The Colorado Rockies won the National League Wildcard Game 2-1 at the Chicago Cubs. A backup became the hero of the day in the 13th inning. The Rockies are in the NLDS for the first time since 2009 and meet the Milwaukee Brewers there.
The Rockies came aggressively out of the starting blocks after Charlie Blackmon opened the game with a lead-off walk. Right after that DJ LeMahieu won a seven-pitch-At-Bat against Jon Lester and beat a Ground Rule Double into the ivy in Left Field. With runners on 2 and 3, Nolan Arenado brought Blackmon home directly after the race via Sacrifice Fly. However, two strikeouts followed, which limited the damage to Chicago.
The Cubs promptly responded with a lead-off single by Ben Zobrist, who stayed at first base, as Kyle Freeland didn’t allow himself to be put off either and managed two strikeouts in the inning. Thereupon a Pitcher duel began which was worth seeing. Both left-handers gave each other nothing, managed strikeouts at the right time and left nothing burning.
The Cubs’ biggest chance against Freeland was probably in the sixth inning: After lead-off walk by Pinch-Hitter Ian Happ, who also finished Jon Lester’s excellent outing (6 IP, 4 H, ER, 9 SO), Kris Bryant also beat a single – a Blooper, which Rockies-Right-Fielder David Dahl underestimated and dropped into the field. But even with runners on 1 and 2 Freeland remained cool: Double Play by Anthony Rizzo!
An even bigger chance was given to the landlords only one inning later! With two outs and runners on the 1 step Rockies manager Bud Black to action and took Freeland out. Pitcher Adam Ottavino and Catcher Drew Butera joined the game with a double switch. Ottavino first had a wild pitch and then a walk. With two runners on Base Pinch-Hitter Tommy La Stella came through a Catcher’s interference on Base – Bases Loaded! But Jason Heyward, who was also a substitute, got a strikeout and left loaded bases behind.
Ottavino stayed in the game and made two more outs in the eighth inning before Rizzo made a single. He was replaced by Pinch-Runner Terrance Gore, who stole second base and then came home with an RBI double from Javier Baez. With 1:1 it went into the ninth and finally into Extra Innings.
Until the 13th inning, both sides left several base runners against various pitchers before Tony Wolters played the saviour. With two outs and runners on the corners, the previously substituted Catcher managed a RBI single against right-hander Kyle Hendricks to 2-1 for the Rockies.
Only in the twelfth inning Backup-Catcher Wolters became the hero of the evening. His RBI single provided the decisive run in the game. In a “Win-or-go-Home” game decided in Extra Innings, you are automatically the hero!
Both fought to the last, mistakes were made, but team mates corrected them immediately. Surely it was Kyle Hendricks who took the loss for the Cubs in the end, but it wouldn’t be fair to call it a flop. The game was so tight and so well pitched that it didn’t deserve a flop!
This article was published without prior review by Major League Baseball.