While skeptics may point to homeruns by Ian Stewart, Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro to explain the Chicago Cubs' victory over the San Diego Padres after 12 straight losses, it's possible their losing streak was interrupted by a certain goat's arrival in Chicago that day.
Wrigley the billy goat and a team of six hikers arrived on foot in Chicago Monday and at Wrigley Field on Tuesday after a three-month journey from the Cubs' spring training grounds in Mesa, Ariz.
The six men--all Cubs fans but none Illinois natives--came up with the 2,000-mile trek while working together in Denali Park, Alaska. Their mission was twofold: to crack the decades-long "curse of the billy goat" said to have kept the Cubs from a World Series win and to raise money for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a Seattle-based non-profit group.
In addition to all being fans of the North Side Chicago team, all six men say their lives have been touched by cancer.
"We're raising money for a good cause, so that could affect people, could touch their heart if they've been affected by cancer," Matt Gregory, one of the hikers, told ABC Chicago.
The group has already raised about $20,000, and hope to eventually make a $100,000 donation, according to ABC. The Cubs organization vowed to contribute to the cause on Tuesday.
Monday's victory marked the first break in a 12-game losing streak after the Cubs' last victory in St. Louis--a game played at the Cardinals' field while the "Crack the Curse" group was in town with Wrigley, according to CBS Chicago.
The "goat curse" reportedly dates back to 1945, when, as the legend goes, tavern owner William Sianis was not allowed to bring his pet goat with him into a World Series game at Wrigley Field.
The group arrived in Chicago on Monday and will complete the final two-mile stretch to Wrigley on Tuesday.
For more information about the six men involved, their journey, and to contribute to their fundraising efforts for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, visit the "Crack the Curse" website.