CHICAGO -- For the 10-year anniversary of their World Series victory -- their first in 108 years -- the Chicago Cubs unveiled "Champions Gate" in front of Wrigley Field on Saturday. The archway features plaques commemorating the three championship seasons in franchise history: 1907, 1908 and 2016.
The ceremony took place with members of the 2016 team participating in the ribbon cutting, including World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, team leader Anthony Rizzo, former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and many others. Before the ribbon cutting, Rizzo and former Cubs manager Joe Maddon spoke to the assembled crowd.
Without further ado, Champions Gate. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/me7ltPuY60
— Wrigley Field (@ofcwrigleyfield) July 18, 2026
Afterward, the architect of the team, Theo Epstein, summed up the reunion weekend.
"It's been a blast," Epstein said. "It's crazy how the old feelings just come back right away. It's a special group. What they mean to each other lives on."
Epstein sat alongside owner Tom Ricketts and current president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer as players and coaches from the 2016 team were introduced to an excited crowd. The Cubs captured the city that summer and fall, getting out to a 25-6 start before eventually winning the World Series in seven games over Cleveland.
Epstein, who stepped down after the 2020 season, was asked if he'd still be around if the Cubs had not broken their century-long curse.
"I wouldn't [have] left voluntarily," he joked.
It reminded Epstein of a dream he used to have of the Cubs winning the World Series well before they actually broke their curse. He said he woke up every morning reminding himself they still had work to do but that all changed after Nov. 3, 2016.
"After we got back from Cleveland, I woke up with that same feeling, 'Oh, we did it.' But then I was like, 'Is this a dream again?' Of course, it wasn't."
