Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments as we bid farewell

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All good things must come to an end. With recent news breaking out of Chicago this week that Jake Arrieta has been released, Chicago Cubs fans have now had to endure saying farewell yet another all-time favorite. Saying goodbye to fan favorites seems to happening all too often these days. Although this goodbye isn’t as heart-wrenching for the Cubs and die-hard fans, it is yet another one added to the ledger.

The now-35-year-old Arrieta just didn’t have much left in the tank anymore. In 86 1/3 innings of work this season, Arrieta struggled to the tune of a 6.88 ERA and 5-11 record. A far, far cry from the former ace of the Cubs pitching staff. We pretty much all knew it was inevitable at some point. Releasing the veteran at this point will at least make room in the rotation for another young up-and-comer to showcase what he’s got. That is, unless they go back to a five-man rotation now and just stick with Justin Steele as Arrieta’s replacement.

It was a sentimental reunion tour that saw Arrieta don Cubbie blue for one last hoorah. Now, the Cubs and their fanbase can let Arrieta’s legacy live on, the way it probably should have all along. There were so many key moments that the TCU alum gave the Cubs. Fans across Chicago will always be thankful and full of gratitude when remembering what Arrieta did for the Cubs in his first stint with the team. Looking back, let’s revisit the top five Jake Arrieta moments in a Cubs uniform.

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Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments – #5: His first no-hitter

Let’s start with Jake Arrieta’s first career no-hitter in 2015. In an oddball game that saw the Cubs rack up 13 hits and leave 12 on base, only scoring a pair of runs, it didn’t much matter. Arrieta was absolutely dominant in this one. He was one bad pitch away from a perfect game that ultimately was called ball four instead, notching the only walk allowed from #49 on the evening.

The right-hander tossed 116 pitches, fanning the side in the ninth for his 10th, 11th and12th punchouts of the ballgame. In the process, Arrieta improved to 17-6 in the midst of one of the greatest second halves ever, lowering his ERA at the time to 2.11. That mark would only continue downward from there.

Memories like this solidified Arrieta’s reputation at the top of the rotation. Backed by Arrieta’s dominance on the mound, the Cubs were beginning to turn the corner from Lovable Losers to a winning ball club. Something special was starting to happen on the North Side of Chicago and fans had awaited their entire life for it. This team was different than the early 2000’s team. This team was poised to make some noise … and it only got better the following year in 2016.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments – #4: World Series Game 2 victory

Now let’s shift our attention to Game 2 of the 2016 World Series. As everyone remembers, the Cubs lost Game 1 in Cleveland and desperately needed Game 2 to even up the series before things shifted back to Chicago. After having struggled earlier in the postseason, the Cubs needed Cy Young-caliber Jake Arrieta and that is exactly who showed up.

Arrieta did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, when he was then pulled with the score being 5-1 in favor of Chicago. The score did not change again the rest of the night and the Chicago Cubs tied up the series at one apiece heading back to the Friendly Confines.

In the process of picking up the ‘W’ in the first World Series win for the franchise since 1945, Arrieta set a Cubs record for most strikeouts in a postseason contest. No longer lacking October experience as they were the year before, the Cubs headed back to Chicago brimming with confidence after a huge game that turned the odds back in their favor for the next three games to be played in Wrigley.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments – #3: Arrieta tosses a second no-no

Rewinding back to the beginning of the 2016 season, before Arrieta’s dominance in Game 2 of the World Series, he reminded everybody why he won the NL Cy Young the year prior. Only 11 starts removed from his first no-hitter, Arrieta struck again with his second no-no.

En route to a lopsided 16-0 victory, Arrieta hurled 119 pitches at the Cincinnati Reds and no Reds player could do anything with even one of them. Though this time the right-hander surrendered four walks, his second no-hitter increased his streak to 24 straight quality starts. He fanned six along the way as the Chicago Cubs got off to a red hot 12-4 start to open the 2016 campaign.

At this point, Arrieta was pretty much the best pitcher alive. Though he wouldn’t quite see the same success that he saw in 2015, nobody really judged him for it as it was almost next to impossible to do so. Arrieta finished the 2016 regular season with an 18-8 record and a 3.10 ERA. He fired 197 1/3 frames while striking out 190. Not bad considering it was a step back from his previous season.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments – #2: World Series Game 6 triumph

As the 2016 World Series shifted back to Cleveland with the situation looking grim and the Cleveland Indians taking a commanding 3-2 series lead after leaving Chicago, the Cubs once again turned to Arrieta in a win-or-go-home situation for all the marbles.

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Thankfully, Kris Bryant got the party started in Cleveland with a blast in the first inning. Inevitably, it would open the flood gates and the Cubs poured it on, scoring twice more before delivering a critical blow on a third-inning grand slam by Addison Russell, making the scoreboard read 7-0 in favor in Chicago.

I remember the moment vividly watching that game. It was at that moment Cleveland realized, these Cubs weren’t going down without a fight to the death. Arrieta just needed to put it on auto-pilot for a while and reach a pivotal Game 7. Cruise is exactly what he did. Arrieta fired 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball, allowing three hits while striking out nine in the process.

Not too many Cubs can say they recorded two wins in a World Series. Arrieta was Mr. Clutch when the Cubs needed it most, but even that accomplishment doesn’t land at number one on our list.

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Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Jake Arrieta moments – #1: Historic 2015 Cy Young campaign

For the utter dominance showcased throughout 2015, in the second half of the season especially, Arrieta’s Cy Young campaign tops this list. Embarking on what was one of the best seasons by any pitcher in history, Arrieta flew out of the gate with a 3-1 record and 2.02 ERA in April. Losing three of his next four starts, Arrieta finished May with a 4-4 record. It seemed like his hot streak was now a thing of the past. Little did everybody know, Arrieta was about to make history. He would go the rest of the year only losing two more games.

In fact, from July 25, 2015 against the Phillies on, Arrieta didn’t lose again for the rest of the season. More impressively, he went 6-0 in six starts in August, and 10-0 with two no-decisions in his final 12 starts of the year in that two-month span of baseball.

Arrieta would go on to post an incredible lights-out 0.75 ERA over his final 107 1/3 innings pitched in the second half, a feat which broke a record for the most dominant stretch in the second half in the history of the game. On the year, the right-hander would finish with a 1.77 ERA and a league-leading 22-6 record. His four complete games were also the most among pitchers in 2015, with his crowning achievement coming August 30, 2015 where he threw his first career no-hitter.

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Stretches like this in baseball are few are far between. Chicago Cubs fans will always appreciate what Arrieta accomplished on the mound. The franchise saw their most success in its history with Jake Arrieta as the centerpiece of the starting rotation. For that, he will always have the hearts and respect of Cubs fans. Thank you and congratulations on a fantastic Cubs career.

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