When Back to the Future Part II was first released back in 1989, the year 2015 seemed, well, pretty downright futuristic.

The truth is, things haven’t actually changed that much. Sure, we have the Internet and EDM paint raves and the Miley Cyrus/Nicky Minaj feud, but are we better off? Donald Trump’s still kicking around, Blade Runner is getting a sequel, and no matter what we do, it seems we can’t stop hearing about Bill Cosby. To make matters worse, there’s nary a hoverboard, jetpack, or robot butler to be found anywhere.

So it comes as a pleasant surprise that maybe—just maybe—screenwriter Bob Gale was on the money when it comes to his most audacious Back to the Future Part II prediction: that the Chicago Cubs will win the 2015 World Series.
 
With their wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday (October 7), the often-hapless Cubs now advance to the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and are within striking distance of ending their 107-year championship drought.
 
Earlier this year—before the baseball season started—the Straight talked to Gale about the Cubs’ chances during an interview about a local BTTF retrospective.
 
“I’ll tell you, some of the things in Part II were half-ass predictions and some were just jokes—and this one was a joke,” Gales said, laughing. “But I’m a baseball fan and if you were going to pick a Cubs team and say they were going to be contenders, the 2015 Cubs have to be on the list. Even guys who are on the Cubs have seen Back to the Future II and they’re saying “It’s been predicted, we’re the team of destiny!”  

Upon more direct questioning, however, it turns out that Gale, a St. Louis native, is harboring a dark secret that pertains to the long-running Cubs-Cards rivalry.
 
“Oh, I’m a huge Cardinals fan, but unlike some Cardinals fans, I like the Cubs. There are very few teams that are on my ‘Do Not Allow in the Playoffs’ list—and the Cubs aren’t on that list.”
 
Lucky for Gale. After all, you don’t want to get in the way of destiny.