Cubs fans ultimately rewarded in Game 7
Dozens of baseball fans gathered at Hitz Pizza and Sports Bar in Mundelein to watch the Cubs win the World Series on Wednesday night.
Draft Picks in Mount Prospect had a big crowd of Cubs fans, too.
Other suburbanites headed to Chicago to catch the game at Wrigley Field, including many who didn't have tickets and simply soaked in the ambience outside the famous park.
Here are some of their stories.
Wait 'til This Year
The crowd at Hitz exulted with the final out. People high-fived, hugged, kissed and broke into "Go Cubs Go."
"It feels pretty unbelievable," said fan Steve Devine of Libertyville. "The Cubs are the best. What a great team it was this year."
Fever Pitch
When Ben Zobrist's 10th-inning double put the Cubs back on top for good, the crowd at Hitz went nuts.
"MVP! MVP!" one excited fan of the bearded outfielder chanted.
Andrea Marcellis of Villa Park came to Wrigley with her husband and some friends Wednesday carrying a giant "Let's Go Cubs" sign and a bloody rubber goat head in hopes of breaking the infamous North Side curse.
"I'm pulling for a win," said Marcellis, who also signed the outer brick wall at Wrigley.
Surrounded by fans in Cubbie Blue at Hitz, Vernon Hills resident Rick Grant looked out of place in his Indians T-shirt Wednesday night.
But the former Cleveland-area man wasn't afraid to root for his former home team.
When asked for a prediction shortly before the game began, Grant simply said "a good ballgame." But he showed the Indians some love a second later.
"If I had to go one way or the other, I'm going to go with my Tribe," Grant said.
Long Gone
Dexter Fowler's leadoff home run got the Cubs fans at Hitz on their feet.
"After Fowler went 0-for-3 the last game, it was a good start for the game," said Lindenhurst's Nick Hibbing. "It gives the team energy."
Safe at Home
Tony Aguado of Mount Prospect cheered wildly after Addison Russell brought home Kris Bryant with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, making the score 2-1.
But he wasn't ready to declare a Cubs victory.
"I'm still a little nervous," said Aguado, wearing a Russell jersey. "That's the Cub fan in me."
The Phenom
When Javier Baez's homer at the start of the fifth inning made it 4-1 for the Cubs, Jeff Eder of Lindenhurst celebrated with his table mates at Hitz.
Did the solo shot make up for Baez's two errors at second base?
"Yes," Eder said. "Yes, it did."
Watching the game with 19 friends and relatives at Draft Picks, 67-year-old Marty Lapidus of Des Plaines said he's been waiting all his life to see the Cubs win the World Series.
"I've been a Cubs fan since I was 10 years old, when my father took me to my first game," said Lapidus, who wore an Anthony Rizzo jersey for the occasion.
Enrique Farfan of South Elgin traveled to Wrigley Field for the game. He wore a World Series commemorative Cubs jersey and cap to support his team.
"It's crazy, that we are here," Farfan said. "Hopefully we get it done tonight."
They did.
• Daily Herald photographers Joe Lewnard and Brian Hill contributed to this report.