Moser: Emotional moment watching Cubs win the pennant
From SABR member Zack Moser at Baseball Prospectus on November 10, 2016:
On Tuesday, we relived the drama and joy of the Cubs’ NLDS victory over the odious San Francisco Giants. Perhaps you need more joy today. I can’t think of a better way than to recount our collective ecstasy brought upon by the Chicago Cubs’ pennant-winning series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, so I’m going to walk you through a handful of moments in the NLCS that are worthy of reflection.
Baez Breaks for Home
Jon Lester didn’t quite match his NLDS performance in this series opener, but he tossed six innings of one-run, four-hit, one-walk baseball, in what seemed enough to give the Cubs a comfortable victory. The Cubs touched up Kenta Maeda for a run in the first, the result of a Dexter Fowler single and soft Kris Bryant double, and the Dodgers pocketed several hard-hit outs that salved a wound in danger of bursting open.
The second inning featured much of the same: Jason Heyward tripled to lead off the inning, and Javier Baez knocked him home with a bloop to center field. While nearly every other major leaguer would have been halted at first by the first base coach or their own instincts, Baez—who plays the game at a different speed than most—found another gear and hustled into second, a surprise double that triggered an important sequence. Maeda unleashed a wild pitch allowing Baez to scamper to third, and, with one out and the light-hitting Lester at the plate, Joe Maddon decided to test the Dodgers’ defensive meddle.
Read the full article here: http://wrigleyville.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/11/10/emotional-moments-pennant-winning-edition/
Originally published: November 10, 2016. Last Updated: November 10, 2016.