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

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.

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.