Chicago Cubs: My favorite memory vs. every National League team

Chicago Cubs: Atlanta Braves

This one is pretty easy to decide, though there are a few noteworthy Cubs-Braves moments I also felt like mentioning:

• June 1-2, 2007: Though the Cubs lost these two games, the first game is famous for Carlos Zambrano-Michael Barrett fight in the dugout, while the second game is remembered for the Lou Piniella meltdown that is credited for helping to turn the season around.
• 2008: The Cubs swept the season series from the Braves. On June 12, at Wrigley Field, Jim Edmonds hit a game-tying homer in the ninth, while the Cubs won in the 11th when Reed Johnson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
• August 20-23, 2015: The Cubs swept all four games from the Braves at Wrigley Field, including coming back from a 7-3 deficit on the 22nd.
• April 29, 2016: I was in attendance at Wrigley Field when Matt Szczur hit a grand slam late that put the game away.

However, the best Cubs-Braves moment has to be the 2003 NLDS victory. Kerry Wood pitched two great games, in Games 1 and 5, while Mark Prior threw a masterpiece in Game 3. This was a rematch of the 1998 NLDS, and both times, the Cubs were heavy underdogs. Unlike in 1998, however, the Cubs’ starting pitching made the difference.

Aside from everything that happened in 2016, this remains my next-favorite Cubs moment. It was the first time I had witnessed the Cubs win in the postseason (it was for many of us). Despite the rough ending to the season, I still feel a lot of joy when I think about that Game 5 victory against the Braves from 2003.