Maybe all walk-off wins are fun. Maybe I’m still drunk from my trip to Wrigley Field on Saturday. Maybe the post-trade deadline Cubs just haven’t given me many opportunities to be happy, but MAN … that was a fun freakin’ win. The Cubs #diveforfive can be picked up another day. We need some joy from this team every now and then and that was a great one tonight. Oh, yeah, I guess should mention what happened … RAFAEL ORTEGA WALKED IT OFF IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH!
It was such a blast, especially given the way things started.
Kyle Hendricks opened this game by continuing his long-running feud with the first inning (4.57 ERA for his career, 7.20 ERA this season … before tonight). But he gutted out another 6 frames with just one additional run scored. He didn’t have his best command tonight – and the Rockies are not a team you’re happy to see score 4 on your No. 1 starter – but that’s what a veteran pitcher does in those moments – he stays in, he grinds, he delivers. I just really appreciated that effort from Hendricks, not that it’s ever lacking.
And how about the rest of the Cubs? They really stayed in it for a fourth place team whose been playing for pretty much nothing more than a higher draft pick next year. They didn’t even get down when they squandered a bases loaded, nobody out opportunity early on. Or when the same batter, David Bote, hit into a second double play later in the same situation later in the game. The Cubs just kept chipping away and made a night of it.
And there were so many other awesome individual performances. For example, Ian Happ had three hits and a walk tonight, including two doubles, Michael Hermosillo’s first hit at Wrigley Field was a game-tying RBI double, Codi Heuer looked awesome, Manny Rodriguez was bringing the heat, Patrick Wisdom flashed some leather and had an important RBI knock in the 8th inning, and on and on.
Fun win. The Wrigley Field losing streak is over at 13 games.