The Cubs had a party room added to their new clubhouse this year for the specific purpose of celebrating a championship inside.
Anthony Rizzo promised a World Series party so epic it would have your head spinning like a disco ball.
"There'll be a lot more than just one DJ," he said. "There will be a zoo."
But after 57 postgame parties at Wrigley during the regular season and four more in division series and league championship series, the Cubs left it unused during the first two home games of the World Series.
Making matters worse, the Indians threatened to throw their own clinching party Sunday night at Wrigley, prolonging the Cubs' championship drought and ending their own.
But the Cubs refused to let that happen, riding the arms of Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman to a 3-2 win over the Indians to keep hope alive.
The Series now returns to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday, with Jake Arrieta facing Josh Tomlin at Progressive Field. The Cubs are attempting to become the first team to escape a 3-1 Series deficit since the 1985 Royals.
The Cubs could not do this the easy way, of course. One-hundred and seven years of waiting would not allow that to happen.
A three-run fourth inning highlighted by Kris Bryant's leadoff home run saved the season, while Chapman escaped a self-induced jam in the eighth to avoid permanent goat status in Chicago sports history.
After all the pregame hoopla from Games 3 and 4, Sunday was a little more subdued beforehand. Cubs fans are predisposed to being nervous thanks to a lifetime of letdowns, so manager Joe Maddon gave the jittery majority his own personal seal of approval before Game 5, avoiding the "keep the faith" gibberish most managers save for such occasions.
"Please be nervous, absolutely," Maddon said. "You should be nervous. We have to win tonight, so go ahead and be nervous. It's up to us to get you beyond that moment and get back to Cleveland."
The crowd of 41,711 was even more nervous than usual at the outset but perked up in the second when Rizzo caught a foul ball that popped out of David Ross' glove near the Indians dugout. Second later, after Lester served up a solo home run to Jose Ramirez to give the Indians the lead, it was so quiet you could almost hear a call drop.
There was good reason to be anxious. The Cubs offense had been silent since going with a Schwarber-free lineup since Friday, scoring two runs and going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in Games 3 and 4.
Since ripping up the doctor's report that prevented Kyle Schwarber from playing the outfield was not an option, Maddon kept Ben Zobrist in left field and started Jason Heyward in right. Heyward climbed the brick wall near the Indians bullpen to catch a wind-blown Trevor Bauer foul ball in the third, making up, at least a bit, for his lack of contact at the plate.
Bryant's solo home run to left off Bauer in the fourth finally gave fans a chance to test their vocal chords, and when Rizzo followed with a double to right, visions of the NLCS danced in their heads. The Cubs had been shut out in back-to-back games by the Dodgers in Games 2 and 3, only to break through with a four-run fourth inning in Game 4 that launched them to three straight wins and the National League pennant.
A single by Zobrist and an infield hit by Addison Russell gave the Cubs their first lead, and Ross' sacrifice fly made everyone breathe a little easier. Not much, but a little was better than nothing.
After Lester gave up an RBI single to Francisco Lindor in the sixth, Ross threw Lindor out at second on a steal attempt to end the inning, with Javier Baez, the swipemaster general, in perfect position. It was a fitting final moment at Wrigley for "Grandpa," who arrived two years ago as Lester's personal catcher and leaves a legend.
With a runner on second with one out in the seventh after a single and passed ball by Willson Contreras, Maddon called on Chapman to clock in early, stealing a page from the Terry Francona "Miller Time" playbook.
After getting out of the seventh, Chapman took a nap in the eighth and allowed Rajai Davis to reach by neglecting to cover first on a grounder that Rizzo snagged. Davis wound up stealing second and third with ease before Chapman caught Lindor looking to end the inning.
When Chapman struck out Ramirez on a 101-mph fastball for the final out, the ballpark exploded one last time.
The most intense three innings of your life had ended.
Go ahead and breathe.
