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The Daily CCO: Cubs Return to the NLCS, 27 Outs and Other News and Notes

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The Cubs are returning to the National League Championship Series following the biggest, most improbable ninth inning comeback in team history.

These Cubs simply do not quit. Joe Maddon’s next T-shirt should have “We Don’t Quit” across the front in big, bold letters.

“After the game, even on the mound, there taking the photographs, the guys were chanting, ‘We don’t quit, we don’t quit,'” Joe Maddon said.

“We don’t quit. That’s really what it comes down to. You hear that all the time, everybody says it, but you have to actually live it. And I have to tell you, I’ve seen it so many times from this group. That’s a big part of our philosophy. And I like to keep things simple, and that’s simple,” Maddon said.

“We just play 27 outs.”

The Cubs will face the winner of the Dodgers-Nationals NLDS. The Dodgers forced a Game 5 with a 6-5 win on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium with Chase Utley delivering the big hit in the eighth inning. Rich Hill and Max Scherzer square off in Game 5 on Thursday (7:00pm CDT) at Nationals Park.

Jon Lester has not been announced yet as the Cubs starter for Game 1 of the NLCS. The Dodgers and Nationals will not have their number one starter available for Saturday. With Clayton Kershaw pitching Tuesday and Max Scherzer set for Thursday, the Cubs would not see Kershaw until Game 2 of the NLCS if the Dodgers advance and Scherzer would not be available until Game 3 of the NLCS.

NLDS News and Notes

The Cubs beat the Giants in the best-of-five NLDS, three games to one. And Game 4 of the NLDS will be remembered as one of the best comebacks in Cubs history.

The Cubs were able to win a game in which they were down by three runs going into the ninth. The Cubs avoided a Game 5 which Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon both brought up during the post-game celebration. The Cubs knew that in one game facing Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner how important it was to win Game 4.

Kris Bryant said it on Twitter, “This team is unbelievable! Eight more!” And Anthony Rizzo said, “You can’t take for granted what we’ve done, last year and this year. But we got one mission, one goal in mind. That’s eight more wins.”

Here’s just a few of the post-game reports and notes from Game 4 of the NLDS …

• CCO – Cubs Comeback in the Ninth, Eliminate the Giants and Advance to NLCS

• CCO – Fly The W! Cubs Advance to the National League Championship Series (Includes Videos)

• Comcast Sports Net explained the Cubs have unfinished business as they return to NLCS after stunning comeback against Giants.

• The Tribune reported the ninth-inning rally was memorable for young and old Cubs. The Cubs put away the Giants with ferocious ninth-inning rally according to ESPN Chicago. And David Haugh reported the Cubs come back to life just in time, and now anything seems possible.

• Bob Nightengale reported the Cubs pull off wild comeback in ninth, eliminate the Giants to advance to NLCS.

• One inning changed everything for the Cubs and for the Giants according to Ken Rosenthal.

• Theo Epstein told the Tribune our boys showed up when it mattered most … click here for video.

• Joel Sherman reported the Cubs were feeling every single demon before ‘lighting strike.’

• The Sun-Times reported Cubs fans have to understand this was never going to be easy.

• ESPN Chicago explained the clutch moments that landed the Cubs in the NLCS. And ESPN Chicago detailed the Giant stunner, inside the Cubs’ clinching rally.

• Aroldis Chapman shared a message for Cubs fans after winning the NLDS.

• Willson Contreras became the fourth player in Cubs history to deliver a game-tying hit in the ninth inning or later, joining Kris Bryant, Sammy Sosa and Frank Chance.

• Cubs 2016 NLDS RBI leaders: Jake Arrieta (3), Kris Bryant (3), Kyle Hendricks (2), David Ross (2), Javier Baez (2), Willson Contreras (2), Ben Zobrist (2), Travis Wood (1)

• Travis Wood, Carl Edwards Jr. and Hector Rondon kept the Giants off the board for three innings in Game 4 that made the ninth inning comeback possible.

• The Cubs are the first team to win a league division series without allowing a home run since the 2009 Yankees.

Jon Lester

Jon Lester is slated to pitch Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night at Wrigley. Before Game 4 of the NLDS, the Cubs did not make him available to the media as a possible Game 5 starter. The Cubs planned to end the series and did not to want to have Lester talking about a game that would only happen if they lost.

Lester did talk with the Cubs’ beat writers and admitted he hates Twitter.

According to ESPN Chicago, Lester “talked a lot about Twitter” and “pretty much said it sucks but he has fun with it every so often.”

Lester did say that no one in the Cubs’ clubhouse believes in Goats or curses.

“Nobody really cares in there about a curse or a goat or anything else,” Lester said. “It is what it is. It’s what you make of it. Most of our young guys don’t even know about any of that stuff.”

News and Notes

• John Lackey made his 21st postseason start Tuesday in Game 4 of the NLDS, tied with Mike Mussina for seventh All-Time and the most for any active pitcher in baseball. Lackey became the second oldest pitcher to start a postseason game for the Cubs. Lackey and David Ross were the first starting battery where both players were 37-plus years old since Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada in Game 3 of the 2010 American League Championship Series.

• Comcast SportsNet reported there’s no time for second-guessing, how Joe Maddon proceeds with Aroldis Chapman and the Cubs bullpen.

• The Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg after he felt discomfort during Monday’s bullpen session. Reports Monday indicated Strasburg’s side session went well. That’s apparently not the case. The Nationals were hoping to have Strasburg for Game 4 of the NLCS, if they advanced. Strasburg’s status moving forward is unknown but it does not appear he will be an option in the next round for Dusty Baker.

• Christopher Kamka posted a list of the players with four hits in a single-postseason game against the Cubs. And it brings back a lot of bad memories.

• Game 4 of the NLDS posted a 19.0 Chicago market rating with a peak audience of over 772,000 homes according to Jeff Nuich.

• ESPN explained what we learned Tuesday … Cubs move on with improbable rally, Dodgers stay alive.

This Day in Cubstory

2015 – The Cubs homered six times in an 8-6 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the NLDS. Kris Bryant, Starlin Castro, Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler set the Major League record for the most homers in a single postseason game.

2011 – The Cubs agreed on a five-year contract with Theo Epstein to be the President of Baseball Operations. The contract would not be made official for two weeks due to the Cubs and Red Sox not being able to agree on compensation for letting Epstein out of the last year of his contract in Boston.

2009 – Cubs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The short-term move allowed the Tribune Co. to sell the team to the Ricketts family

2004 – Cubs granted free agency to Jimmy Anderson

1993 – Cubs released Steve Lake

1982 – Casey McGehee, born

1977 – Cubs released Randy Hundley

1970 – Cubs traded Roger Metzger to the Astros for Hector Torres

1969 – Derrick White, born

1940 – Glenn Beckert, born

1929 – The Cubs led the Athletics 8-0 in the fourth game of the World Series. The A’s scored 10 runs in the seventh inning and beat the Cubs 10-8 at Shibe Park. Centerfielder Hack Wilson lost a fly ball in the sun, the ball rolled to the fence and went for a three-run inside the park homer for Mule Haas that was the big play in the inning. Sportswriters began referring to Hack Wilson as ‘Sunny Boy’ after the misplayed ball.

1912 – Cubs released Mordecai Brown

1907 – Cubs won the 1907 World Series with a 2-0 victory over the Tigers at Bennett Park. Mordecai Brown picked up the win and the Cubs became the first team to sweep a World Series, even though a game ended in a tie after 12 innings.

1906 – Mordecai Brown pitched the first shutout for the Cubs in World Series play. The Cubs beat the White Sox 1-0 at West Side Grounds.

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