The 1998 Chicago Cubs excited us all, for an array of different reasons

Chicago Cubs: Late-season push and a bit of luck pushes them to October

Heading into September the Cubs were 76-62 after playing above .500 baseball all season. Their Wild Card chances looked promising as they won 11 of the first 16 that last month. Epic wins against the Brewers on September 12 and 13 marked the high points of that stretch, with Sosa hitting homers 60-62 during those matchups.

However, a 2-6 stretch to finish their 162 game season looked like their doom (remember the Brant Brown game?) until the San Francisco Giants lost in the final game to the Rockies thanks to a Neifi Perez walk-off homer. Each team was tied 89-73 at the conclusion of the regular season.

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The 1998 Wild Card berth was determined by a winner-take-all game 163 at Wrigley Field on September 28. Michael Jordan threw out the first pitch in front of the 39,556 spectators. Gaetti hit a two-run shot to give the Cubs the early lead and they added on a few more as Steve Trachsel took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Up 5-0 in the ninth, the Giants rallied with three runs, but Rod Beck came in and got Joe Carter to pop out to Mark Grace to clinch it.

On to the NLDS, the Cubs squared off against the 106-win Atlanta Braves, a squad that had Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine all in their primes. Not to mention a lineup with Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Javy Lopez and Andres Galarraga. The 90-73 Cubs did not stand a chance. Some referred to the NLDS as a “bye round” for the Braves.

A swift three-game sweep ended the 1998 season as the Braves outscored the Cubs by a laughable 15-4 margin. Game 2 was a heartbreaker as a Tapani gem was all for naught when Cubs squandered a 1-0 lead in the ninth and lost in the 10th. Wood gave a good effort in Game 3 at Wrigley but a late grand slam by Eddie Perez put the game away. Despite the loss, the crowd rose to their feet after the final out to applaud the team.