ENTHUSIAST OF ALL

#10: Aroldis Chapman Pitches Eight Out Save To Preserve Season With One Run Lead- Game 5, World Series

Much was made of Chapman’s shortcomings in Game 7 and overuse in Game 6, but it’s easy to forget that neither would have happened in the first place if not for his performance in the first of his three elimination game experiences. He was able to escape trouble in the 7th and 8th innings with runners in scoring position, and then took his at bat in the bottom of the 8th before closing out the win in the 9th at home. Considering the lack of any room for error while holding onto life with a 3-2 lead, it was an all-time postseason performance.

#9: Dexter Fowler Leads Off Game With Home Run- Game 7, World Series

In a decisive Game 7 scenario, the Cubs came in riding momentum and needed a spark to keep it going. How about the first lead-off home run in Game 7 history? The Cubs needed it too, and every other run they scored, to force extra innings before eventually winning in the 10th.

#8: Kris Bryant Ties Game With Solo Shot- Game 5, World Series

The Cub bats had gone cold and they were facing elimination in Game 5, trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the 4th. But then MVP Kris Bryant launched a solo shot to tie the game and sparked a three run inning that would be just enough to stay alive for Game 6.

#7: Grandpa Rossy Hits Solo Home Run Off Of Andrew Miller To Extend Lead in Last MLB Game- Game 7, World Series

One of the best things about Game 7, which was probably the single greatest game of any sport I’ve ever witnessed live, was that every single Cub gave a meaningful contribution, and that every inch of it was needed for the win. After a wild pitch bounced off his mask and scored two runs to cut the lead in half the inning prior, David Ross hit an improbable solo shot off of the seemingly invincible Andrew Miller in his final game. Without it, the Cubs lose 6-5 in an absolute heartbreaker.

#6: Javy Baez Delivers Solo Shot in the Bottom of the 8th in Pitcher’s Duel- Game 1, NLDS

There is nothing worse in all of sports than the fact that baseball’s first round of the playoffs is a five game series. It throws an element of unpredictability into the result that is completely illogical in a sport that plays a 162-game regular season, placing an uncommon amount of importance upon the first game of a series relative to other sports. In a pitcher’s duel for the ages, Baez was able to get ahold of one here and give the Cubs an important 1-0 win in a game that may otherwise have never ended.

#5: Cubs Pound Clayton Kershaw Early To Lock Up Pennant At Home- Game 6, NLCS

The Dodgers weren’t going to score on Kyle Hendricks, but it was important that the Cubs gave him a lead early against arguably the greatest pitcher of the young century in Clayton Kershaw. An Anthony Rizzo double and a fortunate outfield mistake set the stage for a 2 run first inning, which would be all the Cubs needed to clinch their first trip to the World Series since 1945, and send the home crowd into a Saturday night frenzy for the ages.

#4: Addison Russell Hits A Grand Slam To Keep Cubs Alive- Game 6, World Series

This was an “icing on the cake” moment if ever there was one. Addison Russell, who had been cold as ice at the plate in the NLDS and NLCS, had begun to heat up in the World Series, but had no greater moment than this one, where he launched what was only the fifth grand slam in World Series history and gave the Cubs an insurmountable 7-0 lead basically assured a Game 7 for the ages.

#3: Miguel Montero Hits Pinch Hit Grand Slam To Break Tie, Win Game- Game 1, NLCS

The first game of the NLCS was a roller coaster of emotions. The Cubs came into the series with their pitching rotation set up better than the Dodgers did by way of clinching their previous series in four games, so it was important not to waste the advantageous matchup of Jon Lester versus rookie Kenta Maeda. Lester did his job and the Cubs led 3-1 going to the 8th, but Adrian Gonzalez crushed our hearts with a game tying single off Aroldis Chapman. In the bottom half of the inning, Maddon had no choice but to pinch hit for Chapman with the bases loaded and two outs, leaving the Cubs vulnerable on the mound should they not score. Miguel Montero then launched a grand slam on an 0-2 slider to give the Cubs plenty of insurance.

#2: Cubs Stage Improbable Comeback in the Top of the 9th- Game 4, NLDS

After jumping out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the NLDS against the Giants, the Cubs appeared to be heading back home for a decisive, nerve wracking Game 5. After losing Game 3, they trailed 5-2 heading into the top of the 9th, a 98% win probability scenario for the Giants. But the never-say-die Cubs pulled off only the second clinching game comeback when down three runs in playoff baseball history. Here’s how it happened:

– Kris Bryant starts the inning with a leadoff single.

– Anthony Rizzo delivers a fantastic at bat, drawing a walk after falling behind in the count, fouling off several pitches.

– Ben Zobrist moves ahead in the count 3-1 against Sergio Romo, and then drives a double down the right field line, scoring Bryant and moving Rizzo to third.

– Manager Joe Maddon outsmarts Bruce Bochy, pinch-hitting the left-handed Chris Coghlan for Addison Russell, who had been cold at the plate in the series. But Maddon likely never had any intention of batting Coghlan- he simply went with a lefty to get Bochy to make a pitching change to a a lefty. As soon as that happened, Maddon immediately burned Coghlan and instead pinch-hit with the red hot rookie righty Wilson Contreras, who promptly singled up the middle to tie the game in the biggest at bat of his life.

– $180 million right fielder Jason Heyward had arguably been the only disappointment of the Cubs’ season, but he was sent to the plate to bunt with no outs and Contreras on first. The bunt he laid down was almost too horrendous to be real, but after forcing Contreras out at second, shortstop Brandon Crawford threw the ball away. This crucial error allowed Heyward to advance to second and put the winning run in scoring position, and also prevented him from being remembered as the worst bunter of all time.

– Javy Baez delivered a hard hit single to score the go-ahead run, his second game-winning hit of the four game series.

– Aroldis Chapman absolutely dominated the Giants, striking out the side in the bottom of the 9th, and the Cubs celebrated a series win in front of a stunned crowd in San Francisco.

#1: Cubs Win World Series In Drama-Filled Extra Inning- Game 7, World Series

The stage was set. Two franchises with a combined 176 years since their last World Series Championship would play a single game to deliver one to a starved fanbase. The Cubs had control early, and even after a 5-1 lead was cut to 5-3, a David Ross provided some insurance. But the goat awoke in the bottom of the 8th. Four outs away from a World Championship and leading by three with Aroldis Chapman on the mound, the Indians were able to tie the game after a pinch hit double from Brandon Guyer and a soul-crushing two run bomb from Rajai Davis. The latter may have been the lowest point of my entire life as a sports fan.

After the Cubs failed to score in the top of the 9th, panic set in, but Chapman was able to shut down the Indians and force extra innings. A rain delay immediately followed, because of course it did- Cubs fans were really going to have to earn it if they wanted to celebrate on this night. Jason Heyward delivered a now legendary locker room speech during the delay because he knew what we all knew: if the Cubs didn’t score in the top of the 10th, they were going to lose the World Series in heartbreaking fashion.

Kyle Schwarber gave the Cubs life, starting off the inning with an important leadoff single to cap a 3-5 performance and cement an incredible comeback story. Pinch-runner Albert Almora was able to advance to second on a nifty piece of base running following a warning track fly out by Kris Bryant. In a puzzling move, manager Terry Francona opted to walk Anthony Rizzo to create a double play opportunity against the switch-hitting Ben Zobrist, who doubled in the go ahead run on a 1-2 count in an incredibly clutch piece of hitting. The move proved costly, as Rizzo scored what would be a crucial insurance run on the ensuing single by Miguel Montero.

It wasn’t going to be that easy though, as even with a two run lead in the bottom of the inning, the Indians didn’t roll over easily. Carl Edwards Jr. was able to retire the first two batters, but a walk and a single later, the Indians had life, bringing the winning run to the plate with a man on first. Luckily for the Cubs, that hitter was Victor Martinez, not one the Indians’ greatest threats, and Mike Montgomery was able to force a softly hit ball down the third base line, which Kris Bryant easily corralled for the win.
The curse was broken. We Are The Champions!

Explore posts in the same categories: Sports

This entry was posted on December 30, 2016 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Sports. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.