Is the year of the billy goat upon us? The Chicago Cubs are sure playing like it is. The Cubs this year have dominated Major League Baseball with the record of 100-­56, the first time they have won 100 games since 1935. They clinched the Central Division on September 16 and home-field advantage in the playoffs on September 22.

The Cubs have had a great year and that is no surprise to anyone, before the season started they were 4­-1 odds of winning the World Series. They have reigning Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, Rookie of the Year winner Kris Bryant, and Coach of the Year winner Joe Maddon.

To begin the season, the Cubs played against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Opening Day and beat them 9-­0. Everyone thought to themselves that the hype around this team was real. The Cubs swept that series against the Angels, and their next matchup was against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where every player’s worst nightmare came true, an injury.

On April 8 with John Lackey on the mound pitching for the Cubs, it was the bottom of the 2nd inning with Jean Segura up to bat. Lackey threw a fastball on the inside part of the plate and Segura put a ride on the ball, high and deep to left field with Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler running after the ball. Schwarber went to catch it, and Fowler seeing there would be a collision, dove to try to avoid contact, but Schwarber ran right into him, resulting in Fowler hitting his knee. He fell down holding his knee, which is never a good sign, and he couldn’t get up. Schwarber was carted off of the field and taken for x-­rays and an MRI. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL and LCL.

On April 22, 2016, Cubs vs. Reds, Jake Arrieta was on the hump for the Cubs in Cincinnati. It was a night game where history was made. The Cubs destroyed the Reds 16-­0 while hitting five home runs. That’s not even where history was made. Cubs ace, Arrieta, had thrown his second career no­hitter. After the last out was made, everyone stormed the mound and Jake jumped into David Ross’ arms.

Through the month of April, the Cubs dominated, finishing the month 17-­5, which tied the club record for most wins in the opening month. The pitchers led the league in ERA (Earned Run Average) with 2.39, the lowest by the club since 1985 when they had a 2.17 ERA. Their bullpen had the fewest appearances in all of baseball with only 53 innings, which means their starting pitchers dominated games with 17 quality starts out of 22 games.

To start the month of May, it was announced that Jake Arrieta had just won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Month Award, continuing from last season (August, September, April), which tied a major league record. Early in the season, the Cubs were winning just about every game, having their best 30-­game start since 1907, going 24-­6. The Cubs were the first team to win 24 of their first 30 games since the 1984 Detroit Tigers.

The Cubs began the month of June with the best run differential in baseball (+129) and a record of 35­-15. On June 1, the league had announced early All-­Star Game voting results, and there were five Cubs in the starting lineup: Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Dexter Fowler. On June 27, 2016, Kris Bryant made history. Bryant became the first player in history to go 5­5 in a game while hitting three homeruns, two doubles, with six RBI’s (Runs Batted In). Jon Lester was named the pitcher of the month for June. The Cubs began the month of July with the best record in baseball (51-­27) and the best run differential in baseball (+169).

The Cubs hit a wall in late June and early April, losing 15 of their last 21 games. Fowler had gotten injured and it really hurt the Cubs. The All­-Star break was exactly what the Cubs needed, entering the break with the record of 53-­35; however, they still had a seven-game lead in the Central Division despite their struggles. The Cubs had seven all stars and four of them were starters: Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ben Zobrist (2B), Kris Bryant (3B), Addison Russell (SS), Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, and Dexter Fowler. On July 26 2016, the Cubs and New York Yankees have agreed to a trade, which gave the Cubs All-­Star closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman made his Cubs debut on July 27 by pitching a perfect 9th inning in a victory over the White Sox.

The Cubs began the month of August with the best record in the league of 63-41, the pitching staff had the lowest ERA in baseball, fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, and lowest opponent batting average. The offense was the leader in on­-base percentage, RBIs, and drawn walks. Rizzo and Bryant were among the leaders in homeruns and RBIs.

On August 9, the Cubs became the first team to win 70 games, extending their winning streak to eight games.

Kyle Hendricks had taken over the MLB lead in ERA with a 2.16, Jake Arrieta was 4th with a 2.75, and Jon Lester was 5th with a 2.81.

The Cubs dominated the month of August, finishing the month with the record of 22-­6 and an overall record of 85-­47. Their pitching staff still had the lowest ERA in baseball, fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, and lowest opponent batting average. The offense led the league in on-­base percentage, RBIs, and walks.

Hendricks entered the month of September with an ERA of 2.09, leading the league. Bryant had eight homeruns and drove in eighteen runs with a batting average of .456 in his last 18 games. They were both named MLB Pitcher and Player of the Month for August.

On September 9, the Cubs won their 90th game, becoming the first team to do so. The last time they were the first team to win 90 games was in 1945, the last time they were in the World Series. Coincidence?

Whether you like it or not, the Cubs are coming. They’re hungry for a World Series title and this team is no fluke. The entire franchise and city has been waiting for it and they’re going to bring it home. It’s not luck, this team is real.