The Chicago Cubs magazine Vine Line has put together a list of the top moments of the 2014 Chicago Cubs season, and is asking folks to vote for their favorite. So head over and drop a vote.
I don’t want to taint your vote, but some of the obvious ones that jump out at me (with links, in case you forgot them): Javy Baez breaking TWO car windows in Spring Training, the 100th Anniversary Game at Wrigley Field (except for the ending), Anthony Rizzo’s completely improbable home run (not on the Vine Line list), Jake Arrieta’s amazing start at Fenway as part of that whole amazing series, John Baker scoring the winning run and getting the win (the one time I’ll ever care about the pitcher win stat), Baez’s game-winning debut homer, Jorge Soler’s debut homer, Arrieta’s domination of the Reds in September, when the fan lost his wedding ring after catching the Soler homer (not on the Vine Line list), and when the Cubs officially broke ground on the Wrigley renovation. You could probably throw in the Draft and the Samardzija/Hammel/Russell/McKinney/Straily trade in there somewhere, too.
The full list of moments from Vine Line:
Javier Baez smashes a car window during Spring Training batting practice—Feb. 21
The Cubs play their first game at their new Spring Training facility, Cubs Park—Feb. 27
Emilio Bonifacio becomes the third player in major league history with 11 hits in his first three games—March 31-April 3
The Cubs celebrate Wrigley Field’s 100th anniversary—April 23
The Cubs honor Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter during his season-long farewell tour—May 20
Nate Schierholtz hits a walk-off single, scoring Anthony Rizzo from second base—June 3 vs. New York
Anthony Rizzo hits a walk-off home run in the 13th inning—June 6 vs. Miami
Lennie Merullo, the last living member of the 1945 Cubs team, visits Wrigley Field—June 7
Jake Arrieta leaves Fenway Park to a standing ovation after giving up one hit over 7.2 innings and striking out 10—June 30 vs. Boston
Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo are named to the 2014 All-Star Game—July 10
Justin Ruggiano hits a walk-off single, scoring Arismendy Alcantara from second base—July 11 vs. Atlanta
Anthony Rizzo hits five home runs in a four-game span—7/18-7/22
Kyle Hendricks makes six straight starts with at least 6.1 IP and no more than 1 ER—July 22-Aug. 18
Former Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame—July 27
Catcher John Baker scores the game-winning run after pitching a scoreless 16th inning—July 29 vs. Colorado
Javier Baez hits the eventual game-winning home run in the 12th inning of his major league debut—Aug. 5 vs. Colorado
Anthony Rizzo hits walk-off single, scoring Ryan Sweeney from third base—Aug. 10 vs. Tampa Bay
Jorge Soler hits a home run in his first major league at-bat—Aug. 27 vs. Cincinnati
The Jackie Robinson West Little League team visits Wrigley Field after winning the US title—Sept. 1
Anthony Rizzo ends a scoreless game with a walk-off home run—Sept. 15 vs. Cincinnati
Jake Arrieta tosses a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 13—Sept. 16 vs. Cincinnati
Chris Coghlan goes 4-for-4 with two homers, a double, three RBI and three runs—Sept. 20 vs. Los Angeles
Welington Castillo hits a walk-off single in the 10th inning, scoring Luis Valbuena from third base—Sept. 23 vs. St. Louis
Hector Rondon converts nine straight saves in nine consecutive appearances—Aug. 12-Sept. 1
The Cubs officially break ground on restoration plans, now known as The 1060 Project—Oct. 11
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