The Drama of Chicago Cubs Baseball

What can even be said about a baseball game like the one we all endured last night?

Anyone who lived through Game 7 of the 2016 World Series run probably assumed that they had suffered through the most insane, rollercoaster ride of a ballgame that could ever be concocted by the most gifted Hollywood screenwriters. And it probably was — until last night.

This whole NLDS was already earning a reputation for strangeness, as the Cubs and Nats — both formidable offensively productive teams during the regular season — were participating in pitchers’ duels and scoring an offensively low number of runs. Then there was the drama of the rained out game and Dusty Baker’s pitching switcheroo. Then came yesterday, which is in a class by itself.

I’m too tired this morning to try to make sense of a box score in which the Cubs used all but two of their pitchers and a rally materialized from dropped third strikes, catcher’s interference and a batter hit by a pitch. I’m too tired to analyze why Joe Maddon found it appropriate to use Carl Edwards Jr. for the fifth straight game. I’m too tired to be upset that seemingly half the Cubs’ lineup didn’t show up for the NLDS and that Javy Baez couldn’t even register one hit. I’m too tired to imagine how Wade Davis managed to get a seven-out save through the heart of the Nats’ lineup with a one-run lead. I’m too exhausted to debate the merits of replay reviews and whether or not that momentum shift contributed to the game’s outcome.

When the last out was recorded, I could barely comprehend that we were done playing the Nationals. It seemed like there should have been at least three more stressful innings, or even a couple more games to have to worry about which Germanic-named pitcher would be terrorizing our lineup next time. This series felt like purgatory for the Cubs and their fans, as Dusty Baker looked on, chomping on his ceremonial toothpick.

But all that matters this morning is that the Chicago Cubs are Los Angeles and NLCS-bound for the second straight season, against all odds and in spite of their best efforts. Cubs fans continue to be treated to watching history unfold before our eyes, even if we did spend much of last night covering them.

Now that the goat is off our back and the Second City is overrun with 2016 World Championship hoodies, it’s clear that the Cubs organization just has a magnetic pull toward the outlandish and dramatic. Even the losing teams always had crazy “Cubby Occurrences” making things extra interesting and raising fans’ blood pressure. It’s honestly part of what I love about the Cubs. Every season, they seem to exemplify the best part of the sport of baseball — unpredictability. Nothing is ever as easy as it should be and so much remains seemingly out of the team’s control. Randomness and statistical improbability frequently rule the day.

I have no idea how the Cubs will fare in Los Angeles. The Baseball Gods gave LA the best and worst of times in a single season (there’s that randomness again!), so the only thing you can be sure of is that this series will defy any possible predictions. The Dodgers have been sitting pretty for days waiting to find out who their foes would be. The Cubs looked decidedly lackluster against the Nats, but ultimately hung on and could be riding an emotional high going into this series. Or they’re just completely spent.

All I know is that before yesterday’s game, I had made peace with the Nationals beating us soundly one more time and knocking us out of the playoffs. They were probably a better team, and the Cubs pretty much failed to show up. But after the anarchy of the last nine innings, I’m all in again. Last year, the Cubs were the team of destiny and they still almost failed to win it all. This year, they return as the villains who probably don’t deserve to be advancing. That change in perception and ongoing struggle to survive will make the rest of the playoffs must-see-TV. It will also make the non-Cubs TV broadcasters insufferable.

Nevertheless, the Cubs season continues for one more series, and that’s something to cheer about. The real question is, will your nails grow back in time for the next game? When you root for the Cubs, you know that you still haven’t seen everything.

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