It’s a great time to live in Chicago right now, especially if you are a Chicago Cubs fan. There is spirit everywhere, from the random kid in your math lecture wearing a Rizzo jersey to the jam-packed Red-Line L train singing “Go Cubs Go!” non-stop until it finally reaches Wrigley Field.
This is the first time in 71 years that the Cubs have qualified for the World Series. On top of that, it has been 108 years since the Cubs have won the World Series. So it’s understandable why Cubs fans in Chicago and around the country are dying to fly their W flag to celebrate a World Series win for the first time in 108 years.
I was lucky enough to attend game five of the World Series at Wrigley Field with my dad and 41,709 of our closest friends. It was insane to say the least. As soon as I walked through the police checkpoint about a block away from the field, I could feel the nervous and excited energy in the air. Game five was a crucial game for the Cubs. If they won, then they would travel to Cleveland for game six, but if they lost to the Cleveland Indians, then the World Series would have been over, with the Indians winning it all.
This was my second time at Wrigley Field for a Cubs game, but my first time experiencing the craziness that is Wrigleyville. It was probably amplified due to the fact it was a World Series game, but the Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police brought in a small army of officers to watch the crowd and intervene in any potential sticky situations. They were nice to see dispersed in the throngs of people outside the park and bars in the area. Vendors also lined the streets, selling signs that read “It’s gonna happen” and other World Series apparel.
Once we got into the park, the crowd was a little smaller, but people were still everywhere. Most were in line grabbing food and Cubs apparel before the game so they wouldn’t miss a second of the game, but some people were standing around and taking in the hectic atmosphere around them. This of course caused crowds to form, and it was pretty congested getting to our seats on the second deck.
Our seats were by no definition close to the field or home plate, but that didn’t matter. From our seats in section 530, we were able to see most of the infield, with only a stretch behind second and first base blocked by a metal beam supporting the stadium. I felt like a bird flying over Wrigley Field the entire time I was watching. Throughout the game, I had to keep reminding myself that I was at a World Series game in person and not sitting in my dorm watching it on my laptop. I felt like I was part of history.
Of course no baseball game is without a Chicago-style hotdog, peanuts and beer. My dad was the only one who had the beer, but I enjoyed balancing my hotdog on my lap while trying to cheer and chew simultaneously. That was practically the only time I was sitting down during the entire game. Section 530 was alive with people constantly jumping up and cheering. During the bottom of the fourth inning, when Trevor Bauer from the Cleveland Indians was pitching, everyone around me was taunting him, screaming “BAU-ER.” My friend who was outside the park on the streets of Wrigleyville could even hear the taunts.
The fourth inning was also the best inning of the entire game. Kris Bryant opened the inning with a single home run, which made the entire stadium get on their feet. Everyone was high-fiving and hugging each other, regardless if they were best friends or complete strangers My dad and I could feel the floor shaking beneath us up on the second deck. It was startling at first, but only added to the excitement in the air. Then, Anthony Rizzo was at bat following Bryant’s much needed home run and hit a double that was just short of a home run. By the end of the inning, the Cubs were up 1-3 and everyone in the park could not stop smiling.
The next five innings seemed to drag on, with each strike and out by the Cubs causing loud cheers and whistles from the crowd. The final score was 2-3, with the Cubs winning the fifth game and forcing it back to Cleveland. After the W flag was raised over Wrigley Field, and the last few notes of “Go Cubs Go” rang through the park, my dad and I made it out through the streets and to our car with huge smiles on our faces.
While it’s still up in the air whether or not the Cubs will be able to pull out a W this year, I know I will be telling my grandchildren that I went to game five of the 2016 World Series at Wrigley Field. That I saw the Chicago Cubs bring in a win, despite everyone else telling them it was over. Go Cubs Go!