2016 World Series Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cleveland Indians

The other three choices are AL teams that made it to the 2016 postseason and came short of making into the Fall Classic. The AL pennant winner Indians beat two of those teams-the Red Sox in the ALDS 3-0 and the Blue Jays in the ALCS 4-1 (to qualify for the WS). The Blue Jays defeated the Rangers 3-0 in the other ALDS matchup.

Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Cubs defeated the Dodgers in the NLCS 4-2. The Cubs defeated the Giants in the NLDS 3-1 and the Dodgers defeated the Nationals in the NLDS 3-2. The Mets, who defeated the Cubs to get to the World Series a year before, was defeated by the Giants in the 2016 NL Wild Card Game.

Answer: 7

The best-of-seven WS needed all seven games to find a winner. The Cubs were down 3-1 vs. the Indians before winning the final three games to win the World Series, becoming the first team to overcome a 3-1 in the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 1985; and the first NL team to do so since the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979.

Answer: 108

The Cubs ended their 108-year world championship drought, the longest of any of the North American major pro sports teams. The Cubs made it to the World Series for the first time in 71 years (their previous appearance was in 1945). Between the World championships in 1908 and 2016, the Cubs have lost in seven straight World Series appearances.

In 1984, the Cubs were up 2-0 against the San Diego Padres in the best-of-five NLCS but lost the final three games. In 2003, the Cubs were again up by two games and one win away from getting to the World Series, but lost the last three games to the Florida Marlins, including the infamous Bartman incident in Game 6.

Answer: Curse of the Billy Goat

The Cubs' championship in 2016 ended the Curse of the Billy Goat. The curse started in 1945 (their last WS appearance), when the tavern owner William Sianis took his goat named Murphy into the ballpark. There, he was told to leave the park because fans were complaining about the smell of the goat. That instruction upset Sianis and he "put curse on the team", ensuring the Cubs would never play in the World Series again (at least not for the rest of his life, he died in 1970). The Cubs won the pennant on the 46th anniversary of his death.

All the other choices also allegedly plagued other MLB teams from winning the World Series for a considerable period of time. Cleveland Indians, the team that played the Cubs in the 2016 World Series, was plagued by the Curse of Rocky Colavito. The Curse of the Bambino allegedly kept the Red Sox from winning the World Series for 86 years. The Curse of Coogan's Bluff allegedly kept the Giants team from winning their first World Series title for the first 43 years following the move from New York.

Answer: 1948

The Indians previously won the 1948 World Series, followed by thee losses in the years listed as incorrect choices (2016 being their fourth straight loss in the WS). The Indians lost to the then NY Giants in six games in the 1954 World Series, then lost in 1995 to the Atlanta Braves in six games and in 1997 to the then Florida Marlins in seven games.

Answer: Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon was in his second year managing the Cubs. He took the Cubs team into the playoffs in 2015. The other three choices also managed the Cubs within ten years before winning the title. Lou Pinella managed the Cubs into the 2007 and 2008 playoffs, but was swept in the Division Series both times.

Answer: Terry Francona

Terry Francona previously won two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 while managing for the Boston Red Sox. The three incorrect choices are the previous three Indians managers before Francona took over. Eric Wedge took the Indians to the 2007 playoffs where they were knocked out of the ALCS by the Red Sox, managed by Francona.

Answer: Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber pitched well in Game 1, shutting down the Cubs lineup in a 6-0 win. He became the first pitcher in World Series history to strike out eight batters in the first three innings. He also started Games 4 and 7. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin pitched in Games 2 and 3 respectively as well as Games 5 and 6. Reliever Andrew Miller took the win in Game 3.

Answer: Jake Arrieta

All of these choices started for the Cubs in the World Series, but Jake Arrieta is the one who won Game 2, beating the Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer. Arrieta also started in Game 6 and also got the win. Jon Lester started Game 1 opposite Corey Kluber, and in Game 5 opposite Trevor Bauer. Kyle Hendricks started Games 3 and 7, and John Lackey started in his only World Series game in Game 4, where he took the loss.

Answer: Dexter Fowler

Dexter Fowler hit the leadoff home run off of Corey Kluber in the winner take-all game of the 2016 World Series. It set the stage for one of the most memorable World Series games of all time. He became the first-ever player to hit a leadoff homer in Game 7 of a World Series.

It was Fowler's second homer of the World Series (he also hit it out in Game 4). Javier Báez also hit it out off of Kluber in Game 7. Addison Russell hit a grand slam home run in Game 6. Kyle Schwarber, who returned to the Cubs' lineup during the World Series after being out since early April due to torn ACL and LCL, did not homer in this Fall Classic.

Answer: Rajai Davis

Rajai Davis hit a memorable, game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 7, played on November 2, that tied the game up at 6-6. All the other choices also homered in this 216 World Series. Despite this the Indians ended up losing this game and the series; the Davis homer was the biggest moment of the 2016 MLB season.

Answer: Ben Zobrist

All of these choices came to the plate in the tenth inning and reached base. Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff single that started the tenth inning, then advanced to second on Kris Bryant's flyout in what is called the "savviest baserunning play of the season." Schwarber was then replaced by pinch runner Albert Almora Jr. at second. Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked before Ben Zobrist hit a go-ahead RBI double, bringing home Almora Jr.

The Cubs would tack on another run when Miguel Montero's RBI single brought home Rizzo.

Answer: groundout

With trying run on base, pinch hitter Michael Martinez, whom the Indians acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the season, hit a groundball to third baseman Kris Bryant and threw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to end the game and the World Series. Right after the play, all the Cubs players ran onto the field to celebrate their World Series win.

The Cubs have won their first World Series Championship since 1908 ... that's before TVs were invented!

Answer: Ben Zobrist

Ben Zobrist earned the 2016 World Series MVP honor for hitting the double in the 10th inning of Game 7 that gave the Cubs the lead, that would hold for the rest of the game and the WS win. That was second year in a row that Ben Zobrist was part of the World Series championship squad. Zobrist helped the Kansas City Royals to win the 2015 World Series title vs. NY Mets.