An unforgettable Cubs moment to look back on with Cubs Convention underway

The 2018 ultimately ended in disappointment - but this game will surely stand the test of time.

David Bote celebrating after his game winner
David Bote celebrating after his game winner | Jon Durr/GettyImages

Grand slams are rare in baseball. When they happen, they're exciting and make for a great highlight and amazing engagement. Walk-off grand slams are an entirely different story. They are even more rare than your run-of-the-mill grand slams and make for ten times the excitement.

Chicago Cubs fans had no idea they were in for a treat on Aug. 12, 2018, a Sunday Night Baseball matchup against the Washington Nationals. The game was headlined by the pitching matchup of Max Scherzer v. Cole Hamels and it delivered.

Scherzer was dominant for the Nationals, going seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits, no runs and striking out 11 Cubs. Hamels was stellar as well, going seven innings, allowing one hit, one run and striking out nine.

Insert the bullpens for both teams, and you'll start to see runs scored. Ryan Zimmermann laced a two-run single in the ninth inning to extend the Washington lead to 3-0, and fans began to hit the exits at Wrigley Field. The Zimmermann single felt like it put the game out of reach, and it would be a shutout loss for Chicago on national TV. Little did they know, the game was far from over.

In a matter of moments, everything changed for the Cubs

Ryan Madson came on for the save for the Nationals. He'd had a rough year in DC, but with no real closer at the time, he was given the ball to try and lock down the win. He started well, getting Ben Zobrist to ground out to first base to start the bottom of the ninth, then the inning took a turn.

Jason Heyward reached on an infield single, and Albert Almora was hit by a pitch. Kyle Schwarber would foul out for the second out of the inning, and Willson Contreras was then hit by a pitch to set the stage for rookie pinch-hitter, David Bote.

What Bote did next would send Wrigley Field into a frenzy and be one of the most memorable moments in Cubs history. With the count sitting at 2-2, Bote launched a ball 442 feet to dead center field for a walk-off grand slam. Take a look and listen for yourself.

Had Chicago been able to make a deep postseason run, the Bote grand slam would've been looked at as the starting point. Unfortunately, the Cubs would lose both Game 163 and the Wild Card in a two-day span and there was no postseason run to be had. We will always have the memories from the 2018 season, with its biggest moment highlighted by Mr. Bote himself.

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