Chicago Cubs: Top 5 moments from the regular season

No. 5: September 4, 2016 — Jason Heyward‘s three RBI, walk-off vs Giants

In 2014, it was the year of the rookie for this Chicago Cubs team. Just a year later, walk-offs seemed to be the headline of their 97 win season. Not to mention a trip to the NLCS after defeating Jason Heyward’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Just a few months following his elimination from the postseason, Heyward agreed to a massive eight-year deal with the Cubs. He began his career with the Atlanta Braves and hit his first career homer off Carlos Zambrano.

Fast forward a few years later and now he’s representing this organization. Possibly for the remainder of his career.

Admittedly, Cubs fans have been harsh towards Heyward throughout the season. All because he struggled in the batter’s box from time-to-time but we didn’t necessarily sign him for his bat. Heyward is more of a defensive cornerstone to add to Chicago’s list of potential Gold Glove winners.

Consider him the anchor of this defense. However, September 4th was different. Heyward accounted for all three Cubs runs. Jason finished 3-for-6 with base knocks in the fourth, ninth, and 12th innings.

Great day for Jason who deserved the offensive spotlight.

No. 4: September 12, 2016 — Kyle Hendricks nearly no-hits Cardinals

At this point, the Chicago Cubs have several players who will receive N.L. Cy Young votes when it’s time to hand out yearly awards. We all expected Jake Arrieta to be at the top of the list following his spectacular run, but one man emerged from the shadows.

Totally didn’t mean to make it sound like Kyle Hendricks’ secret identity was Batman. But Hendricks turned into one of Chicago’s most beloved heroes in 2016. Most of all, a solid candidate for the Cy Young at the end of the year.

First of all, Kyle should be considered the ace of this staff for the year. No disrespect to Arrieta but this kid was absolutely lights out throughout the year. In addition, he leads the league in earned run average.

Granted, Clayton Kershaw was out for awhile which opened the door for Kyle to take over as captain of the ship. Over the course of eight innings, Kyle cruised through the Cardinals lineup, striking out seven hitters in the process.

It wasn’t until the ninth inning where St. Louis would finally crack the hit column and scoreboard thanks to their left fielder. Hendricks was ahead 0-2 in the count but left a pitch hanging over the plate.

As a result, outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker hammered a solo home run out to right field, putting an end to Kyle’s night. To our surprise, Cardinals fans joined in on the standing ovation for a man who flirted with history.

No. 3: June 27, 2016 — Kris Bryant goes 5-for-5, 3 HR, 2 2B vs Reds

Most of us are expecting Kris Bryant to remain the last one standing when it comes to N.L. MVP honors at the end of the year. Bryant entered the league in April of last season and made a name for himself right off the bat.

We all knew how special Kris was going to be. The man can play multiple positions on the field and will provide the Chicago Cubs with enough firepower to walk away with a win. He is someone who compliments Anthony Rizzo‘s presence in the lineup.

Well, to us, they are both known as Bryzzo. Two men launching souvenirs into the stands for happy baseball fans. What more could someone ask for? That’s exactly what Kris did against the Reds to begin the series.

Kris became the first player in big league history to hit three home runs and two doubles in the same game. Think about that, the first player ever. Bryant’s first hit was a double out to left, putting the Cubs up 1-0.

He later followed that up with his 19th home run of the campaign. Just an inning later, Kris swatted his 20th big fly, scoring Jake Arrieta and Jason Heyward to make it 7-3 in favor of the visiting team.

Most noteworthy, Arrieta went yard for his second homer of the year. Bryzzo would strike the eighth as Kris hit his 21st and Rizzo launched his 18th.

No. 2: April 21, 2016 — Jake Arrieta throws second career no-no vs Reds

Early on, the Chicago Cubs were red-hot and seemed unstoppable. After opening up the first month of the campaign with an impressive 11-4 record, the North Siders traveled to Cincinnati.

Not only was Arrieta’s second career no-hitter impressive but the fact that the Cubs scored 16 in the process was an eye-opener. Together with Arrieta, Chicago put the rest of the league on notice with their dominating performance.

As a matter of fact, this game showed just how great the Cubs were going to be throughout the regular season. Minus a few bumps in the road but hey, you can’t win them all, right? Jake’s big night in Cincinnati just so happened to be equally important for David Ross.

It was the first time in big league history where Ross caught a no-hitter. Last year, Jake threw his first against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ross was with his family at the time and kept track of the game on his phone.

Alright, so Arrieta cruised through this game aside from issuing four walks. However, he struck out six while lowering his earned run average to 0.87 in the process. Chicago backed him up with four home runs that night — two from Bryant, and one from Ross, Rizzo, and Ben Zobrist.

Surely, Jake’s best performance of the regular season. And one that we will never forget.

No. 1: July 31, 2016 — Cubs erase six-run deficit with walk-off vs Mariners

Sadly, I was unable to find a picture of the Chicago Cubs celebrating their walk-off win over the Seattle Mariners. A game in which turned the tables for the North Siders after hitting a brick wall before the All-Star break.

On this day, Brian Matusz made his Cubs debut. It was a risk that Joe Maddon was willing to take and honestly, it didn’t pay off in the end. Actually, Matusz turned in one of his worst outings as a big league pitcher after receiving a second chance with the Cubs.

Over the course of the first three innings, Matusz gave up three two-run homers to Seattle, putting him in a huge hole early on. Again, not his best performance as a big leaguer, however, his new teammates would bail him out.

Even though they trailed 6-0, the Cubs were not going to give up. They tallied two runs in the fifth, cutting Seattle’s lead down to four. Zobrist played a huge part in the comeback, making it a three-run game with a RBI triple in the seventh.

All-Star shortstop, Addison Russell, made it a two-run contest with a base knock of his own, scoring Rizzo. Because of the throw, Addison found himself standing on second with one away in the ninth.

Wild Ending

With Matt Szczur in the box, the Cubs tied things up on a wild pitch by Steve Cishek. Neither team would score in the first 2 extra-innings until the home half of the 12th. First, Heyward led off the frame with a double and advanced to third on a Contreras fly-out to center field.

Rather than play it safe, Joe opted to take a risk by bringing in southpaw Jon Lester as a pinch-hitter. And little did we know, it would work. Lester laid down the perfect bunt, resulting in Heyward sliding ahead of the tag and sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy.

A mob of Cubs players stormed the field, surrounding Lester who was pelted with a white powder directly in the face. Not sure how comfortable that was but I’m sure he had trouble breathing afterward. In the end, it was all in good fun.

Thank you, Cubs

Well, there you have it. My list of the top five moments from the regular season and what a ride it has been. Now that this wild ride of 162 games has finally come to an end, it’s time to focus on the North Siders winning the pennant.

But before we part, for the time being, let’s review those who made the list. Jason Heyward’s three RBI day, Kyle Hendricks nearly no-hitting St. Louis, Kris Bryant’s 5-for-5 day, Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter and the comeback against the Seattle Mariners.

A handful of moments that were key for this Cubs team. Yet while my list is out in the open for all of you to see, what’s on your list? Was it Anthony Rizzo’s tarp gem? Javier Baez and his Mother’s Day walk-off homer? Or possibly one of Miguel Montero‘s walk-off hits?

Next: Cubs' Hendricks win ERA title

Be sure to comment in the necessary section below and let us know what made your list. There have been plenty of moments, and as mentioned before, too many to list. And thank you for joining us for another exciting season of Cubs baseball.

In conclusion, here’s to a potential World Series title.