By: Christian Otteman (@cotteman7) Hello Cubs Live nation, and welcome to a semi-regular segment that I’ll be calling the Thursday Thinkpiece. In this series I’ll be examining some questions to facilitate some new and unique conversation and offer a change of pace from the in-depth content the team is providing in following this year’s Cubs. In this week’s segment I’ll be breaking down one of my favorite topics to discuss with fellow fans: what is your absolute favorite Cubs game in your history as a fan? Before we delve into this discussion, I want to set one simple but important ground rule: playoff games are disqualified from this conversation. These games obviously carry infinitely more weight than their regular season counterparts and, with the past few postseasons in mind, this conversation would likely consist of only a handful of games if we include playoffs. The point of this topic is to get into the nitty-gritty of the regular season and to dig into those weird and wonderful games that stand out among a sea of (mostly) forgettable contests. The big comebacks, the historic moments, and the downright weird games are part of what makes being a baseball fan—and a Cubs fan in particular—so gratifying. Before I get to my personal favorite game, here’s a couple runners-up in this category that deserve an honorable mention: July 27th, 2015: Cubs 9, Rockies 8 Or as I like to call it, the beginning of the new age Cubs. Heading into the bottom of the 9th, things seemed bleak at best for the north siders: in classic Cubs fashion, they had seemingly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, blowing a 7-4 lead to face an 8-7 deficit heading into the bottom of the 9th. The pendulum of momentum was completely in the Rockies’ favor until future rookie of the year Kris Bryant stepped up to the plate with 2 outs, and hit a booming walk-off home run to left-center—the first walk-off of his career. I vividly remember watching this game with my brother and going ballistic in our living room while simultaneously trying not to wake up the rest of our family. This game felt like such a turning point for this team, as well, who went on a second-half run for the ages to set themselves up for a deep playoff run. August 24th, 2014: Cubs 2, Orioles 1 A bit of an oddball in this discussion, as it was a fairly pedestrian game in most cases, save for the fact that Tsuyoshi Wada took a no hitter into the 7th inning. I could have easily chosen a no-hitter from Zambrano or Arrieta in place of this game, but being at Wrigley Field for this game made it infinitely more memorable. The tension was palpable as Wada’s pitch count rose throughout the innings, each inning lasting seemingly longer than the last. The disappointment as Steve Pearce of all people launched a ball onto Waveland to end Wada’s outing was absolutely soul-crushing, cementing this game as one of my favorites to reminisce about with my family. July 31st, 2016: Cubs 7, Mariners 6 (13 innings) This game really had it all—a crazy comeback, a big stage on Sunday Night Baseball, some classic Joe Maddon voodoo magic (see also: Travis Wood, left fielder) and to cap it all off, a Jon Lester walkoff bunt for good measure. The boo birds were flying early in the game when Brian Matusz allowed a two-run shot for the third straight inning, with many questioning Maddon’s methods, a trend that’s become all too common in this team’s era. Slowly but surely, the Cubs chipped away, and were able to send the game into extra innings with the help of a couple wild pitches in the ninth. The walk-off was one of the highlights of an incredibly memorable 2016—the fact that Jon Lester, one of the worst hitters in MLB history, pinch-hit to win the game with a squeeze bunt was incredible—and the Heyward helmet toss afterwards made it all the more satisfying. Of course, these games are all great in their own rights, but none of them hold the honor of being my favorite Cubs game of all time. That title belongs to the game that took me from being a casual Cubs follower to a die-hard fan that lives on every game of the season: June 29th, 2007: Cubs 6, Brewers 5 I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to give a little context: it was just another summer day at my West Michigan home, and the neighborhood kids had started a game of pickup basketball by the time I got home from swim practice. Pledging to join in on the next game, I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV just in time for the first pitch of the Cubs game. Though I was born and raised a Cubs fan, this was the first game I watched start to finish on TV, but I don’t think anybody would have blamed me if I stopped watching after the first inning. The Brewers absolutely shelled Rich Hill in the first with a five run inning capped off by a three-run shot by Kevin Mench. Milwaukee’s dominance in the first came as no surprise, as they already held a seven-and-a-half game lead on the Cubs in the division before the halfway point on the season. As much as I wanted to prove my competence in basketball and break some ankles outside, something told me to see this game through—and the payoff in the ninth was more than worth it. With two outs, one man on, and the Cubs down one, Aramis Ramirez delivered: Everything about this moment was perfect: Len Kasper’s call. Aramis doing a Sammy Sosa-esque hop as he watches the ball fly into the left-center bleachers. The deafening cheers coming from around Wrigley as Ramirez was mobbed by his teammates at home. It was this single moment that sold me on being a Cubs fan for life, which is why it is unquestionably my favorite Cubs game of all time.
So now I’ll turn it over to you guys—what Cubs game stands above the rest as your favorite and why? Was it because it was your first game at Wrigley, or that you witnessed an outstanding moment in person, or that you had an encounter with one of your favorite players, or something else entirely? Let the Cubs Live team know your thoughts, and we’ll see you soon for the next Thursday Thinkpiece!
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
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