Cubs beat Marlins 2-1, clinch playoff berth as Crow-Armstrong joins 40-40 club
Chicago secured a National League wild card spot for a second straight year, and Pete Crow-Armstrong became the seventh player in MLB history with 40 homers and 40 steals in a season.
What we know
- The Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 at Wrigley Field on Thursday and improved to 88-71. [1] [2]
- The Cubs clinched one of the National League's three wild card berths, according to The Associated Press. [2]
- Pete Crow-Armstrong stole his 40th base of the season and has 45 home runs, becoming the seventh 40-40 player, according to AP. [2]
- Matthew Boyd (10-5) got the win, Ryan Zeferjahn earned the save and Jack Ralston (0-2) took the loss. [1] [2]
The Chicago Cubs clinched a spot in the postseason Thursday with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. The victory moved Chicago to 88-71 and, according to The Associated Press, guaranteed the Cubs one of the National League's three wild card berths. [1][2]
The Cubs also reached the playoffs as a wild card last year, when they beat San Diego in the first round and lost to Milwaukee in a Division Series, AP reported. This is their first pair of consecutive postseason trips since they made four in a row from 2015 to 2018. Miami fell to 78-81 and was assured of a third straight season without a winning record, AP said. [2]
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong also reached a milestone. After drawing a leadoff walk in the first inning, Crow-Armstrong stole second base for the 40th time in 47 attempts. Together with a major league-leading 45 home runs, that made Crow-Armstrong the seventh player with a 40-homer, 40-steal season, AP reported. The others are Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. AP described the 24-year-old as a favorite for NL MVP and said fans chanted "MVP" as the videoboard noted the feat. [2]
Matthew Boyd allowed one run on five hits and two walks over seven innings to earn the win and improve to 10-5. Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save. [1][2]
Miami's Jakob Marsee singled in a run in the third inning for a 1-0 lead. Seiya Suzuki tied the game with his 26th home run in the fifth, according to the box score line and AP. [1][2]
The turning point came in the sixth. Ian Happ tripled off Ralston to open the inning and scored three pitches later on a single by Nico Hoerner, which broke the 1-1 tie. [2]
The Marlins return to Miami on Friday to start a three-game series against Atlanta to end the regular season. The Cubs play a day-night doubleheader Friday at Boston, AP said. [2]