In yesterday’s column, The Pecan Park Eagle raised the question: “Is It Deja Vu All Over Again for the Cubs?”
https://bill37mccurdy.com/2016/10/11/is-it-deja-vu-all-over-again-for-the-cubs/
Late last night, the Chicago Cubs delivered their answer to that question at AT&T Park in San Francisco. After falling like timber to the axe of Giants lefty Matt Moore for 8 innings, the Cubs entered the 9th inning with a reprieve, even though they got there trailing 5-2. Moore had limited the Cubs to a solo homer by catcher David Ross in the 3rd and one other hit that had figured into an unearned run in the 5th. He also had struck out 10 and walked only 2. Because of a Giants error, Cubs runner Javier Baez was able to score from 3rd for the Cubs’ 2nd run on a another RBI by David Ross – a sac fly to right field in the aforesaid 5th.
The big Cubs break came when Giants Manager Bruce Bochy decided to remove starter Moore from the game because of his high 120 pitch count. And here’s how things went from there:
Top of the 9th: Cubs Batting, Derek Law now pitching for the Giants, Giants Lead, 5-2
- (Giants Manager Bochy brings in Derek Law to pitch in relief of starter Matt Moore)
- Kris Bryant hits a ground ball single to left
- (Giants Manager Bochy brings in Javier Lopez to pitch in relief of Derek Law)
- Anthony Rizzo walks; Kris Bryant moves to 2nd
- (Giants Manager Bochy brings in Sergio Romo to pitch in relief of Javier Lopez)
- Ben Zobrist doubles to right: Bryant scores from 2nd; Rizzo reaches 3rd; Zobrist on 2nd
- Giants Lead shrinks to 5-3
- (Cubs Manager Joe Maddon pinch hits Chris Coghlan for Addison Russell)
- (Giants Manager Bruce Bochy brings in Will Smith to pitch for Sergio Romo)
- (Cubs Manager Maddon replaces PH Coghlan with Willson Contreras)
- Contreras singles to center; Rizzo and Zobrist score from 3rd and 2nd
- Game now tied: Giants 5 – Cubs 5
- Jayson Heyward bunts into 1-6 force out of Contreras at 2nd
- Heyward advances to 2nd on E6 DP attempt throw
- OUT 1
- (Giants Manager Bochy brings in Hunter Strickland to pitch in relief of Will Smith)
- (Bochy also brings in Gorkys Hernandez to play LF as part of double-switch)
- Javier Baez singles to CF; Heyward scores from 2nd base
- Cubs take the lead, 6-5
- David Ross grounds in to 4-6-3 double play; inning ends on OUT 2 & 3
- Going to bottom of 9th, the score is Cubs 6 – Giants 5
Bottom of the 9th: Giants batting, Aroldis Chapman enters game for Hector Rondon as Cubs’ 5th pitcher of the day
- Chapman strikes out Gorkys Hernandez, Denard Span, and Bernard Belt in succession. Game over. Cubs win Game 4 of NLDS, 6-5, and win series, 3 games to 1. Hector Rondon gets the win and Aroldis Chapman gets the save
Post Game 4 commentator Pete Rose provided us with this dimply eloquent explanation for the Giants’ late collapse in their efforts to win a 4th consecutive “even years” World Series. Remember, the Giants won previously in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Pete said that the Giants elimination this time was due to a “stinko bullpen.”
We also should save some room for the truly eloquent reason that SABR colleague Jeff Share expressed in an e-mail this morning why Giants Manager Bruce Bochy also deserves a huge serving of the blame: “Even the best managers screw up when they go to the ‘book’ too often,” Jeff Share says.
Bottom Line: The Cubs will not repeat their 3-2 deep six playoff loss to the 1984 Padres with the 2016 Giants, but they must still beat the winner of the now tied 2-2 series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals to reach their first World Series since 1945 for a chance to win their first big one since 1908. Like them or not, and we do like the Cubs in this little digital corner of the cyber universe, all outcomes remain possible.
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Publisher, Editor, Writer
The Pecan Park Eagle
Houston, Texas
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 12, 2016 at 11:41 pm |
Are you saying that the Cubs will no longer be lovable if they become winners? : )
My wife’s family is from NW Indiana, and they are all Cubs fans (except for one rogue brother-in-law who is a White Sox fan), so we’re bleeding Cubby blue for as far as they go now.
I do, however, fear that Cubs fans could become as insufferable as Red Sox fans have become, especially if this year is merely the start of an extended run of success.