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DH Carlos Santana, a slow-footed, low-average slugger, made for an unusual lead-off hitter against righthanders, but his knack for drawing walks was a huge asset in the role. There were few weak spots in the line-up however. There were no huge stars on the team, although second-year SS Francisco Lindor had the makings of a player who would be very good for a very long time. Indians The Indians had made it this far by playing solid fundamental baseball, characterized by few errors, aggressive baserunning and a shut-down bullpen. Managers: Indians: Terry Francona | Cubs : Joe Maddon.It was a thrilling affair that represented some of the best baseball had to offer - with the only caveat being that the pace of the games was sometimes extremely slow. The series also featured aggressive managing, with some completely atypical bullpen usage, heroes emerging from nowhere and goats getting a chance at redemption. They had to overcome a three-games-to-one deficit, becoming only the sixth team in World Series history to do so. The series was a gripping, tightly-fought classic, culminating in an epic Game 7 that went into extra innings before the Cubs emerged on top, breaking their 108-year curse. There were some significant questions about the strength of their starting pitching, however, while the Cubs had no weaknesses on paper. The Indians had not been on anyone's radar screen as a potential World Series team before the season started, but played steadily all year to win a division title, then had ridden some dominant pitching, especially from the bullpen, to reach the Series. The Cubs came in as prohibitive favorites, thanks to an outstanding season in which they had won 103 games and impressive wins in the first two rounds of the postseason. Needless to say, the two teams had never previously met in a postseason series, although the two managers, Terry Francona and Joe Maddon had faced each other in the 2008 ALCS when they were both at the helm of different teams (the Boston Red Sox for Francona and the Tampa Bay Rays for Maddon). In effect, no one alive could claim to have any remembrance of the Cubs as World Champions.

The 2016 World Series was a lesson in history, as it featured the two teams with the longest active championship drought in the majors, the Cleveland Indians, who had not won the Fall Classic since 1948 and had been back only three times since, and the Chicago Cubs, whose last appearance in a World Series had come in 1945 and its last win in 1908.