Chicago Cubs clinch postseason berth with win over Miami: Here's how it happened
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They’re in.
After falling behind 2-0 for the second night in a row, the Chicago Cubs completed the comeback this time to beat the Marlins. This punched their ticket.
The Northsiders will be playing in the 2026 MLB postseason.
How It Happened:
It was a day with a simple task: win, and you’re in.
The Cubs’ magic number sat at one. All they had to do was win, and they’d cement their spot in the NL playoffs as a Wild Card team. Their exact seeding is up for debate, but the most important fact is the Cubs are in.
They had a chance to clinch on Tuesday night, but couldn't capitalize in extra innings with bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning where just one run would have won the game. They had a chance on Wednesday too, but lost 3-2.
On Thursday, there was already some magic in the air as Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club with a stolen base in the first inning.
Seiya Suzuki's homer and Nico Hoerner's RBI single were all the Cubs needed. Reliever Ryan Zeferjahn got the three critical outs to end the game.
It clinched them a playoff spot.
The backstory:
This is just a continuation of the season the Cubs have had, featuring its roller-coaster feeling capitalized by accentuating highs.
The Cubs had a 10-game losing streak sandwiched by two 10-game winning streaks. They had one of the best offenses in all of baseball, marred by one of the most frustrating pitching staffs.
If the Cubs had a pitcher, there was a good chance that player had spent time on the injured list with some form of injury.
It wasn’t for lack of talent. The Cubs have Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. They have a managerial staff that’s navigating the pitching woes and injuries.
With all of this, the Cubs could never catch the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central standings. Milwaukee had the Cubs’ number seemingly all season long.
That doesn’t matter now. The Cubs are in the playoffs.
The team that was built with contending in the playoffs in mind and wants to advance further than the NLDS last season has a chance to prove its worth when it matters the most.
The Source: Story and reporting is from Fox Chicago's Chris Kwiecinski, who attended the Cubs-Marlins series.