Sadly for any Cubs fan – or even “Back to the Future” fans – the Cubs won’t have a chance to make it to the World Series. However, can this is placed on the fact that the Mets just played better? Or could it be that the Cubs never had a chance because of the curses that surround the team?

The Cubs have been dealing with a curse for 107 years and now believe they are starting to break it. Most recently, Kyle Schwarber had an outstanding homerun the seventh inning of the fourth game against the St. Louis Cardinals that allowed the Cubs to advance further into the Series. Schwarber’s homerun was hit so hard it ended up on top of the right field video board where now it is encased to preserve it for good luck in the upcoming home games. The question is, was this homerun enough to break the curse of Bartman and the Billy Goat Curse?

The Bartman incident involved a man named Steve Bartman who reached out to catch a foul ball and deflected it which ultimately caused a disruption of a catch by Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou. Before this incident occurred the Cubs were winning 3-0 yet after the incident the Cubs surrendered eight runs and the Florida Marlins ended up winning the game In fact, this game was the sixth game of the National League Championship Series. The next game the Cubs lost and were eliminated from the Series. The Bartman incident is seen as the first domino in the turning point of the Series.

The goat hex is the most popular story resurfacing recently. It dates back to Oct. 6, 1945 when the owner of Billy Goat Tavern, Billy Sianis, was forced to leave Wrigley Field during one of the World Series games against the Detroit Lions because his pet goat was bothering fans. Sianas was upset and was quoted saying, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” Since then the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908 or even appeared in the series since 1945.

1969 seemed like a promising year for Cubs fans. The team was stacked with strong players. However, “the 1969 season is the most tragic of all Cubs seasons,” stated Lester Munson an ESPN sports analyst who was interviewed by Chicago Tribune journalist, Mary Schmich. In her article “Matchup takes us back to ‘69,” Schmich began, “The Cubs reigned supreme in the National League East through the summer of ‘69 and then…

“They were first place, headed for the World Series. Then in the final several games in the season, the team completely fell apart. In the lingo of baseball, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”

Although the Cubs seemed like ‘69 was going to be their year, they fell apart at the end and the Mets actually ended up winning the Series that year.

Steve Nidetz from the Chicago Tribune wrote an article called, “The 1969 Cubs.” He explained, “Barely three weeks after holding a four-game lead over the New York Mets, the Cubs found themselves mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The hated Mets had clinched the National League East Division title.”

After seeming like the curse was lifted, the team crumbled apart and were torn down by the Mets. Will the Cubs and its fans ever be able to get over the events that took place in 1969 especially with the Mets or do the Billy Goat hex and the Bartman incident stand in the way indefinitely?

Unfortunately, it looks like Cubs fans will have to ponder the hexes for at least another year as the Mets advance to the World Series.