Thank You For Being Such an Important Part of This Moment and Other Bullets

brett-pennantLast night’s experience was obviously special in ways almost too innumerable to count, but I wanted to say up front that one of the biggest reasons it was so special is because of what you all have allowed me to do with Bleacher Nation. I would have always been a Cubs fan, and maybe I would have even been at that game. But the feelings attached to being there and sharing that experience with all of you … it just made it different in a really powerful way. It’s an honor and a privilege to get to do these things professionally, and I just want to thank you all again for making it happen.

I also want to thank the many BN’ers I saw yesterday before, during, and after the game – that was incredible. Getting to share those hugs and high-fives in the moment with folks who are part of our community? My God, there is just so much I’m going to take away from that day. Forever.

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The Wife was not able to be at Wrigley Field for last night’s win because she was with our kiddos, helping in the most fundamental way to support our family and my dream of being at a game like that. I am beyond grateful to her (I mean that literally – “grateful” doesn’t quite do the job, because I couldn’t do any of this without her).

Speaking of which: clinching in Game Six means that I get to head home to my family a day earlier than I might have otherwise, so I’m going to hit the road very soon. There’s going to be so much more to get into in the two days before the World Series begins. If you don’t see something in the Bullets today, it’s probably coming at some point soon.

  • In the game, Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman combined to face the minimum, with four baserunners erased on three double plays and a pickoff. That’s fairly bananas. The Dodgers did not get a runner past first base last night.
  • After the game, a group of us, together with perhaps about 3,000 others, lingered inside Wrigley Field for just about as long as folks stayed out on the field. During that stretch, Willson Contreras toured the right field baseline, up the wall with fans, offering to take selfies with him on their phones. It was a pretty special, and baller move from a rookie who already seemed to get what a profoundly special moment that was for fans.
  • Contreras also became part of history by homering in the game: the Cubs are now the first team to have three catchers homer in the same postseason (Cubs.com).
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  • Appropriately, Jon Lester and Javy Baez share NLCS MVP honors, because how could you choose between those two guys in this series? It was clear that they were the two guys who should be up there getting the hardware, and it was good to see MLB agree.
  • Words from the clubhouse and celebration after the win here at ESPN, here at CSN, here at Cubs.com, and here at The Athletic. There are, of course, so many other places, too. Jayson Stark has an excellent overall write-up here.
  • Watching live at the park, it sure felt like Clayton Kershaw was almost never throwing his curveball, and I wondered aloud if he didn’t have a feel for it (at the worst possible time). Sure enough, Kershaw threw 15 curveballs, only one of which went for a strike. Live from a side view, you don’t notice the curveballs being thrown if they’re never in the zone.
  • Also, WOW:
  • This is powerful:
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  • Nice moment (well, especially when you’re on the winning side):
  • Whether you’re into TV ratings or not, or even if you don’t entirely get the numbers, I’ll just say this is just silly:
  • If you want to get any of the official Cubs NL Championship or World Series gear, we are now partnered with Fanatics, who sells the official gear. So, then, when you buy the good stuff via a link at BN, it supports us in the process. Get your Cubs goodies here.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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