End of So Many Eras, Kimbrel's Two Fastballs, Kemp Makes a Cubs Fan, and Other Cubs Bullets

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End of So Many Eras, Kimbrel’s Two Fastballs, Kemp Makes a Cubs Fan, and Other Cubs Bullets

Chicago Cubs

Weather permitting, today will be the last game for famed, beloved, and excellent Wrigley Field organist Gary Pressy. Hopefully the Cubs get a great organist for next year, but there won’t be any “replacing” the Iron Man of organists.

Today could also be the last game at Wrigley Field (as a Cub) for Joe Maddon and many players, too. Weird, but true.

  • Yesterday also marked the end of WGN broadcasts at Wrigley Field:

  • I mostly made my peace with the departure from WGN back when the superstation elected to become WGN America and pass on Cubs games going forward. It stunk for Cubs fans across the country – both those of us who became fans because of the reach, and new fans not yet made – but I understand in the current environment, WGN wanted to produce its own content that appeals across the country more than a Chicago baseball team.
  • Still, it’s sad to see this officially mark the end of the Cubs and WGN. Marquee Sports Network has a high emotional bar to reach, even if that emotional bar was set mostly by our own place in life, rather than the production values.
  • The back-to-back homers Craig Kimbrel allowed in the 9th yesterday could have been worse pitches, but they also could have been better. They were 97 and 96 mph at/above the zone, which is fine, in isolation (though Kimbrel has been at his best a couple clicks higher than that). The problem is that the Cardinals were very clearly looking dead-red fastball out of the gate, and those ones were middle – even if elevated, they were right where the barrel could do damage. Yadier Molina’s game-tying shot was really just a pop fly that caught the wind (hit expectancy: 12%), so maybe I can completely excuse that one. But the Paul DeJong blast was absolutely destroyed.
  • If Kimbrel is talking about feeling good for 2020 and beyond, then I’m with him – because, for this year, it was all just wrong:

  • Including that Molina blast, Cardinals had three run-producing hits yesterday that are expected to be hits 12% of the time or less. Sometimes baseball gets ya at the worst possible time.
Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
  • It’s a real shame that the Tony Kemp blast didn’t win the game, because this moment would have otherwise been such a classic:

  • Skillfully maximizing the pain:

  • This will give you a smile:

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1175514523916275712

  • Just two more doubles, and Nick Castellanos joins truly rarified company:

  • Two years in a row, are we sure it’s a coincidence:

  • Great news from the Bears world:

Filed to: Chicago Cubs
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Author: Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Editor and Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and @Brett_A_Taylor.