What an insane headline, right? After all, if the Brewers lose, the Cubs clinch the NL Central. And that’s what we want!
But here’s the thing: the Brewers’ game against the Reds tonight starts 35 minutes before the Cubs’ game against the Cardinals. That means there’s the potential for the Cubs to clinch the NL Central before they’re finished playing. Obviously, all clinches are good clinches … but the Cubs are gonna clinch at some point no matter what. I feel very confident about that. So what I really don’t want to see, from an enjoyment perspective, is the Cubs down 8-7 to the Cardinals tonight in the 7th inning of a tense game, and then the Brewers lose at that same moment. I am all about maximizing the moment, and, man, it would be a heckuva lot more fun if the Cubs clinch by beating the Cardinals tonight (or tomorrow or Thursday, if necessary).
A lot of you are probably rolling your eyes at me being choosey. But the Cubs would literally have to lose every remaining game, and the Brewers would have to win every remaining game just to tie. Ain’t happening. So I want this the way I want it.
(OK, and it would also be just fine if the Brewers lost, but did so in a very long game that put their ending off until past the Cubs’ game. OR it would also be just fine if the Cubs had a crazy huge lead by the time the Brewers lose. So I’m at least a little flexible.)
With last night’s win, the Cubs officially eliminated the Cardinals from contention in the NL Central, yielding the best opportunity yet to use this image:
That's it! Cubs win, and the Cardinals have been eliminated fro the NL Central race. #CardinalsLose pic.twitter.com/lnFpOtHhke
— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) September 26, 2017
The win dropped the Cubs’ magic number to clinch the Central to just one:
And then there was one. pic.twitter.com/W7fuP2Anwc
— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) September 26, 2017
(Kosuke Fukudome was definitely a bit disappointing relative to expectations, but at least he put up a .370ish OBP in his time with the Cubs. And, hey, his wRC+ in his three full seasons with the Cubs were 91, 110, and 118.)
Elsewhere, in the Wild Card race, the Rockies lost again, because they absolutely do NOT want to go to the postseason, apparently. That brings the Rockies back to within 1.5 games of the WC2 spot, and the Cardinals remain at 2.0 games out. The Brewers kick off their three-game series with the Reds today.