PITTSBURGH — Not since they gained the NL Central crown in 2017 had the Cubs skilled a real postseason celebration earlier than Wednesday.
The staff was restricted to high-fives and fist bumps after clinching the Nationwide League Central title throughout the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, and two years prior, it elected to not celebration after locking down an NL Wild Card spot, nonetheless hoping it may play its approach to a division crown that by no means got here. Suffice to say, after punching their ticket to play postseason baseball for the primary time in 5 years with an 8-4 victory over the Pirates Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park, the Cubs made certain to soak within the second.
“That is the suitable group to do it with, and I really like being a Chicago Cub,” Pete Crow-Armstrong mentioned. “I really like with the ability to have fun with these individuals, particularly.”
Gamers tossed their sneakers right into a laundry bin on their manner into the clubhouse. Moments later, chaos ensued, with champagne portray the plastic-wrapped partitions of the guests’ clubhouse.
Whereas understanding the staff nonetheless has every little thing to play for — together with a quest for its fourth World Sequence title — supervisor Craig Counsell highlighted the significance of acknowledging that they’ve achieved its first of many targets.
“You aren’t getting to do that in common jobs, the place you get to have fun and throw champagne on one another,” Counsell mentioned. “You simply do not get to do it, proper? So that you make the most of it, have enjoyable with it, get pleasure from one another and have fun one another.”
“We’ve been occupied with that first champagne bathe since February,” starter Matthew Boyd added. “And this is only one step in the place we in the end wish to go.
“We’re not performed but. There’s nonetheless a mission to be completed, plenty of steps in that. We’re all properly conscious of that. However you wish to take these moments to have fun and mirror on the lengthy journey that it has been, as a result of it has been a particular yr and also you wish to get pleasure from that.”
Whereas the staff’s journey began in mid-February at its Spring Coaching facility in Mesa, Ariz., Counsell credited the Opening Day video games in Tokyo for unifying the staff.
“You’re blissful for everyone concerned,” Counsell mentioned. “That is the most important half, is that there is lots of people concerned on this. …
“You need the followers to have the ability to expertise October baseball and be part of that and take them on a journey with the staff. That is a lot enjoyable. These are the individuals you concentrate on when these items occurs — everyone that places within the work, everyone that reveals up at 12 o’clock for an evening sport and all of the followers that come day by day to Wrigley. We wish them to have the ability to get pleasure from the most effective of baseball, which is October.”
Nico Hoerner mentioned it was cool to go searching the room and make eye contact with everyone who had helped make the season particular. That included Ian Happ, the longest-tenured Cub who, fittingly, recorded the ultimate out of the sport.
“We obtained to go to the playoffs in 2020, however doing it close to the tip of a real 162 [-game schedule] is completely totally different,” Hoerner mentioned. “Baseball is such a sport of persistence and camaraderie. Attending to have fun like this can be a actually particular factor. It’s clearly not our final objective, but it surely’s nonetheless an enormous milestone alongside the best way.”
The Cubs scored 4 runs within the high of the primary inning Wednesday by way of 4 hits — together with back-to-back residence runs by Happ and Moisés Ballesteros — a stroll, a wild pitch and a balk. Boyd allowed a three-run blast within the backside of the primary to Joey Bart, and he walked in a run to tie the sport within the second.
Within the sixth, Dansby Swanson reached on a throwing error and got here round to attain on a sacrifice fly by Michael Busch. Consecutive hits by Hoerner, Happ and Justin Turner drove residence two extra runs to open up the result in three. That equipped greater than sufficient insurance coverage for the Chicago bullpen, as Porter Hodge, Aaron Civale, Drew Pomeranz and Taylor Rogers mixed to pitch six innings of scoreless ball.
With 10 video games remaining of their common season, the Cubs (88-64) nonetheless have a lot extra to play for. They’re 4 1/2 video games again of the Brewers (92-59) within the NL Central and maintain the tiebreaker over Milwaukee within the occasion of a tie in spite of everything 162 video games have been performed.
“I’m simply wanting ahead to going again to Chicago, seeing everyone and persevering with to simply go win ballgames for them,” Crow-Armstrong mentioned.
