The Chicago Cubs to the NLCS and Other Notes

The Chicago Cubs, a wild card team, albeit one that won 97 games, eliminated the team, the St. Louis Cardinals, that not only beat them out, but beat them back, in the National League Central Division.

Thus the Cubs, who have not won a pennant since 1945 and not won the World Series since 1908, will visit tonight’s Los Angeles Dodgers/New York Mets’ winner, to start their 4th NLCS beginning Saturday night.

Chicago won only its’ fourth post season series and clinched one at venerable Wrigley Field, for the first time.

After “stealing” their 11th World Series title, a third for their manager at that point, Tony La Russa, in 2011, the Cards have been “dealt out”  of a title in post season play in all four seasons, under current manager Mike Matheny.

All four times, St. Louis lost three straight games to be eliminated in the series in which they lost. Twice the San Francisco Giants won the World Series after knocking out the Cardinals. The Boston Red Sox, a franchise similar to the Giants with three recent titles after a long title drought, won games (4-6) to “6” the Cardinals in the 2013 World Series.

That 2013 World Series win was clinched at Fenway Park, the first time a World Series was clinched there in 95 years. The Red Sox’ starting and winning pitcher in the clinching game was John Lackey.

In the third straight Cubs’ win to take the just completed division series vs the Cardinals and as stated give “Chi” a post season series clincher at Wrigley Field (the Cubs first played there in 1916), the starting pitcher for the Cardinals was John Lackey.