Where this was said
The Curse of the Billy Goat: Murphy, Wrigley, and 71 Years of Cubs Heartbreak
At 31:32 · chapter starts 28:20
Game 4 of the 1945 World Series was chilly, the Cubs were playing the Tigers, and William Sianis arrived with his legally adopted goat Murphy wearing a blanket and a sign reading 'We got Detroit's goat.' The gate attendant said no. Philip Wrigley himself said no — because, simply, 'the goat stinks.' Sianis cursed the Cubs right there and then: no World Series as long as the goat wasn't welcome [1] "On October 6, 1945, Chicago bar owner William Sianis tried to bring his beloved goat Murphy to Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field.…" 28:30 . They lost the Series to Detroit that year. Over the following 57 years they had only 15 winning seasons and zero World Series appearances. Decades of attempted curse-lifting saw Murphy's descendants brought to Wrigley in a white limousine in 1973 — only to be turned away again. But every one of the Cubs' four postseason appearances between 1945 and 2016 came in a year a goat descendant visited [2] — Josh "All 4 Cubs postseason runs followed goat visits: All four of the Cubs' postseason appearances between 1945 and 2016 (in 1984, 1989, 1998, a…" 36:15 . Finally, in 2016, Sam Sianis rang the Trocani Bell worn by Murphy at the 1945 Series during the tension of extra innings in Game 7. The Cubs won.
On October 6, 1945, Chicago bar owner William Sianis tried to bring his beloved goat Murphy to Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field. He was turned away. Philip Wrigley's reason: 'Because the goat stinks.' Sianis cursed the Cubs on the spot. They didn't win a World Series for another 71 years.
Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis paid $7.20 per box seat for the 1945 World Series Game 4, which is where the Billy Goat Curse originated.
After the Billy Goat Curse in 1945, the Chicago Cubs had only 15 winning seasons over the following 57 years, with no World Series appearances.
The Cubs' four postseason appearances between 1945 and 2016 — in 1984, 1989, 1998, and 2003 — all coincided with years Sam Sianis brought descendants of Murphy to Wrigley Field. The hosts argue this pattern, more than anything else, actually makes the curse feel real.
All four of the Cubs' postseason appearances between 1945 and 2016 (in 1984, 1989, 1998, and 2003) came in years when a descendant of Murphy the goat was brought to Wrigley Field.
The Cubs won the 2016 World Series in a dramatic Game 7 extra-innings win over the Cleveland Indians, ending a 71-year championship drought attributed to the Billy Goat Curse.
