Chicago Cubs: Ranking Jake Arrieta’s most memorable home runs

Cubs fans lost it when Jake Arrieta took Madison Bumgarner deep

He’ll never get a bigger hit in his life. Arrieta’s NLDS home run off postseason icon Madison Bumgarner was proof that there was magic in that 2016 run.

Arrieta had ground out a long at-bat against Bumgarner which is really all you can hope from a pitcher taking an AB, but everyone’s patience was rewarded with what was for me personally, the moment that convinced me the Cubs were going to win the World Series.

Chicago may not have won that game, but they won Game 4 with even more postseason magic to advance to the NLCS where another unlikely hero would hit a massive home run in Game 1, and the rest is history.

In an offseason that’s been a grim look to the future for Cubs fans, it’s nice to have a little piece of the past added to the equation. Arrieta may not be the same pitcher he once was, or the same hitter for that matter, but the Cubs weren’t looking all that likely to compete  regardless.

So why not have Arrieta around to maybe retire a Cub? Hopefully the ending is as good as the rest of the story.