It was hardly unexpected that Cubs radio voice Pat Hughes would deliver, both for listeners and posterity, another lean and clean call in the 10th inning of Game 7 to herald the historic end of the club’s 107-year run without a World Series championship.
But the plug for one insurance company as the Cubs celebrated their 8-7 victory over the Indians in a Cleveland ballpark named for another insurance company? That was a surprise.
Separated by only a few seconds from Hughes’ description on WSCR-AM 670 of the final out, an audio snapshot ready-made to accompany a display at Cooperstown, the Cubs’ longtime play-by-play man offered best wishes on behalf of State Farm, “a proud partner of the Chicago Cubs.”
Cubs fans may have been too busy whooping it up at that point to notice or care. A few might have fainted when the Cubs actually won and missed the announcement. Some loyalists doubtlessly believe that whatever Hughes says is fine with them.
But even among those listeners long conditioned by broadcasters to anticipate precious little will occur in and around games that’s unsponsored, this was unusual.
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“The Chicago Cubs win the World Series!” Hughes said after third baseman Kris Bryant fielded a weak grounder by the Indians’ Michael Martinez and fired to Anthony Rizzo for the final out.
“The Cubs come pouring out of the dugout, jumping up and down like a bunch of delirious 10-year-olds. The Cubs have done it! The longest drought in the history of American sports is over and the celebration begins.”
That succinct summary was followed by nine seconds of crowd noise, a welcome chance to let the moment sink in. Hughes had allowed ambient sound at Wrigley Field to paint an aural picture of a similar scene that unfolded a week-and-a-half earlier when the Cubs won their first National League pennant in 71 years.
But this time he tucked in some words from a sponsor before he began telling the audience what was happening in front of him.
“It’s never felt better to fly the W,” Hughes said. “Congratulations 2016 world champions from a proud partner of the Chicago Cubs, State Farm. Great scene on the field, bear hugs, absolute joy. The Cubs have done it, their first world title since 1908.”
Mitch Rosen, operations manager of The Score, said on Thursday the State Farm bit stemmed from the company being “a great partner of the Cubs and a great partner of ours” and that it was sufficiently separated from Hughes’ championship call.
“There was crowd noise and then there was a congratulatory message from State Farm,” Rosen said. “If they had lost last night, obviously that spot doesn’t run. It was literally 10 seconds and we felt it fit right within the content of that moment. Pat played it perfectly.”
It does, however, make for a shorter sound bite to send to the Hall of Fame.
Joe Buck, for television viewers on Fox, noted the final out looked to be a tough play by Bryant, though he made it look easy. Buck too was strong and smooth in putting the game away.
“The Cubs win the World Series!” Buck said. “Bryant makes the play and it’s over, and the Cubs have finally won it all, 8-7 in 10.”
Before Buck spoke again and dictated an entry for the history books, almost a minute-and-a-half elapsed. Scenes of the celebration on the field and in the stands of Cleveland’s Progressive Field, as well as outside Chicago’s Wrigley Field, played out.
“For the Cubs, no more ‘Wait till next year,’ no more talk of 1908,” Buck said. “They win Game 7 in 10 heart-pounding innings. For good measure, the foot of Kris Bryant slipped on that final out, but he still threw a strike to Rizzo, and the Cubs — Joe Maddon in charge — have won the World Series. What a game! What a Series! What a night!”
Twitter @phil_rosenthal