By ZACH ROBBINS Sportpinion
On Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs clinched a National League Championship Series (NLCS) appearance for the first time since 2003 with a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubs have some of the League’s best pitching and one of the hottest offenses in the game. Their liveliness also contributes to their success, as baseball fans all around can agree that this energetic young team is one of easiest to root for in recent memory.
It could have something to do with the fact that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908. It’s always easy to root for the underdog but tough to root against history.
The Cubs have knocked on the doors of a championship a couple of times, but they’ve always found a way to blow it. They almost broke “The Curse of the Billy Goat” in 1984 and then again in 2003 before the season’s disappointment was blamed on Steve Bartman, a fan who interfered with a foul ball in play.
But this year is different. They’ve got Jake Arrieta, who boasted a 1.77 Earned Run Average (ERA) throughout the regular season. As a number two, they have Jon Lester as well as a host of other pitchers with an ERA around 3.00.
Additionally the Cubs have some of the hottest young sluggers in the game. Rookie Kyle Schwarber has been on an absolute tear this postseason, smashing three home runs in the first five games. He is also the first Cub to ever hit three out in one series. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and third baseman Kris Bryant provided dangerous young bats at the corner infield spots.
Six Cubs also hit a homer in the series. The Cubs often trot out as many as five rookies in their starting lineup and will look to have prolonged success in the League. General Manager Theo Epstein, who created the Red Sox World Series championship team in 2004, is the mastermind behind the Cubs’ remarkable turnaround.
The only thing that can get in their way of a World Series berth will be the winner of the decisive NLCS qualifying game on Thursday between the Dodgers and Mets. Both teams struggled significantly on their sides of the plate this season, and it doesn’t appear that there’s any slowing them down.
The Cubs are on a roll, and both the city of Chicago and the rest of the baseball world are rooting for them. It seems that the timeless refrain “Go, Cubs, Go” will be playing for at least a few more weeks in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
