CLEVELAND (AP) — Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon looks back fondly on the last team to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series to win Games 6 and 7 on the road.
Maddon grew up in eastern Pennsylvania but was captivated by the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, who stormed back to top the Baltimore Orioles in seven games to win it all.
The Pirates rallied around the disco song “We Are Family” and rode the play of stars Dave Parker and Willie Stargell. They did it in style, too, wearing bright yellow jerseys and striped caps that the Pirates even used as their throwbacks during Sunday home games this season.
Maddon said he was never really a Pirates fan, but he loved the uniform. He also remembers the team being tight knit, not unlike this group of Cubs who have reached the Fall Classic for the first time since 1945.