Down 3-0, Cubs may fall shy of 'Back to the Future' prophecy

Hope still remains for the Chicago Cubs as they limp into Game 4 of the NLCS down 3-0 in their best-of-seven series with the New York Mets.

The Cubs are banking on "Back to the Future" Day bringing them luck as they face elimination Wednesday night at Wrigley Field on the 30th anniversary of the trilogy. "Back to the Future Part II" (1989), of course, made the bold prediction the Cubs would win the World Series in 2015.

"I wish I could go back to the beginning of the season, put some money on the Cubs," an aged Terry told Marty McFly as he tried to orient himself in the not-too-distant future - Oct. 21, 2015, to be exact - during that prophetic scene from the sequel.

In the iconic film, McFly's foray into the future reveals that the Cubs sweep a team from Miami en route to their first championship in more than a century.

In the present day, the Cubs still have a chance to realize what was once considered a futuristic improbability, but they'll have to defy the odds. The 2004 Boston Red Sox are the only team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the championship series.

"It's been done before, rumor has it. We can do it," said Cubs president Theo Epstein, who was general manager of the Red Sox when they staged the historic comeback. "We've done it. Nine winning streaks of four or more games this year. When we get hot, we get really hot. We can do it."

The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908.