CUBS WIN! FLY THE W!

Previously, Cub Tracks warmed up but the Cubs didn’t. Last night, they warmed up just enough. One Willson Contreras moonshot and two Javier Baez bombs were ridden to victory on the arms of Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis. Al will tell you all about it in his recap. Josh’s rapid recap is here. The thread is good reading.

It was great so see Jake pitch well and get that standing O when he had to leave. There was a little dust in the room after that, and still more at the end. That was so Cub.

I liked how so many balls were barreled up even if they were outs. I hope that bodes well for tonight’s game.

Threadnapped from still miss the old barn. Thanks!

Hope you got to see Pedro Martinez’ commentary on TBS. He is entertaining as hell. I tried to find some linkage but no go. Maybe I can dig some up in the morning. Dan Plesac was burbling about Wade Davis and Jake Arrieta. The panel of was considering whether Davis would be available for Game Five or not. I’m thinking not... but what if? I can foresee a situation where it becomes a real question.

Threadnapped from still miss the old barn. Thanks again!

I’m glad so many of you got to see the game. That must have been something to be sitting in left and having that ball whistle over your heads.

Wonder what the lineup will look like tonight...could we see an Ian Happ/Albert Almora Jr./Ben Zobrist outfield, in search of righthanded bats? Clayton Kershaw and Jose Quintana are likely to start the dance.

Sounds like a good time to me. I’ll be there in spirit.

Read all about it — as always * means autoplay on™ (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Today in baseball history:

• 1981 - The first Canadian pennant hopes are dashed when Dodger Rick Monday's ninth inning two-out dramatic home run beats the Expos, 2-1, in the deciding game of the NLCS.
• 1999 - The Braves stroll into a World Series berth with their 10-9 walk-off victory against the Mets at Turner Field in Game 6 of the NLCS. Atlanta has their ticket punched to the Fall Classic when Kenny Rogers issues a base on balls to Andruw Jones with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 11th inning to force in Gerald Williams with winning run.

• 2002 - Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the Giants' designated hitter, becomes the first Japanese-born player to appear in the World Series. The Osaka native gets a hit in his three trips to the plate in the team's 4-3 victory over the Angels in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
• 2004 - In an ALCS game which features two reversed calls by the umpires, the Red Sox become the first team in baseball history after trailing the series 0-3 to force a Game 7. Boston, who was three outs from being swept in Game 4, gets an outstanding pitching performance from Curt Schilling, playing with a dislocated ankle tendon, to beat the Yankees at the Bronx ballpark, 4-2.
• 2005 - The Astros, one of six teams to have never played in the World Series, break the franchise's 43-year drought and advance to the Fall Classic, beating the Cardinals in the NLCS, 5-1.

• 2008 - Behind the solid performance of starter Matt Garza and the stellar relief work of rookie David Price to finish the game, which included striking out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth, the hometown Rays beat the defending world champion Red Sox, 3-1, in the decisive Game 7 of the ALCS to win their first American League pennant.
• 2010 - The Cubs select Mike Quade, Lou Piniella's interim replacement who guided the team to a 24-13 record during the last six weeks of the season, as the franchise's newest manager.
• Happy birthday: Mordecai ‘Three-Finger’ Brown; Dave Veres

Cubs news and notes:

Joe Maddon on the explanation on the foul tip: "I'm not here to bang on umpires, but that can't happen. The process was terrible. If Granderson hits a home run there I might come running out of the clubhouse in my jockstrap."

Threadnapped from sjack313. Thanks!

• Jesse Rogers (ESPN*): If only for a night, Cubs' swagger is back as Chicago avoids NLCS sweep. “...one of the lasting images of the night will be free agent-to-be Arrieta walking off the mound with two outs in the seventh inning to a standing ovation.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times*): ‘Pretty simple,’ say Cubs: They’ll be back for more October baseball. “We’re in the process of being a dynasty, man,” Almora said. “It’s pretty simple. We’re here to win a lot of championships.”
• MLB.com*: NLCS Game 4: Baez, Contreras postgame interview (transcript). Joe Maddon postgame interview (transcript).
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Grandpa Rossy and the 5 biggest things from Cubs-Dodgers NLCS Game 4. “The Cubs aren't dead yet.”
• Anthony DiComo (MLB.com*): Maddon ejected after disputed foul-tip call. The reversed call didn't help the Dodgers, as Davis struck out Curtis Granderson with his next pitch.

• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com*): Joe Maddon hopes coaching staff returns in 2018. "The staff has done a great job," Maddon said Wednesday.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times*): Wade Davis out for Game 5 as Cubs send Jose Quintana vs. Kershaw. “Wade did his job tonight,” Maddon said. “Tomorrow we’ll parcel it out a little more cleanly. Other guys are going to have to do their jobs.”
• Daryl van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times*): In Kershaw, ‘we have right guy going tomorrow,’ Dodgers say. “I can’t assume we’re going to win and then it just so happens I have to pitch. I have to expect to pitch and then be surprised when we win,” Kershaw said.
• Jared Wyllys (The Sporting News): Jake Arrieta keeps Cubs alive as his future remains in doubt. “If it has to come down to somebody pitching us into another game, I like my chances of taking that ball and giving us a chance to win,” Arrieta remarked. I’m inclined to agree. Ymmv.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): Jake Arrieta didn’t win ’em all, but he changed it all for the Cubs. “Arrieta changed the nature of what it meant to be a Cub. It meant winning.”

• Adrian Garro (Cut Four): Davis has great at-bat using Kris Bryant's bat. “Acting manager Dave Martinez elected to let Davis swing away instead of bunt -- possibly due to Davis' dislike of bunting.”
• Michael Clair (Cut Four): Willson's homer precedes a worthy bat drop. “...the longest postseason home run in Statcast's existence.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): Kyle Schwarber on being a better player across the board in ’18. “I want to be the best possible player I can be, a better hitter, a better base runner, a better defender, a better teammate. Anything like that I want to be, and that takes constant work.”
• Phil Thompson (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Ryne Sandberg’s baseball basement a tribute to his 16-year career. “The Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman has his nine Golden Glove arranged pyramid style on a wall.”
• Patrick M. O’Connell (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Baseball-loving brothers, now in 90s, were indispensable to Cubs, Dodgers for decades. “Yosh Kawano spent nearly 65 years at Wrigley Field, working the Cubs or visitors’ clubhouse. His younger brother, Nobe, held similar jobs in Los Angeles, where he prepared the Dodgers to take the field.”
• Eric Stephen (TrueBlue LA): Dodgers’ comeback falls short in Game 4. In case you wanted the other side of things.

Let’s hope it doesn’t end up like this:

Food for thought:

• Nature: Science must examine the future of work. “As automation changes employment, researchers should gather the evidence to help map the implications.”
• Nicola Davis (The Guardian): Flowers use 'blue halo' optical trick to attract bees, say researchers. “The blue light, which can sometimes be seen by humans, is cast by tiny ridges of different height and spacing on petals, scientists have discovered.”
• Marina Koren (The Atlantic): The Slack chat that changed astronomy. “The groundbreaking discovery of a neutron-star collision unfolded in a flurry of online messages.”

Thanks for reading. Go Cubs!