Schedule and 2016 Results
Regular Season Records: Chicago Cubs 103-58, Los Angeles Dodgers 91-71
Game 1 on Saturday, 15 October: Los Angeles Dodgers lose at Chicago Cubs, 8-runs-4
Game 2 on Sunday, 16 October: Los Angeles Dodgers win at Chicago Cubs, 1-run-nil
Game 3 on Tuesday, 18 October: Chicago Cubs lose at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-runs-nil
Game 4 on Wednesday, 19 October: Chicago Cubs win at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-runs-2
Game 5 on Thursday, 20 October: Chicago Cubs win at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-runs-4
Game 6 on Saturday, 22 October: Los Angeles Dodgers lose at Chicago Cubs, 5-runs-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Chicago Cubs hosted and shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-runs-nil to complete a 4-games-2 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 victory. With the series 1318 win, the Chicago Cubs improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 3-11 overall and 1-3 in the Semifinals round. With the series 1318 loss, the Los Angeles Dodgers see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 6-9 (with an active four-series losing streak) overall and 1-5 (with an active four-series losing streak) in the Semifinals round. The win order for the victorious Chicago Cubs in series 1318 was WLLWWW: Series 1318 thus becomes the third MLB Semifinals-round series, the fifth MLB series (all rounds), and the 35th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The series 1318 victory by the Chicago Cubs ends their best-of-7 MLB playoff series losing streak, starting with series 6 in the 1910 MLB Finals, at ten. The longest best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series losing streak is owned by the NBA Atlanta Hawks at fourteen (starting with series 229 in the 1970 NBA Semifinals and ending with series 1074 in the 2009 NBA Preliminary round).

After Game 5: The Chicago Cubs visited and bested the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-runs-4 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Chicago Cubs have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 6 record of 0-1. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 0-4 and a Game 6 record of 2-2. The sole Game 6 and series loss sustained by the Chicago Cubs leading 3-games-2 in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series occurred in series 904, to the Florida Marlins in the 2003 MLB Semifinals. Through ten games of the 2016 MLB Semifinals, the team scoring first has won each game, and in none of the ten games have both teams held a lead.

After Game 4: The Chicago Cubs visited and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-runs-2 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Chicago Cubs have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 5 record of 0-2, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 3-2 and a Game 5 record of 3-2. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been tied 2-games-all after four games of a best-of-7 MLB playoff series five times. On the three occasions when the Dodgers won Game 5, they won the series; on the two occasions when the Dodgers lost Game 5, they lost the series. The Chicago Cubs in series 1318 Game 4 halt a four-Game 4 losing streak when trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1.

After Game 3: The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted and shut out the Chicago Cubs 6-runs-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 2-2 and a Game 4 record of 2-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Chicago Cubs have a series record of 0-5 and a Game 4 record of 1-4 (with an active four-Game 4 losing streak). With the series 1318 Game 3 victory, the Los Angeles Dodgers break a four-Game 3 losing streak when tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series. Four times have the Los Angeles Dodgers led a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-1 after three games - in each case, the Game 4 outcome was the same as the series outcome. Series 1318 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series in which the team that won Game 1 (the Chicago Cubs) was shut out in Games 2-3.

After Game 2: The Los Angeles Dodgers visited and shut out the Chicago Cubs 1-run-nil to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Chicago Cubs have a series record of 0-6 and a Game 3 record of 2-4, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 2-3 and a Game 3 record of 1-4 (with an active four-Game 3 losing streak). Series 1318 Game 2 mirrored series 76 Game 2, in which the old Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 1-run-nil with the sole run in the top of the second inning of that 1949 MLB Finals game (New York would win series 76 in five games).

After Game 1: The Chicago Cubs hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-runs-4 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1318 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Chicago Cubs have a series record of 2-2 and a Game 2 record of 2-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 4-6 (with an active three-series losing streak) and a Game 2 record of 5-5. The series 1318 Game 1 victory by the Chicago Cubs ends their best-of-7 MLB playoffs Game 1 losing streak at three, and extends the Los Angeles Dodgers' best-of-7 MLB playoffs Game 1 losing streak to four and counting. Leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil (as they now do in series 1318), the Chicago Cubs have a 2-2 series record and a 2-2 Game 2 record; in each case, the two victories (in the 1907 and 1908 MLB Finals) preceded the two losses (in the 1935 and 1945 MLB Finals). The five-run bottom of the eighth inning by the Chicago Cubs in series 1318 Game 1 is the highest-scoring bottom of the eighth in a best-of-7 MLB playoff game since series 1121 Game 2, in which the San Francisco Giants hosted and notched seven bottom-of-the-eighth runs in a 9-runs-nil shutout of the Texas Rangers in the 2010 MLB Finals. The first best-of-7 MLB playoff game in which the home team tallied five or more runs in the bottom of the eighth: series 4 Game 2, in which the Chicago Cubs hosted and scored six bottom-of-the-eighth runs against the Detroit Tigers in the 1908 MLB Finals en route to a 6-runs-1 Game 2 win and a 4-games-1 series victory for the 1908 MLB championship.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2016 MLB regular season, the Chicago Cubs finished 12.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. From 1905 through the 2015 MLB Finals round, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 12.5 regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 1-0 (1.000) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1318 is the 14th best-of-7 MLB playoff series for the Chicago Cubs, and the 15th for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the Chicago Cubs have an all-rounds series record of 2-11 (with an active ten-series losing streak), a Semifinals-round series record of 0-3, and a Game 1 record of 4-9 (with an active three-Game 1 losing streak), while the Los Angeles Dodgers have an all-rounds series record of 6-8 (with an active three-series losing streak), a Semifinals-round series record of 1-4 (with an active three-series losing streak), and a Game 1 record of 4-10 (with an active three-Game 1 losing streak). Series 1318 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series meeting between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the only other team to finish 12.5 games ahead of its opponent (such as the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 MLB Semifinals) was the 108-54 New York Mets against the 95-66 Boston Red Sox in series 475 (the 1986 MLB Finals): The Mets won that series, but not before coming within a strike of series defeat within Game 6 of it.