By Ronald Blum

Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — The wait till next year is finally over. The Chicago Cubs are World Series champions.

Ending more than a century of flops, futility, and frustration, the Cubs won their first title since 1908, outlasting the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, in 10 innings of a Game 7 thriller early Thursday.

Lovable losers for generations, the Cubs nearly let this one get away, too. All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman blew a 3-run lead with two outs in the eighth when Rajai Davis hit a tying homer.

But the Cubs, after tormenting their fans one more time, came right back after a 17-minute rain delay before the top of the 10th.

Ben Zobrist hit an RBI double, and Miguel Montero singled home a run to make it 8-6. Davis delivered an RBI single with two outs in the bottom half, but Mike Montgomery closed it out, and the celebration was on.

Blue-clad Cubs fans filled nearly the entire lower deck behind the Chicago dugout at Progressive Field, singing “Go Cubs Go.”

Manager Joe Maddon’s team halted the longest title drought in baseball, becoming the first club to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals.

Cleveland was trying to win its first crown since 1948 but lost the last two games at home.

World Series favorites since spring training, Chicago led the majors with 103 wins this season.

The Cubs then ended more than a century of misery for their loyal fans — barely. Third baseman Kris Bryant, one of Chicago’s young talents, began smiling even before fielding a grounder by Michael Martinez and throwing it across to star first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the final out.

Zobrist was chosen as the World Series MVP, a year after he helped the Royals win the championship.

Zobrist was among the players brought to the Cubs by Theo Epstein, the baseball guru added another crown to his collection. He also assembled the Red Sox team that broke Boston’s 86-year drought with the 2004 championship.

From Curse of the Bambino to the Billy Goat Curse, he ended another jinx.

Chicago will party unlike anything this country has seen for a championship. After 108 years, it is well due for one.

For those not lucky enough to be in Chicago for the celebration that started early Thursday morning, Iowa City was a sort of next-best option.

The number of Chicago-area kids that attend the University of Iowa is large, and the number of Cubs fans among them doesn’t seem much smaller.

It was a party in the downtown pedestrian mall during each playoff game this fall, but Wednesday night felt different.

“Words can’t even explain what this means,” Parker Vandorn, a University of Iowa student said after the game. “I’m a little sad I’m not at Wrigley. Words can’t explain what this means. A lot of people have died not seeing this moment, and the fact that I’m alive and seeing it — words can’t explain.”

Jack Brindley, a Chicago native that said he grew up a White Sox fan, had a brother pass away over the summer. His brother, according to Jack, was a huge Cubs fan.

Brindley is not alone in the sentiment, missing a family member that isn’t lucky enough to witness the first World Series win in 108 years.

“This is very special for our family,” Brindley said. “For me, he predicted they were going to win the World Series back in the spring. He did a great job. This means more than anything could ever mean to me.”

The Daily Iowan’s Blake Dowson and Anna Kayser contributed to this story.