Ranking the Cubs playoff wins from 2016 |
During this odd time where baseball is missing from our spring lives, Marquee Sports Network has been re-airing games from the 2016 playoff run, called ‘Run for the Ring’ — airing each win from the NLDS and NLCS as well as every game from the epic seven-game World Series against the Indians.
Since many Cubs fans are still left without the chance to watch Marquee Network, we at CubsHQ thought it would be a good time to recap and rank every win in the postseason on the way to the first World Series title in 108 years. The Cubs had three wins against the Giants, four against the Dodgers, and four against the Indians in that faithful fall of 2016. Here…we…go. 11. Game 2 of World Series — Cubs win 5-1 Starting off our countdown is one of the most often forgotten games in the Cubs 2016 playoff run. However, this game was bigger than people remember. First and foremost, this win was the Cubs’ first World Series win in over 70 years — which was such a big moment for some of the older generations of Cubs fans. This game was also just Kyle Schwarber’s second since returning from injury, and he had two hits and a pair of RBIs. Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell also drove in runs. Jake Arrieta dazzled on the mound for the Cubs, carrying a no-hitter deep into the game and the Cubs won 5-1 over Cleveland to even the series at one game apiece.
10. Game 2 of NLDS — Cubs win 5-2
Next on our list is game two of the NLDS that was played at Wrigley Field. Despite this game being the win that is overlooked in the NLDS series against the Giants, there are so many sparkling moments to remember. Coming off of the 1-0 win in game one, the Cubs bats came to play. Both Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo knocked in runs, but the other three came from the pitchers. Kyle Hendricks started the game and drove in two on an RBI single, but was lifted after taking a line drive off of his body. He was replaced by Travis Wood who not only went an inning and a third of shutout ball, but also knocked a homer out of Wrigley Field — the second pitcher named Wood to do so — and that was enough for the Cubs to beat the Giants and take a 2-0 series lead.
9. Game 5 of NLCS — Cubs win 8-4
Coming up next is a win over the Dodgers at Dodgers stadium to send the NLCS back to Wrigley Field. As was the case the entire postseason, Jon Lester was great on the mound as he pitched seven innings of one run ball. For the second straight game, the offense showed up for Chicago. The top of the order of Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo all got a pair of hits and drove in a run each. The majority of the offense came from the pairing up-the-middle. Addison Russell homered for the second straight day and drove in two, while Javier Baez had three hits and three RBIs. More than enough for the Cubs to take a 3-2 series lead with a chance to clinch at Wrigley.
8. Game 4 of NLCS — Cubs win 10-2
The previous game of the NLCS was an even better one for the Cubs. This game was the first time the Cubs had trailed in a series all postseason and they quickly reversed that narrative. The Cubs offense exploded for 10 runs. A huge slumpbreaking home run from Anthony Rizzo using Matt Szcur’s bat was all the Cubs needed, but they did not stop there. Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward all drove in runs. Plus Addison Russell launched a dinger and drove in two runs as well. On the mound, the Cubs used six pitchers to hold the dodgers to two runs — it was one of the only games the Cubs did not use Aroldis Chapman in. Nonetheless, the Cubs beat the Dodgers 10-2 and evened the series at 2-2.
7. Game 1 of NLDS — Cubs win 1-0
This game is a fan-favorite even though it was not an extremely memorable game. It was the first postseason game of 2016. The Cubs and Giants were locked in a pitchers duel between Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto. Both pitchers went eight innings and put together masterful pitching performances. Then in the bottom of the eighth inning, Javier Baez launched a go-ahead home run deep to left field, but the howling Wrigley Field wind only kept the ball in the basket; nonetheless Wrigley was rocking. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the game, and then Aroldis Chapman came in and shut the door to give the Cubs a 1-0 series lead.
Stay tuned for the rest of our countdown!
