Cubs win NL Pennant, 1st since ’45, fans celebrate

CHICAGO (AP) — Cursed by a Billy Goat, bedeviled by Bartman and crushed by decades of disappointment, the Chicago Cubs are at long last headed back to the World Series.

Kyle Hendricks outpitched Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras homered early and the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday night in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.

The drought ended when closer Aroldis Chapman got Yasiel Puig to ground into a double play, setting off a wild celebration at Wrigley Field.

Seeking their first title since 1908, the Cubs open the World Series at Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Indians haven’t won since 1948.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs ace Jon Lester and second baseman Javier Baez are the co-MVPs for the NL Championship Series.

Baez hit .318 (7 for 22) with five RBIs, leading the Cubs past the Dodgers for their first NL pennant since 1945. The versatile Baez also made a couple of the series’ most exciting plays, stealing home during Chicago’s victory in the opener and robbing Adrian Gonzalez of a hit with a terrific barehanded scoop in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Lester, one of baseball’s most accomplished playoff performers, went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against Los Angeles.

They are the first NLCS co-MVPs since Cincinnati relievers Rob Dibble and Randy Myers in 1990.

The Cubs grabbed Baez with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2014, but really turned into a consistent force this year, batting .273 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs while playing several different positions.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs fans have waited 71 years to celebrate a return to the World Series.

Overjoyed fans streamed out of Wrigley Field on Saturday night after the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1945. Many people were wearing Cubbie blue and holding “W” flags.

Forty-nine-year-old Brian Dusza, who was Wrigley for Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, never thought he’d see the team win the pennant. Dusza says “I can’t even describe what I’m feeling.”

The Cubs will face the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 on Tuesday, with the series returning to Wrigley Field for Game 3 on Friday.