianis appealed directly to then club owner P.K. Wrigley, asking him why he couldn't take his personal mascot to the game.

"Because the goat stinks," Wrigley replied, according to the Billy Goat Tavern.

So Sianis threw his arms up and cursed the team.

"The Cubs ain't gonna win no more!" he declared.

When the Cubs lost the series to the Tigers, Sianis sent Wrigley a telegram.

"Who stinks now?" it read.

Last year, the Cubs won 97 games. In the National League Championship Series, however, they were swept by a New York Mets team that won 90.

And who could forget the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS between the Cubs and Florida Marlins?

The Cubs led 3-0. They were just five outs away from their first trip to the World Series since 1945.

Then a lifelong Cubs fan named Steve Bartman, seated down the left field line, reached for a foul ball. He tipped the ball away from the outstretched glove of leaping Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. His interference was the catalyst for a heartbreaking Marlins rally and eventual series win.

He was seen cheering and laughing in the crowd as fans reveled throughout Chicago.
The Chicago Cubs defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the National League Championship Series 4–2, advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945.