You can admit it: coming into the 9th inning, with the bats looking lifeless and Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino coming in, you didn’t give the Cubs much of a chance of pulling out a win. I figured that game was over, and I was at peace with it.
But you know, the chance at a comeback in those situations is not quite as rare as you might think. Down by just one run in the 9th, even after Kyle Schwarber had flied out to start the inning, the Cubs still had a 9.1% chance of coming back to win. Never give up hope, my frents.
Hit, hit, hit, and it can all turn around that quickly.
Because come back the Cubs did, thanks to a one-out double by Albert Almora, and then a crushed double by Addison Russell:
All tied up. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/qaeelg1Tjy
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 16, 2018
That ball was crushed by Russell – 105.2 mph, 404 feet – and nearly made it out of the park. It was especially impressive at the conclusion of a fantastic at bat, which featured Russell laying off at least one slider that, to me, looked like an absolutely perfect two-strike pitch (started on the outer third, and then at the last moment broke just off the plate).
From there, a Tommy La Stella groundout moved Russell to third, and Ben Zobrist put a beautiful swing on a 98 mph fastball and served it out into center field to give the Cubs the lead:
The kind of clutch we've come to expect from @benzobrist18. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/92d3g2D2NH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 16, 2018
Brandon Morrow closed things down without drama – as he does – and the Cubs had pulled off the comeback. It was a lovely 9th inning, and a moment to savor.
Cubs win! Cubs win!