Cubs join teams that have overcome 3-1 World Series deficits
Information on the 1979 Pirates was added to this report.
In World Series history before Wednesday, five teams came back from 3-1 deficits to win the baseball's biggest prize. The Cubs became the sixth by beating Cleveland in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
The Cubs did it late Wednesday night after the Indians tied up the game in the 8th and the game went into extra innings. It was an instant-classic World Series game that ended after a rain delay when the Cubs scored twice in the top of the 10th. The Indians scored once in the bottom of the 10th in a last-raps comeback attempt, but the Cubs finally put the game away for the 8-7 win.
Here's how else it's happened in baseball history.
Greatest comebacks
1985: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals, taking Games 6-7 at Royals Stadium. They beat the Cards 2-1 in Game 6 after a controversial call by first base official Don Denkinger, and then won Game 7 in a rout, 11-0. Pitcher Bret Saberhagen was voted MVP.
1979: Pittsburgh Pirates were down 3-1 in this series after losing their first two games against the Orioles at Three Rivers Stadium. They won the next three games, including Game 6 and Game 7 at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Willie Stargell was the MVP.
1968: Detroit Tigers won Games 6-7 against the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Tigers routed the Cardinals 13-1 in Game 6, then won Game 7 by a 4-1 final. Pitcher Mickey Lolich took MVP honors with three complete game wins.
1958: New York Yankees won Games 6-7 against the Braves in Milwaukee. Game 6 was a 4-3 victory in 10 innings, and Game 7 was a 6-2 win. Bob Turley was the first relief pitcher to earn MVP honors, posting a 2-1 record with 1 save.
1925: Pittsburgh Pirates won Games 6-7 at home in Forbes Field against the Washington Senators. This series was postponed twice due to bad weather, and Game 7 was played in a downpour. Hall of Famer Walter Johnson took the loss in Game 7.
Been there, done that
2004 ALCS: Theo Epstein, now president of Baseball Operations for the Cubs, was the general manager when his Boston Red Sox team came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees. His manager was Terry Francona, now with Cleveland.
2016 Cavs: Cleveland was down 3-1 in its NBA Finals series with the Golden State before winning three straight to capture the title.
Source: mlb.com; baseball-reference.com; Associated Press