World Series MVP Ben Zobrist: Game 7 was 'an epic battle'
CLEVELAND - Ben Zobrist was as impressed with that game as the rest of us.
The 35-year-old veteran, who won a ring just last season with the Kansas City Royals, earned MVP honors for the 2016 World Series after hitting .357 with a .919 OPS in the seven-game set and lashing the opposite-field RBI double that gave Chicago the lead in the top of the 10th inning of a stunningly exciting Game 7 that ended with the Cubs hoisting a World Series trophy for the first time in 108 years.
After the game, Zobrist weighed in on the game itself and his place in baseball history.
"This one about made me pass out," he said. "It was just an epic battle. We've been listening to the Rocky soundtrack for the last three games. We've got our own Italian stallion, Anthony Rizzo, that's been putting that on.
"It was like a heavyweight fight, man. Just blow for blow, everybody playing their heart out. The Indians never gave up either, and I can't believe we're finally standing, after 108 years, finally able to hoist the trophy."
Zobrist, a native of Eureka, Illinois - about two hours southwest of Chicago - notched the deciding hit off Indians reliever Bryan Shaw shortly after a 17-minute rain delay halted the game after the ninth inning. Game 7 saw the Cubs jump out to an early lead off dominant Indians pitchers Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller, then cough it up when Rajai Davis ripped a game-tying two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the eighth inning.
The go-ahead double came on a 1-2 pitch, and manager Joe Maddon praised Zobrist for both his plate approach and his drive after the game.
"Who sets a better example of how to work an at-bat?" said Maddon, who managed Zobrist in Tampa Bay before the versatile switch-hitter signed a four-year, $56 million free-agent deal with Chicago in the offseason. "Here's a guy that's in his mid-30s, and his work ethic is incredible to watch - what he does after games, not before games, to be ready for the next day and his dedication.
"He's just a different cat. Everybody would like to have one of those on their team. We're just very fortunate to have him. He exemplifies exactly how we want to play the game."