​World Series Game 5 a Winner in the Ratings and Oddities Departments

The final ballgame at Wrigley Field of 2016 was a doozy, with Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman throwing two and two-thirds scoreless innings to close out a 3-2 victory in Game 5 of the World Series and keep Chicago's title hopes alive for a little longer. The event was a hit for those in the stands and watching on TV; the Cubs and the Indians helped MLB beat the ratings for Sunday Night Football for the first time in three years.

The NFL offered an appealing matchup between young quarterbacks, the Eagles' Carson Wentz against the Cowboys' Dak Prescott, and Dallas is typically the league's strongest attraction on national TV. And yet, this happened:

World Series Game 5 (15.3 overnight rating) beat Cowboys-Eagles overtime game last night by 32% (11.6 for Sunday Night Football)
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) October 31, 2016

The Cubs being on the verge of elimination against Cleveland, which was on the verge of winning another championship for Titletown USA, was a recipe for success, even against Jerry Jones and his minions. Not only did MLB win the ratings—it wasn't even close. Further, as Sports Media Watch notes, it's the first time since 2013 that the World Series beat SNF. Take that, classic George Carlin joke! The history at stake for both teams, among other appealing story lines, has been pushing the World Series to its best ratings in years. The NFL, as has been widely reported, has been losing viewership all season.

In the stands, there were some strange sights, including Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, watching from the bleachers with his dad, wearing a baseball glove because, in his own words, you "have to" bring the leather:

Harbaugh's abilities insofar as catching baseballs have been well documented. His father, Jack, a die-hard Indians fan, says that Jim has brought the glove to games ever since he was a kid and—shocker—he's a little bit of psycho about where he sits:

"He will insist on sitting somewhere where there are no obstructions, so when the ball is hit, there's no screen it can go into," Jack told The News last year. "If it's hit at his section, he wants a clean shot at it. He claims he has 19 balls he's gotten at the games and he claims they aren't batting practice balls."

Other celebs at Wrigley included rocker Eddie Vedder (did you know he was a Cubs fan???). Vedder belted out an emotional "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," dedicating it to Cubs catcher David Ross, who is retiring after the season:

For David Ross. @PearlJam frontman Eddie Vedder leads @Cubs' fans in 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame'. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/almL4eCAgb
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2016

After the game, the Inside the NBA–like postgame show on Fox took a particularly irreverant turn when the panel of Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, and Frank Thomas poked fun at Pete Rose for the time he got a face full of wrestler butt at a Wrestlemania event:

A-Rod tries to go with same zing a second straight night, Frank Thomas flies in for the putback dunk pic.twitter.com/V6OX89eB4M
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) October 31, 2016

While the Series has not been overflowing with great baseball, there have been great and fun moments so far.

h/t Shutdown Corner