Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 50

For long-time readers of Heroes and Goats, those of you going all the way back to the early days in 2014, you may remember the infamous Game 144 of the 2014 season where the Cubs came this close to having a double-negative Hero podium.  And you wondered if it would ever happen in your lifetimes as 2015 came and went without ever coming close.  Then there was Game 37 this season, where the heavens opened up and gave everyone something that had not been seen before:  Two players sharing one podium spot as the Anti-Hero.

But still, the elusive prize remained out of reach.  Would there ever be the day where there would be two Anti-Heroes on two spots of the Hero podium?  Could it even be possible?  Would the patience of the long-time H & G reader ever bear fruit and be rewarded with the glorious bounty that is the ever-elusive game with only one player on the team with a WPA completely above zero??

And, then... with a chorus of brass rising to a tremendous crescendo... the question was answered.

And it was answered with a resounding "Yes".

And it was truly remarkable.

... Even if it meant that the Cubs lost.

Graphs for Game 50 (courtesy of Fangraphs):

Stats for Game 50:

Writer's Note: The daily selections of the three Heroes and three Goats are based solely on the top three and bottom three WPA scores for the game. The selections are not based on my subjective opinion.

THE THREE HEROES:

• Superhero - Jake Arrieta (.432). Here you have it... the only Cub in the game whose WPA was above the zero mark. If you're going to be the only guy above zero, might as well be way above it.
• Hero - Tommy La Stella (-.004). And here's the first Cub in H & G history to ever stand on the second step of the Hero podium as a true Anti-Hero thanks to a pinch-hit flyout in the ninth.  May his name live on forever as the answer to a Heroes and Goats trivia question.
• Sidekick - Dexter Fowler (-.007). The funny part is that Fowler was well in line to be positive on the night after recording the game's only hit but then gave it all back (and then some) by getting caught stealing on a pickoff play.  And that, my friends, is how the double-Anti-Hero came to be on Tuesday night.

THE THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat - Clayton Richard (-.337). Right now he's sitting on a WHIP of 2.111. But, hey... at least his FIP is only 3.34!
• Goat - Jorge Soler (-.094). His 0-for-3 was magnified by making the first out of the inning three times, once in the eighth when the game was still close.
• Kid - Kris Bryant (-.092). It's his fifth game in a row on the Goats.  At least this time it was with a WPA worse than -.050.

RANKINGS THROUGH GAME 50: Arrieta extends his lead at the top of the chart while Soler and Bryant sink further down into the mud at the bottom.