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Chicago Cubs: Top 5 moments of the Golden Era – #4: 2015 NL Wild Card
Prior to that historic 2015 NLDS win over St. Louis, they had to get there first. In doing so, it took a big win over the Pittsburgh Pirates to secure a spot in the 2015 NLDS. It’s not every day you see a 97-65 record only good for third place in a division, but that’s exactly where the Chicago Cubs found themselves that year behind the second-place Pirates (98-64) and division best St. Louis Cardinals (100-62).
After Jake Arrieta’s historic season and absolutely dominant second half to 2015, he took the mound in a winner-take-all game with a ticket to the NLDS on the line. Arrieta was in prime form. He pitched a complete game shutout, scattering five hits and fanning 11 in the process. Arrieta put the exclamation point on an already incredible year, sending the Cubs to face the division rival St. Louis Cardinals in a five-game set.
As for the offense, Dexter Fowler hit a home run but it was Kyle Schwarber who sent a mammoth two-run shot off Gerrit Cole deep into the night that didn’t land until splashing into the Allegheny River. With the win, the Cubs showed they were no longer a team to be looked at as an easy win. The Cubs were back and advancing to their first NLDS in seven years.