“We have a special group,” rookie Kyle Schwarber said after supporting Jake Arrieta’s latest mastery with a two-run homer and three RBIs. “We have great personalities and great leadership top to bottom.”
From the strategy of manager Joe Maddon to Arrieta’s 11-strikeout, four-hit shutout to offense Dexter Fowler and Schwarber provided, the Cubs celebrated in a raucous manner after quieting the Pirates 4-0 in the National League wild-card game.
“We’re going to celebrate,” President Theo Epstein responded after being asked about facing the rival Cardinals in the best-of-five division series starting Friday in St. Louis. “We’ll deal with the Cardinals on Thursday. It’s a special rivalry. We’ve never played them in the postseason. It’s going to be incredible.”
For now, nothing tops the amazing ascent of the Cubs and Arrieta, a 22-game winner during the regular season who extended his scoreless streak to 31 innings. He hasn’t allowed a run since the eighth inning of a Sept. 16 game against the Pirates.
A four-run cushion after 4 1/2 innings — thanks to Schwarber’s three RBIs and Fowler’s 3-for-3, three-run performance — was the perfect prescription for Arrieta and Maddon, who started Schwarber in right field for only the third time and batted Tommy La Stella fifth while starting him at third base for only the seventh time.
Although La Stella went 0-for-2, the early lead allowed Maddon to substitute wisely, with Kris Bryant moving from left field to third and making two exceptional plays — including a backhanded stop on an Aramis Ramirez grounder to start an inning-ending double play in the seventh.
“They’re accountable to the moment,” Maddon said of his rookies.
Bryant’s play came after a series of tense moments. Arrieta hit Josh Harrison with a pitch in the sixth and Addison Russell committed an error to load the bases. But Arrieta induced Starling Marte to ground into the inning-ending double play.