Top Play (WPA): 2015 has not been an easy year for Javier Baez. After struggling through a cup of coffee in the already-sacrificed 2014 season, adversity found him time-and-again this year. That much is well-documented. Through it all, there was never a doubt that the stoic young man from Bayamon—the man with the MLB logo tattooed on his neck—would have an opportunity to overcome those trials on the biggest stage possible, and overcome them he did. Tonight, with his team trailing 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Baez followed a Jason Hammel RBI single in the biggest way possible: by driving John Lackey’s first pitch deep into the right-field bleachers for a three-run home run (+0.319).
As Wrigley Field erupted, Lackey could be seen screaming at himself (or possibly—albeit misguidedly—at catcher Tony Cruz). The problem was, Lackey’s frustration was fairly unfounded. The pitch was excellent:
That’s nearly 95 mph, off the outside corner. Javier’s trademark blinding bat speed simply caught up to the heat and squared it up. From a momentum standpoint, Lackey would have been better off tipping his cap to him, but instead he gave the appearance of having just given the series away.
Bottom Play (WPA): The sixth inning would begin with the Cubs leading 4-2, and end with the game tied at 4-4. however, before Tony Cruz and Brandon Moss could tie the game, Trevor Cahill struck out Kolten Wong (-0.064) and Randall Grichuk (-0.080) to minimize the damage.
Key Moment: Outside of Baez’s blast, the game’s most crucial play did not come in the form of a majestic home run (of which there were several), but rather belonged to the aforementioned Moss game-tying single. However, it is not the hit itself that will stick in our memory bank, but rather the 92.3 mph strike that series-hero Jorge Soler fired from right field to cut down Cruz at the plate:
Soler has been maligned for his defense at times this year, and is regularly the target of Joe Maddon’s late-innings defensive maneuverings (tonight notwithstanding), but the biggest defensive play of the season just came in the form of his impressive right arm.
It’s easy to forget, but tonight’s game started in a foreboding manner. After a Matt Carpenter single started things off, the newest Cubs-killer on the scene, Stephen Piscotty, hit Hammel’s first pitch into the center field berm to give the Cards an instant 2-0 lead. The bullpen immediately stirred, and the game’s outcome was instantly in doubt. Credit is due to Hammel, as he composed himself and made it into the fourth inning, when Justin Grimm relieved him and struck out the side to escape a jam following a Kris Bryant error.
After Moss tied it and Soler kept it that way, the Cubs’ white knight Anthony Rizzo stepped to the plate to face Kevin Siegrist for the second time in as many days. Siegrist leapt ahead 0-2, and then attempted to attack Rizzo with a curve off the outside part of the plate. Instead, he left it on the outside of the plate, and Rizzo once again made him pay with the eventual game-winner:
Later, with Siegrist still pitching in the seventh, Kyle Schwarber sent the Wrigley-faithful into another frenzy with a Ruthian blast over the right-field scoreboard. It was the third home run Siegrist had given up to Cub lefties in the last two games, matching his total season-long total to southpaws.
It should also be noted that the bullpen pitched exceedingly well in this one, refusing to buckle under extremely high-leverage situations. After Travis Wood and Cahill allowed the tying runs, Fernando Rodney, Clayton Richard, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon combined for three innings of one-hit, six-strikeout, one-walk ball to shut down the Cardinals when it mattered most. They aren’t the characters we imagined in this script, but they played the heroes nonetheless.
Trend to Watch: Tonight is not a night to consider trends, but rather to celebrate the breaking of them. A century of playoff futility at the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field has just been swallowed up and discarded. Names like Baez, Soler, Rizzo and Schwarber will be remembered, now. An era of dominance by men in red jerseys has been supplanted, at least for tonight, and a new era has perhaps begun. To be certain, the era we’re entering into is one where a rivalry, this rivalry, is only just getting started. We will see highs, lows, and everything in between. But make no mistake, Chicago, tonight is a night to remember.
Coming Next: At some point the party in Wrigleyville will cease. The dust will settle, and everyone will remember that the ultimate goal has not yet been achieved. Everything is for naught if the Cubs cannot fly the flag eight more times. It’s now a waiting game, as the Dodgers and Mets have yet to finish their series. The winner has the honor of hosting Game One of the NLCS on Saturday against these young Cubs, who have the luxury of setting up their pitching in any manner they please. Look for Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta to start games One and Two—wherever they may be—while Kyle Hendricks looms as a dark horse candidate for Game Three.
The next step is clear: four more wins and a National League pennant. That’s something not achieved since my grandfather was a boy. Either Los Angeles or New York awaits, and no bigger stage can be created—at least until early November. Remember, be a good fan and friend, give your Cardinal fan pals a hug, and congratulate them on a spectacular season. Celebrate safely.
Lead photo courtesy Jerry Lai—USA Today Sports.