And the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series!

Chicago Cubs: Hot out of the gate

The Cubs proved their dominance from the start, jumping out to a blazing start, hitting and pitching their way to victory. In their first three games, they blew out the Angels, and then beat the Diamondbacks 14-6. The undefeated season died in the fourth game, Arizona walked the Cubs off. 161-1 was still in reach. The Cubs jumped out to a 25-6 start, topped off by an eight-game winning streak, and Javy’s flare for the dramatic struck again.

This hot start included a no-hitter by Arrieta, his second in as many years, both on the road. Arrieta first no-hit the Dodgers in 2015, clinching the Cy Young award for himself. The no-hitter in LA only featured a measly two runs. This no-hitter, though, was an absolute drubbing. A game like that almost makes you feel sorry for the other team, doesn’t it? Kind of? Not really? Ah well, poor Reds.

The hot start didn’t come without a price, however. Schwarber and Fowler had a nasty collision. Shockingly, Schwarber did not win. Schwarber tore his ACL and was out for the season. He set out for redemption and to come back even better.

Bryant lived up to his billing in April, slashing .289/.372/.506, a .878 OPS with four home runs. Lester shined on the pitching side, pitching to a 1.83 ERA in five starts. He pitched at least seven innings in every start but one, which was a six-inning start.

Arrieta was even better in that April, pitching to a 1.00 ERA in five starts. He pitched at least seven innings in every start but one, which was a five-inning start. His April included an eight-inning start and the no-hitter. Through May, Arrieta had a 1.56 ERA in 11 starts. His last start in May was a 7-inning shutout performance against the Dodgers.