“Oh God, yes, I couldn't miss that,” Summerside’s Carol Bryant said.
So around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, Carol was anxiously waiting to see what the outcome of Game 7 of the Fall Classic would be after a 17-minute rain delay.
Kris is Carol’s great-nephew. While the two have never met, Carol has met Kris’ father Mike, who played in the Boston Red Sox organization, and she was rooting for the Cubbies.
Carol’s brother George is Kris’ grandfather. George was born in North Enmore, but the family moved to Massachusetts when he was young.
“He looks like his father. He looks like his grandfather. He looks like his grandmother,” Carol said of Kris. “I see all of them in him.”
Carol is a Blue Jays fan, but when Bryant made the Cubs, she started watching them, too.
Game 7 between Chicago and the Cleveland Indians turned back and forth a couple of times. Chicago scored early and Cleveland fought back to tie it and force extra innings before a rain delay occurred.
“It was like a rollercoaster,” Carol said.
As Michael Martinez hit a dribbler towards third baseman Bryant, his great-aunt was confident the series was over.
“He was just smiling the whole time. He knew he had it,” she said.
It was a long few seconds for Dave MacIsaac, another ardent Cubs fan.
“Are you sure it wasn't 15 minutes?” said MacIsaac, who watched it with family in his Charlottetown home. “The whole play seemed like it was going in slow motion.”
The Indians held a 3-1 series lead and looked to be in command. But Bryant hit a home run to key a three-run fourth inning as the Cubs defeated the Indians 3-2 in Game 5 and send the series back to Cleveland.
“That’s when I started believing,” MacIsaac said.
The day after the title victory, MacIsaac said he watched and listened to a lot of Cubs fans’ reactions to the long-awaited title.
“It is only a game, but it has quite the grip on some people, (and I’m) one of them,” he said.
MacIsaac has been waiting a long time for the Cubs to win the World Series. So with a young lineup returning, has he thought about the possibility of back-to-back titles?
“Absolutely,” he said. “I am almost going to be able to enjoy (the next post-season run) now more because we’ve got one.”
Need to know
Kris Bryant
Who – The 24-year-old Las Vegas, Nev., native plays third base for the Chicago Cubs. The team won the World Series last week.
Local connections – Bryant has family who live in Prince Edward Island.
Did you know? The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Bryant in the 18th round of the 2010 draft. He didn't sign and went to the University of San Diego. Three years later he was drafted second overall by the Cubs.
