The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, the San Francisco Giants are looking for their fourth world series title in the last seven years.
Going into Game 1 of the National League Division Series you would’ve thought it was the other way around for the both teams. Chicago has garnered so much hype moreover are 12-5 favorites by my peeps in the desert to win it all.
The Cubs lived up to it in Game 1.
Jon Lester threw eight shutout innings and Javier Baez hit a solo home run off Johnny Cueto in the eighth inning to give the Cubs the eventual 1-0 victory over the Giants.
“I forgot about the wind,” he said. “The wind’s blowing straight in, and I hit it really good. Good thing it just barely went,” Baez said.
Raise the W flag.
“Just waiting for him to make a mistake, and he finally did.”
Lester retired his last 13 batters in a dominant performance, outpitching Cueto of the Giants in a nail-biting game.
Lester, who signed a six-year, $155 million deal, has been an essential part of the Cubs who clinched the NL Central division Sept. 15 and led the majors with 103 wins this year.
“I kind of figured as we got going it would come down to one mistake, and luckily we didn’t make one and they did,” Lester said. “And I think that’s just kind of the beginning of the series.”
Cueto did not disappoint, keeping the Cubs off balance, striking out 10 and allowing three hits in his second straight complete game in the postseason dating back to last season.
“We both were pitching a great ballgame and obviously we knew — we were aware that one run was going to decide the game,” Cueto said through a translator.
On to Game 2.
Jeff Samardzija gets the ball in Game 2 for his first postseason start in the same place he began his major-league career. The right-hander was drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and spent his first 6 1/2 seasons with the team before he was traded to Oakland in the 2014 deal that brought shortstop Addison Russell to the Cubs.
Coming off a breakout season, Kyle Hendricks makes his third career playoff start for the Cubbies. The right-hander went 16-8 with a major league-best 2.13 ERA this year. He was nearly unhittable at home, going 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 games.
Photo/ChicagoCubs/twitter
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
