The Chicago Cubs haven’t reached 100 wins since 1935, back when the Great Depression was still going on, a loaf of bread only costed eight cents, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. Today, the Cubs sit at the top of the NL Central with the best record in baseball, and are to face off against the wild card-clinching San Francisco Giants.
Sophomore Alex Ojeda expressed how excited he is for the play-offs.
“This is a special moment for them to be favorites to win it all; you can’t understand what it means to us fans, especially the ones who have been waiting for decades, like my granddad. We are going to watch every game and hope for the best,” Ojeda said.
The Cubs will face off against the San Francisco Giants, who are trying to extend their pattern of even-win championships, winning in the years 2010, ’12 and ’14. The Giants have been known to turn up their play during October, and this should be a tough series as well as a good test for the championship hopefuls.
Fans are a little more wary of being overly excited since learning from last year, when the Cubs reached the National League Championship for the first time since 2003 and got swept by the New York Mets.
Sophomore Victor Valdes, a Cubs fan from birth, is looking forward to see what the Cubs can do.
“I have been waiting all my life to see my team this good, and now that it is here, I can’t believe it,” Valdes said. “I know I shouldn’t jinx it, but I have a great feeling about this playoffs and I’m confident in breaking the curse of the Billy goat.”
The Cubs have the highest odds to win the World Series, sitting at 19 percent, and a 36 percent chance of reaching the World Series. The closest National League team to that are the Washington Nationals with a 15 percent chance of winning and 28 percent chance of reaching the World Series.
As Cubs pitcher John Lester told ESPN, “It’s go time. Now we have to live up to the expectations and hype. This season isn’t anything unless we do what we showed up at spring training to do win a World Series.“
