As you may or may not know, the Cubs and the Brewers have ended the regular season in a dead heat for first place in the National League Central Division. It's been a dog fight for the crown all summer and now it will come down to a sudden death grudge match at Wrigley Field this afternoon. No matter what happens, the North Siders will make the playoffs, as the loser of this contest will pivot to the Wild Card tilt (sudden death, part deaux); thus, it's not exactly for all of the marbles, but moving straight on to the NLDS without another one-and-done match up would be a much more desirable playoff route. At any rate, today is going to be one exciting afternoon of baseball in the Windy City!
But, it almost didn't come to this.
The Cubs had to win yesterday in order to force this OK Corral showdown, as the Brewers made absolute mincemeat of the Tigers throughout the weekend, and things got off to an inauspicious start. Matched up against the much more competitive Cardinals, the Red Birds jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and the Chicago offense looked like it would continue to slumber. Starting pitcher, Mike Montgomery, struggled through the Cards' batting order and was given a quick hook before things could get out of hand. Thus, Joe Maddon had to turn to his bullpen to save their division hopes. Who would he call upon?
...Allen Webster? Oh... okay then.
This was to be just his third MLB appearance since 2015. An off-season minor league signing, the former Red Sox and Dodgers top prospect spent most of the season rehabbing his pitching arm. It wasn't until August that Allen saw game action with the Mesa Cubs. After 17 total MiLB appearances, Webster was given a September audition in the wake of Pedro Strop's injury. Now, the Cubs pinned their hopes upon a reclamation project, who'd been in Rookie ball less than a month prior, in the most important game of the season.
Just like Theo and crew drew it up, I'm sure.
Webster, seen here after giving up 2 runs in his Cubs debut, mimicking how many fans looked after his name was announced on Sunday. Image courtesy of The Herald.
Much to everyone's surprise, Mr. Webster ended up earning the W after twirling 2/3 of an inning without allowing his inherited runner to score. Then, the Cubs bats busted out of their slump to push across ten runs across the next seven frames, setting up today's final face-off with the Brew Crew.
Fittingly, just the day before, I had received my first Allen Webster card in the mail, the 2013 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Refractor (that's a mouthful) that leads off this post. As it turns out, that shiny bit of pasteboard was a good omen! Upon the pitcher's initial call-up to the Cubs roster, I did not have a card ready to insert into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection as representation. After striking out at my LCS, I took to Ebay to track down the reflective eye-catcher, setting me back a whole dollar (shipping included).
A refractor for a buck? I'll take that! Especially since Webby, a fungible reliever, will probably never earn himself a card in the proper uniform. I guess you never know though. Maybe Now will recognize his improbable W?
And now, here's hoping that Jose Quintana goes deep and shuts down the powerful Brewer lineup this afternoon. The odds seem to be in Chicago's favor, as Q has posted a sterling 2.17 ERA in 37⅓ innings against the Brewers this year. Plus, the Brewers are hitting only .177 against him in 2018. Not to mention, it's a home game and are 51-30 in the Friendly Confines this season. Of course, baseball is gonna baseball and who knows what could happen in a do-or-die game like this one. As we've established, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
C'mon Quintana! I could do without having to cross my fingers and depend on Webster, Alec Mills, Jaime Garcia, or any other miscellaneous depth arm. I don't know if my nerves can take that kind of stress two days in a row!
Anyway, welcome to Cubs lore and to my CATRC binder, Allen Webster. Here's hoping you'll get to celebrate a divisional title later on this evening!
I find this one game playoff absurd in both the Central and the West. My opinion is that it should be head-to-head if they're both making the playoffs to begin with. Then again, I'm not a fan of the playoff format as it is now anyway, but that's a different rant for a different time. Anyway, good luck to your Cubbies.
ReplyDelete