CHICAGO -- Finally, a banner moment at Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Cubs raised their 2016 World Series championship flag Monday night, delighting a raucous crowd that waited through a long rain delay for a moment more than a century in the making.
Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins and Billy Williams raised banners for the franchise's two previous championships and last year's NL pennant. First baseman Anthony Rizzo had the initial honors for the drought-busting title flag before the rest of the Cubs took their turn.
Rizzo brought the championship trophy out when he returned to the field from under the bleachers, drawing more cheers before Chicago's home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- which was delayed by rain for nearly two hours.
It was a moment generations of fans never got to witness. Even more wondered if they would ever get the chance.
But that all changed when the Cubs beat the Indians 8-7 in a thrilling Game 7 at Cleveland last fall for their first championship since 1908.
"The best part about last year was we all got to be part of something bigger than ourselves," said President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, the architect of a top-to-bottom overhaul that ended years of heartbreak and frustration on Chicago's North Side. "Feel connected to each other and the fans and the organization and the city and you know, they say all glory is fleeting, and it is, but the flag will fly forever and that feeling of being part of something bigger than ourselves will last forever, too. I think, to me, that's what it symbolizes."
But on Monday, Kris Bryant felt as though he was arriving for a playoff game. The reigning NL MVP saw fans braving the rain and jamming the neighborhood, particularly the sparkling new plaza outside Wrigley Field.
"This place is unlike any other," Bryant said.
Sports on 04/11/2017