CHICAGO — All day long on the North Side of this city, fans in blue Cubs sweatshirts and caps moved nervously about. A night earlier, their team had lost the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years, but many thought that must have been an aberration.
This is supposed to be the year the Cubs break their century-long hex and win the World Series. There were no visible signs of billy goats, black cats or headphone-wearing fans reaching for foul balls. “It Is Happening” had become the motto, replacing “It’s Gonna Happen.”
But after the Cleveland Indians defeated the sloppy Cubs, 7-2, in Game 4 on Saturday night to take a three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series, a pall descended over Wrigley Field and its environs.