Chicago Cubs: Pedro Strop quietly dominates yet again in 2018

Chicago Cubs: It’s time to make Strop a Cub for life

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An injury of the magnitude of which Strop suffered, would usually take four to six weeks to recover from.  However, after just two weeks, the right-hander returned to the hill.

He was nowhere near 100 percent, but accepted the challenge in order to give the Cubs a fighting chance to advance past the winner-take-all Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies.

In intense pain, Strop mustered up enough intestinal fortitude to pitch a scoreless ninth inning, giving the Cubs a chance to win with a walk-off in the bottom frame. He did this despite knowing full well that his injury would render him incapable of pitching if the Cubs were to advance to the next round.

Of course, Chicago lost the ballgame in 13 innings after a surprise RBI base hit from Colorado’s Tony Wolters, but Strop, once again, proved how gutsy of a player he is and that he deserves a place on the team in the future.

Chicago seems pretty much guaranteed to pick up Strop’s option for 2019. The bigger question is whether or not the front office makes a move to keep their longtime stopper on the North Side for years to come.

He’s truly been everything you want in a player – not just a reliable arm, but a leader in the clubhouse. He has been an understated heartbeat for the Cubs for more than a half decade – and he’s earned the right to carry that role for years to come.