The Chicago Cubs, with the longest title drought of any North American sports team at 106 seasons, defeated St. Louis 6-4 to reach Major League Baseball’s National League finals.
Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo on Tuesday smacked home runs to power the long-suffering Cubs, who had never clinched a playoff series at home until taking this best-of-five matchup from the Cardinals three games to one.
“This means so much to the team, the city and to everyone involved with this organization,” Rizzo said. “We’re so happy right now. I can’t even put it into words.”
The Cubs, who had not won a playoff series since beating Atlanta in the 2003 National League first round, next face either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers to determine a berth in the World Series.
The Cubs, founded in 1870, have not won a World Series since 1908.
Wrigley Field, built in 1914, is among America’s most iconic sports venues, but the Cubs, who began playing there in 1916, had never before hosted a playoff victory celebration, clinching 1907 and 1908 World Series crowns in Detroit and a 2003 first-round triumph in Atlanta.
Hopes are building that this will finally be the season when the jinx ends, although there was late drama to be endured.
Matt Carpenter hit a two-out single in the ninth for St. Louis to bring rookie Stephen Piscotty, who homered in the first inning, to the plate as the tying run.
But Cubs relief pitcher Hector Rondon struck out Piscotty to end the game and ignite a raucous celebration.
“Hopefully this is just a taste of what’s about to come,” Rizzo said. “We just beat the best team in baseball. The whole city is going to celebrate this.”
The Cubs have not even reached the World Series since 1945, when Detroit beat them in seven games. Chicago lost all seven World Series appearances between 1908 and 1945 and failed to reach the championship showdown in six National League playoff trips since the World Series of 70 years ago.
Slugging heroics sparked the Cubs, who blasted a major league playoff record nine homers in consecutive games. In all, Chicago has scored 15 of 20 playoff runs from homers.
St. Louis opened the scoring as Carpenter singled to start the game and Piscotty followed by smashing a two-run homer for a 2-0 Cardinals edge.
The Cubs answered with four runs in the second inning, the first scoring when Chicago pitcher Jason Hammel singled in Starlin Castro from second base.
Baez followed with a three-run homer and the Cubs jumped in front 4-2.
St. Louis equalized in the sixth after Jason Heyward and Jhonny Peralta hit back-to-back singles. Tony Cruz followed with a double down the right field line to score Heyward and pinch hitter Brandon Moss singled to bring in Peralta.
Cruz tried to race home on the hit as well but Jorge Soler made a 260-foot throw to Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, who tagged out Cruz before he reached home plate to end the inning and deny the Cardinals the lead.
Rizzo put the Cubs back in front in the bottom half of the sixth inning, blasting a solo homer into the right-field stands to give Chicago a 5-4 edge.
Schwarber boosted the Cubs lead to 6-4 with a solo homer in the seventh, his towering blast sending the ball out of the park over the right-field stands.