Wow. Dude. That was awesome.
Not only did the Cubs manage to tie the game up in the bottom of the 9th, but they got eight scoreless innings out of their bullpen, and walked it off in the 13th inning. More about the hero in the box score, and more on the bullpen soon. Bonus: the teams combined to use 18 pitchers today. Viva September baseball!
Outside of the fun ending, the best, most important news from the game came so long ago it’s almost hard to remember: John Lackey returned healthy and sharp to the rotation. He was limited to just 76 pitches on the day, as the Cubs look to ensure his health down the stretch, so it was a short outing – but a good one. I was very happy to see it.[adinserter block=”1″][adinserter block=”10″]
Although the Cubs gifted the Giants another run today (via a Jason Heyward error, which is just about perfect today), it’s worth pointing out that it, plus the other run the Giants scored in regulation, came as the product of their own execution in situations requiring, for example, a bunt down or a ball in play. I don’t want to strip them of all credit.
But the Cubs ultimately carried the day, thanks to this guy, who drove in all three of the Cubs’ runs, including the walk-off winner:
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