Top 108 Moments for the 2016 Cubs (Now complete!)

[UMFan83]

And he used Szczurs bat.

 

When you get to Addys big moments around the same time, no need to mention Szczurs contributions.

[jersey cubs fan]

And he used Szczurs bat.

 

When you get to Addys big moments around the same time, no need to mention Szczurs contributions.

 

Never forget:

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[Andy]

The NLCS effectively ended when Rizzo and Russell busted out in Game 4.

 

I think having a little brush with mortality and overcoming it with flying colors - in both the NLDS and NLCS - helped a lot, if only for the fan base, when we fell behind in the World Series.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Today was the 4 month anniversary of Game 7.

[bukie]

#41: Baez Hustles to Turn a Popup Into a Trip Around the Bases

 

 

Why on the list? - After Heyward led of the inning with a triple, the Dodgers brought the infield in against Baez, who popped up to shallow center. At regular infield depth, it's probably an out, but Baez out-hustled the Dodgers and turned it into a double. From there, he took third on a passed ball, and then while Lester was trying to squeeze bunt, Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz tried to pick Baez off third, but rather than making him run back to the bag he just threw right away. Baez, knowing he was too far up the line anyway, just broke for home and beat the return throw, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

[bukie]

#40: Lester Shuts Down Dodgers Twice

 

 

Why on the list? - Lester was NLCS MVP for a reason. During the NLDS and NLCS, Lester had 3 starts, allowing 0 runs through 8, then 1 run through 6, then 1 run through 7, each outing giving the Cubs the lead in the series. It's not flashy, but Lester took much of the nervousness out of the games for fans, because they knew the game would never be out of reach if Lester was on the mound.

[rocket]

The NLCS effectively ended when Rizzo and Russell busted out in Game 4.

 

I think having a little brush with mortality and overcoming it with flying colors - in both the NLDS and NLCS - helped a lot, if only for the fan base, when we fell behind in the World Series.

 

yeah i was totally confident and not a huge whiny baby when the cubs were down 3-1 in the world series

[weis21]

*Checks thread*

 

*Likes Bukie post*

 

repeat.

[rocket]

#42: Rizzo Finally Gets One to Stay Fair

 

*video of rizzo's homer*

 

Why on the list? - Easy to forget with all the winning, but Rizzo (and the majority of the offense) had a miserable start to the postseason. Most of the runs driven in the NLDS were pitchers or Baez/Bryant, and the Dodgers series started out with one amazing grand slam, but after that the Cubs were completely shut down for two games. They finally broke out in game 4, and Rizzo finally got his first extra base hit and RBI. After the trip around the bases, Rizzo went back into the dugout and gave Bryant a huge bear hug.

 

ooh, this made me remember rizzo's home run that broke kershaw's brain. god, there's like 50 moments this year that would make the top 5 in any other season.

[squally1313]

#42: Rizzo Finally Gets One to Stay Fair

 

*video of rizzo's homer*

 

Why on the list? - Easy to forget with all the winning, but Rizzo (and the majority of the offense) had a miserable start to the postseason. Most of the runs driven in the NLDS were pitchers or Baez/Bryant, and the Dodgers series started out with one amazing grand slam, but after that the Cubs were completely shut down for two games. They finally broke out in game 4, and Rizzo finally got his first extra base hit and RBI. After the trip around the bases, Rizzo went back into the dugout and gave Bryant a huge bear hug.

 

ooh, this made me remember rizzo's home run that broke kershaw's brain. god, there's like 50 moments this year that would make the top 5 in any other season.

 

Someone should try to make like a...top 20 moments of some year like 2011 just to really appreciate we've got 40 moments left that all took place after the middle of October.

[UMFan83]

#41: Baez Hustles to Turn a Popup Into a Trip Around the Bases

 

 

Why on the list? - After Heyward led of the inning with a triple, the Dodgers brought the infield in against Baez, who popped up to shallow center. At regular infield depth, it's probably an out, but Baez out-hustled the Dodgers and turned it into a double. From there, he took third on a passed ball, and then while Lester was trying to squeeze bunt, Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz tried to pick Baez off third, but rather than making him run back to the bag he just threw right away. Baez, knowing he was too far up the line anyway, just broke for home and beat the return throw, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

 

Game 1 was the peak Javy experience, great defense, smart hustle plays, lighting fast instincts. Definitely deserving of NLCS co-MVP

[UMFan83]

#42: Rizzo Finally Gets One to Stay Fair

 

*video of rizzo's homer*

 

Why on the list? - Easy to forget with all the winning, but Rizzo (and the majority of the offense) had a miserable start to the postseason. Most of the runs driven in the NLDS were pitchers or Baez/Bryant, and the Dodgers series started out with one amazing grand slam, but after that the Cubs were completely shut down for two games. They finally broke out in game 4, and Rizzo finally got his first extra base hit and RBI. After the trip around the bases, Rizzo went back into the dugout and gave Bryant a huge bear hug.

 

ooh, this made me remember rizzo's home run that broke kershaw's brain. god, there's like 50 moments this year that would make the top 5 in any other season.

 

Someone should try to make like a...top 20 moments of some year like 2011 just to really appreciate we've got 40 moments left that all took place after the middle of October.

 

I cannot think of one moment that I can definitively say is from the 2011 season. I'm sure that if I looked up the season on B-R there would be a number of games I'd say 'oh i remember that' but 2010 thru the first 2 months of 2014 is one giant blur to me. Once the Cubs started going on that winning streak in late June 2014, Shark was traded and there started to be rumors of Javy coming up, everything comes back into focus.

 

Here are 3:

 

June 2011: Jim Hendry drafts Javier Baez with 1st round pick. Theo Epstein notices and realizes that the Cubs finally "get it"

August 2011: Jim Hendry is fired

October 2011: Theo Epstein is named President of Baseball Operations and he names Jed Hoyer as GM

[Ding Dong Johnson]

E. Javier Baez is my hero

[We Got The Whole 9]

 

ooh, this made me remember rizzo's home run that broke kershaw's brain. god, there's like 50 moments this year that would make the top 5 in any other season.

 

Someone should try to make like a...top 20 moments of some year like 2011 just to really appreciate we've got 40 moments left that all took place after the middle of October.

 

I cannot think of one moment that I can definitively say is from the 2011 season. I'm sure that if I looked up the season on B-R there would be a number of games I'd say 'oh i remember that' but 2010 thru the first 2 months of 2014 is one giant blur to me. Once the Cubs started going on that winning streak in late June 2014, Shark was traded and there started to be rumors of Javy coming up, everything comes back into focus.

 

Here are 3:

 

June 2011: Jim Hendry drafts Javier Baez with 1st round pick. Theo Epstein notices and realizes that the Cubs finally "get it"

August 2011: Jim Hendry is fired

October 2011: Theo Epstein is named President of Baseball Operations and he names Jed Hoyer as GM

 

I will never forget Starlin's debut, even though that was 2010. His ascent was so rapid - crushing the AFL, then AA, and suddenly he's rushed to the Majors and hits a 3 run bomb and a bases clearing double... in his first 2 AB, IIRC.

 

Also memorable was the Rizzo-Chapman standoff.

[jumbo]

#40: Lester Shuts Down Dodgers Twice

 

 

Why on the list? - Lester was NLCS MVP for a reason. During the NLDS and NLCS, Lester had 3 starts, allowing 0 runs through 8, then 1 run through 6, then 1 run through 7, each outing giving the Cubs the lead in the series. It's not flashy, but Lester took much of the nervousness out of the games for fans, because they knew the game would never be out of reach if Lester was on the mound.

 

I want to see the Kiki Hernandez (can't remember his exact name) video leading off compared to Zoidberg from Futurama again. Game 1 memories

[Bull]

 

ooh, this made me remember rizzo's home run that broke kershaw's brain. god, there's like 50 moments this year that would make the top 5 in any other season.

 

Someone should try to make like a...top 20 moments of some year like 2011 just to really appreciate we've got 40 moments left that all took place after the middle of October.

 

I cannot think of one moment that I can definitively say is from the 2011 season. I'm sure that if I looked up the season on B-R there would be a number of games I'd say 'oh i remember that' but 2010 thru the first 2 months of 2014 is one giant blur to me. Once the Cubs started going on that winning streak in late June 2014, Shark was traded and there started to be rumors of Javy coming up, everything comes back into focus.

 

Here are 3:

 

June 2011: Jim Hendry drafts Javier Baez with 1st round pick. Theo Epstein notices and realizes that the Cubs finally "get it"

August 2011: Jim Hendry is fired

October 2011: Theo Epstein is named President of Baseball Operations and he names Jed Hoyer as GM

My mind is pretty fuzzy in my old age, but weren't there reports that Jim Hendry was "relieved of duty" several months before he was fired, and had nothing to do with the Javy pick? Maybe they asked Theo who he wanted?

[David]

 

Someone should try to make like a...top 20 moments of some year like 2011 just to really appreciate we've got 40 moments left that all took place after the middle of October.

 

I cannot think of one moment that I can definitively say is from the 2011 season. I'm sure that if I looked up the season on B-R there would be a number of games I'd say 'oh i remember that' but 2010 thru the first 2 months of 2014 is one giant blur to me. Once the Cubs started going on that winning streak in late June 2014, Shark was traded and there started to be rumors of Javy coming up, everything comes back into focus.

 

Here are 3:

 

June 2011: Jim Hendry drafts Javier Baez with 1st round pick. Theo Epstein notices and realizes that the Cubs finally "get it"

August 2011: Jim Hendry is fired

October 2011: Theo Epstein is named President of Baseball Operations and he names Jed Hoyer as GM

My mind is pretty fuzzy in my old age, but weren't there reports that Jim Hendry was "relieved of duty" several months before he was fired, and had nothing to do with the Javy pick? Maybe they asked Theo who he wanted?

 

quite the opposite. hendry oversaw that draft and stayed on board to sign all the picks even though he had already been informed that he'd be let go.

 

as for the theo quip, i'm pretty sure theo would never have picked baez. pretty sure the story out there is that they had no idea what to make of him and were scared off by his volatility.

[MWV]

I want to see the Kiki Hernandez (can't remember his exact name)

Enrique. I'm not sure the word filter would let you type his nickname.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

 

I cannot think of one moment that I can definitively say is from the 2011 season. I'm sure that if I looked up the season on B-R there would be a number of games I'd say 'oh i remember that' but 2010 thru the first 2 months of 2014 is one giant blur to me. Once the Cubs started going on that winning streak in late June 2014, Shark was traded and there started to be rumors of Javy coming up, everything comes back into focus.

 

Here are 3:

 

June 2011: Jim Hendry drafts Javier Baez with 1st round pick. Theo Epstein notices and realizes that the Cubs finally "get it"

August 2011: Jim Hendry is fired

October 2011: Theo Epstein is named President of Baseball Operations and he names Jed Hoyer as GM

My mind is pretty fuzzy in my old age, but weren't there reports that Jim Hendry was "relieved of duty" several months before he was fired, and had nothing to do with the Javy pick? Maybe they asked Theo who he wanted?

 

quite the opposite. hendry oversaw that draft and stayed on board to sign all the picks even though he had already been informed that he'd be let go.

 

as for the theo quip, i'm pretty sure theo would never have picked baez. pretty sure the story out there is that they had no idea what to make of him and were scared off by his volatility.

 

not Theo, but there's this quote from McLeod from when him and Jed were with SD:

 

“I didn’t know what to make of Javy out of the draft,” McLeod said. “We loved the athleticism, upside, power and game instincts. A few of our guys actually thought he might be able to catch. (But) he was a tough one to scout. His squad would tour around and play random schools.”

 

McLeod said he saw Baez twice that season, once against a much weaker team in Tennessee.

 

“He hit three home runs in a double-header but at the same time also swung and missed five times at well below-average high-school pitching,” McLeod said

 

“I remember calling Jed after the game and saying, ‘This guy may be Manny Ramirez, or he might never get out of Double A!’ We weren’t convicted on the hit tool at the time and probably could have done a better job getting to know him personally.”

[bukie]

#39: Cubs Break Open Game Five With Five-Run Eighth

 

 

Why on the list? - What had been a tense game in a 2-2 series was suddenly a laugher as the gap between the Cubs and Dodgers in defensive acumen came to light, and then Baez cleared the bases to really put it away. Even before all of this, though, Russell started the tone of the inning by making an easy play hard and getting on base:

 

[bukie]

#38: Cubs Keep Dodgers off Board Early in Game 4

 

 

Why on the list? - The Cubs hadn't scored in two full games at this point, and down 2-1 in the series with the offense scuttling, the defense kept things rolling early in game 4 to keep the Dodgers off the board. And yes, you have to actually touch the plate to be safe, Adrian Gonzalez.

[bukie]

#37: Cubs Finally Find a Way to Score

 

 

Why on the list? - After a 21-inning scoreless drought, the Cubs finally broke through against Julio Urias in the 4th, Zobrist started things off with a bunt single that the Dodgers D had no hope of getting to. Baez followed with a single to LF, and then Contreras finally broke through with a single to shallow LF that Zobrist was able to score on because, again, Dodger D. That error allowed the runners to get to 2nd and 3rd, which allowed Heyward's potential DP ball to instead be a run scoring groundout. Sure, if the Dodgers could play even passable defense, that may have been the inning (Zobrist thrown out at home, Heyward DP), but instead it only set the stage for what happened next...

[bukie]

#36: Russell Finally Joins the Postseason Party

 

 

Why on the list? - Addison Russell had been having a rough playoffs. Going into this PA, Russell was 1 for 25 in the postseason with a HBP and no extra base hits or RBI. He was bad enough that he was lifted in the NLDS for Coghlan (and then Contreras) in that memorable comeback. This time, though, the comeback happened with Russell, and he showed he was just as important to this team as anyone in the lineup. After this, Russell went on a tear, and people finally stopped trying to get him benched at SS.

[bukie]

Was going to do 2 yesterday, 2 today but oh well, 4 today it is.

 

That leaves 28 days for 35 moments, so basically on target.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Normally when there's MLB highlights with a review I don't bother watching til the end, I know how the play ended up so no need to see it confirmed. I definitely watched the full length of Gonzalez getting called out at home to live his reaction all over again though.