Finally.
After 12 long years of playoff futility, of disappointing summers that ended well before Cubs fans were ready for them to end, of watching other teams taste October Glory.
Finally, the Cubs are moving on in the playoffs, beating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS by a score of 6-4, clinching a playoff series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever and doing so in front of 42,411 hearty souls who will likely head to work without a voice on Wednesday.
Not that it matters, because the Cubs … the Cubs are moving on.
Finally.
A shaky start
At the bottom of the second, Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel strode to the plate as Pearl Jam’s “Alive” blared over the Wrigley Field speakers, about to take an at bat that Cubs fans at the time wished Joe Maddon wouldn’t let him take.
His choice of at-bat music would prove to be incredibly ironic just seconds later.
Hammel had given up two runs in the first inning of Game 4 of the NLDS, and with the Cubs facing John Lackey, a pitcher who had held the Cubs to two hits in 7 1/3 innings in Game 1, and runners on first and second, well, the Cubs needed some offense.
The spark
If nervous energy could be converted into electricity, Wrigley Field alone would have had enough to power the entire Midwest.
And then, Hammel provided a spark of his own.
The unlikeliest of offensive heroes lined a single into center field, sending Starlin Castro racing around to score from second, bringing the crowd to its feet and the Cubs within a run.
Serving it up
Hammel’s heroics proved to be the appetizer, for Javier Baez was about to provide the main course.
Just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, Baez blasted the first pitch he saw over the lush, ivy-covered right field wall, sending Wrigley Field into an eardrum-rattling fit of histrionics with a three-run, momentum-swinging home run that gave the Cubs a 4-2 lead and validated the decision of more than a few in attendance to take the day off of work to head to the ol’ ball yard.
Relief pitcher Justin Grimm replaced Hammel after Hammel walked Jhonny Peralta on four pitches to begin the fourth inning.
The fizzle
“I’m nervous,” one Cubs fan said to another while waiting in line for food during the top of the 6th inning.
His buddy shrugged.
“Part of being a Cub fan,” he replied.
Turns out the initial guy had reason to be concerned.
The sixth started off innocuously enough. Jason Heyward led things off with a single off of lefthander Travis Wood. Trevor Cahill came on to replace Wood and promptly allowed a single to Peralta. Cahill then proceeded to strike out the next two batters, and for a moment, it looked for all the world as though the Cubs would emerge, once again, unscathed.
Then the proverbial other shoe dropped.
Light hitting catcher Tony Cruz lined a double into right, scoring Heyward and bringing the Cardinals to within one. With runners at second and third, pinch hitter Brandon Moss lined a single into right, and for a moment the crowd held its breath as Peralta scored from third and Cruz came racing around trying to score.
The roar
Right fielder Jorge Soler’s rocket throw beat Cruz to the plate, and when Miguel Montero tagged him out, the crowd roared the loudest sigh of relief they could. Cardinals and Cubs are tied at 4.
“They’d have reason to roar in the bottom half of the frame.
Slugger Anthony Rizzo found himself facing an 0-2 count with two out against Cardinals left hander Kevin Siegrist when he brought the crowd back to life with a single swing of the bat.
Rizzo launched a massive solo home run to right field, bringing the crowd back to its feet and the towels waving in the air, giving the Cubs a 5-4 lead heading into the 7th.”
Blast off
The 7th inning provided a blast from the past and an even bigger blast from the present.
The Cubs made the decision to play a video of famed broadcaster/ringleader Harry Caray singing the 7th inning stretch on the video boards.
Minutes later, Kyle Schwarber provided a reminder that while the past was delightful, the present is much, much sweeter.
Schwarber launched an offering from Siegrist over the right-field wall that may or may not have landed yet, giving the Cubs a much-needed insurance run and sending the score to 6-4 and into history.
In the top of the 8th inning, Wrigley Field sang (and screamed and shouted …) when the Cubs beat the Cardinals, clinching a postseason series at home for the first time in Cubs history.
The Cubs advance to the National League Championship Series, where they will play the winner of the Mets-Dodgers series, starting with Game 1 on the road Saturday.
Matt Lindner is a RedEye special contributor.
