Cubs Win First Playoff Game in 12 Years; Pirates Eliminated

By Francisco Romero 

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs won 98 and 97 games respectively and, yes they were playing against each other on the National League Wild Card Game.

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, a 22 game winner this season and the front-runner for the National League Cy-Young Award, pitched a gem of a game, beating the Pirates 4-0 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Arrieta threw a complete game, allowing only 4 hits, walking none and striking out 11.

On the offensive side, Dexter Fowler homered for the Cubs and Kyle Schwarber joined him by hitting another one in the third inning.  Fowler finished the game with 3 hits.

Both of them produced the 4 RBI’s and that is all they would need to eliminate the Pirates.

“It’s a pretty big moment, it’s either you win or you go home,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon.  “I cannot be more proud of a group of guys then I was of our players tonight,”

Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole took the loss; he worked 5 innings, allowed 6 hits and 4 earned runs.

“Life is not fair, you go out and play and get beat, you move on,” said Clint Hurdle after the game.  “Sometimes you draw a tough bull, two years in a row we have drawn a tough bull, we pushed a couple time late, squared a couple balls up, they turned them into double plays, (Jake) Arrieta was ahead of almost every count through five (innings)”

Last season (2014) the Pirates also lost at home in the Wild Card game against the San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs will take on division rivals St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series, while the Dodgers will face the Mets.

In the American League, the Astros will take on the Kansas City Royals and the Rangers will face the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cubs have gone 107 years without winning a World Series Title.