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Chicago Cubs to square off against San Francisco Giants in NLDS
It’s October in Wrigleyville, and for the Chicago Cubs, the stage is officially set. Chicago will square off against the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS on Friday night at Wrigley Field.
Last year at this time, Chicago Cubs fans gathered to watch their team square off against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game. This year, however, the Cubs and their fans had the luxury of waiting and watching to see who they would face in the Divisional Series.
Just as we all suspected, it was a pitchers’ duel at Citi Field. The hard-throwing Noah Syndergaard tossed seven scoreless innings to go with 10 strikeouts on the night.
Equally impressive was Madison Bumgarner, who pitched a complete game shutout en route to a 3-0 win over the Mets.
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That brings us to the moment Cubs’ fans have been waiting for all year. After being swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS a year ago, the Cubs find themselves back in the postseason.
Chicago has already announced its postseason rotation, starting with veteran southpaw, Jon Lester. Lester recorded a phenomenal 1.74 ERA at Wrigley this season, as he’ll look to keep that momentum going. San Francisco will look to Johnny Cueto to counter him in game one.
The Professor vs Shark
Game two will feature Jeff Samardzija and Kyle Hendricks. In addition, game three will see the Cubs travel to San Francisco as Jake Arrieta takes on Madison Bumgarner.
Finishing the season with 103 wins is impressive, but the real season begins now. October brings an entirely different atmosphere; one that Chicago is learning to embrace.
Next: AL Wild Card offered glimpse into hell for Cubs fans
The phrase “next year is here” has historically carried a sarcastic tone for Cubs fans, but this time around, things are different. Fans truly believe that 2016 belongs to the Chicago Cubs, and more importantly, the team believes it.
The wait for more postseason baseball in Chicago is finally over. You can catch game one of this NLDS series at 8:00 PM CT on FS1.