The Chicago Cubs advanced to the National League Championship Series after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the NLDS and now the youth movement of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez moves into the next round of the MLB playoffs for manager Joe Maddon.
The team has been powering along with home runs from their young lineup and the team could break one of the oldest sports streaks in history if they can get to the World Series (and maybe even win!).
The Cubs youth movement is real and they could be scary good for a long time
Players like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez are all young and Jake Arrieta gives the team a true ace along with Jon Lester. The Cubs have had young talent for a few years now, but things really clicked into place this season with Bryant coming up and now those players are some of the main reasons why the team is in this position. Schwarber has been a lightning bolt and his home run still hasn't landed (okay it did, right on top of the Wrigley scoreboard). All of those players are still getting to the prime parts of their careers and that could make the Cubs very good for a very long time.
The Cubs are fighting some major history
For as magical as things have been this season, there is some history to look back on, as the Cubs have not had much playoff success over the years. The team has not won the World Series in over 100 years and the team has not even been back to one since 1945. But even with all of that, the Cubs feel like they can win it all and Rizzo said just as much after advancing to the NLCS. The team has already knocked down some history, as the Cubs had never clinched a playoff series at home before.
Cubs will have to win some road games to get to the World Series
The Cubs won more games than the Dodgers and the Mets this season, but they will be the road team no matter who wins in the NLDS. The Cubs were a wild card team after finishing behind the Cardinals and Pirates in the standings, but being the road team has not hurt so far. The Cubs won in Pittsburgh against the Pirates and the team was also able to take a game in St. Louis before winning two in Chicago.
Who starts Game 1 of the NLCS?
The Cubs have a nice problem when it comes to Game 1, as they can start Jake Arrieta or Jon Lester for that matchup. Lester obviously has a ton of playoff experience, but Arrieta has been the best pitcher in the NL for months. The Cubs may want to line up Arrieta to pitch as much as possible even after he pitched on short rest in the Cardinals series. Both choices are strong ones for the Cubs no matter who they end up playing. The Mets and Dodgers both have stacked pitching as well and that Game 1 matchup could be a marquee showdown between pitchers.
Steve Bartman would (probably) love it if they win the World Series
Good luck getting a quote about it, but much like Bill Buckner and his relationship with the Red Sox, winning a World Series could go a long way to getting the hate to subside in Chicago for Bartman. For those who don't remember, Bartman is the man who interfered with a foul ball that MIGHT (might might, looking at you Alex Gonzalez!) have helped the Cubs advance to the World Series in 2003. The team could not get the out and that allowed the Marlins to come back in the NLCS in Game 6 and then win Game 7 to advance, where they eventually won the World Series. The Cubs just making the World Series could bring out some forgiveness for Bartman. Check here for a Bartman refresher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman_incident
Check here for the MLB playoffs schedule and more on the Cubs.
