EAST MOLINE, IL (November 8, 2016) – November 2, 2016, is a day that 105-year-old Ray Styrlund will remember for the rest of his life. You don’t forget the Cubs winning the World Series.
The member of First Covenant Church wasn’t awake, however, when his team won the 10-inning nail-biter against the Cleveland Indians minutes before midnight. He fell asleep around 11:20 p.m. during the 17-minute rain delay, which came just after the Cubs blew a solid lead and let the Indians tie the game at 6-6.
“When Cleveland tied it, I thought, ‘Here we go again—another 100 years of waiting,’” Styrlund told the local newspaper.
When Styrlund, who lives at a local retirement community, awoke the next morning, he learned that the team formerly known as the “lovable losers” would forever be called the 2016 World Series champions. It was a new day.
Now Styrlund is able to relax, though not just because the Cubs finally won. He had become something of an international celebrity after MLB.com published a lengthy story about him before the series. Reporters from TV stations, newspapers, websites, and magazines were calling to interview him. The calls continued after the series, including a call from PEOPLE magazine.
The ever-affable Styrlund joked that he was worn out and needed to get an agent.
For a previous story on Styrlund, see “Can’t Wait.”
