PITTSBURGH – The wait was five years. It seemed longer.
In the middle of a darkened visitors clubhouse at PNC Park, the Chicago Cubs embraced each other. Champagne flowed and flew. They clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2020, but celebrated for the first time since 2017.
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Everything was muted during the coronavirus pandemic when the Cubs last qualified. They held off after making it in 2018, hoping to win the NL Central, just to finish second to the Milwaukee Brewers.
After defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Wednesday, Chicago finally decided to let loose.
“When you’re in it, you think it’s going to happen every year,” pitcher Matthew Boyd said. “The fact and the reality is this is really hard to do. ... This means so much to all of us. We’re not done yet. That’s the most important thing. We still know where we want to go.”
The Cubs (88-64) seemed destined for the playoffs since going 18-9 in May. Still, this hasn’t been straightforward. They lead the NL Wild Card and are 4 1/2 games back of the first-place Brewers in the Central, having surrendered the division lead on July 28 after sitting alone at the top through July 19.
After Milwaukee took over, Chicago could have folded. Instead, it's surging with four straight wins and seven victories in eight games.
“It’s a grind of a season. You celebrate the first goal you accomplished,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve made it to our first goal and that’s exciting. For everybody that’s been a part of the grind the whole year, for everybody that’s worked so hard to put us in this position, it’s a fun thing to do.
“You don’t get to do this in regular jobs — get to celebrate and throw champagne on each other. You just don’t get to do it, right?”
Ian Happ popped the cork — in the clubhouse and on the field. He drove in three runs against the Pirates, belting a two-run home run in the first inning.
The Pittsburgh native has played nine years with the Cubs. He was a rookie in 2017, when Chicago took the Central one year after ending a 107-year drought without winning the World Series.
Happ was there with Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and others. This time, it was Pete Crow-Armstrong by his side, pulled into a tight hug for a simple message.
“There was definitely a mention of, ‘This is not the last,’” Crow-Armstrong said. “I mean, Ian learned from some of the best. Ian is one of the best at passing that on. Ian has meant a lot to me, just as a person. I’ll follow his lead. ... I’ve got full trust in Ian Happ as a leader.”
Crow-Armstrong was dynamic with 25 home runs and 71 RBIs through in 95 games through the All-Star Break. The 23-year-old has cooled considerably, having four homers and driving in 19 runs since, and is looking forward to starting fresh in the playoffs.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done this,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m just excited to keep doing what we’re doing, doing what we’ve done all year. I’ve never experienced October baseball. I’m just ready to go all in.”
It might be necessary.
Kyle Tucker, an All-Star right fielder, has been on the IL since Sept. 9 with a left calf injury. He will visit with a physical therapy group in Florida used in his recovery from a right leg injury while with the Astros last season.
Tucker is hitting .270 with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in his first season since being traded to the Cubs in December.
“We’re aligned with Kyle,” Counsell said before the game Wednesday. “This is the best way for him to make some improvements. Unfortunately, we’ve plateaued and we weren’t making progress. That’s frustrating for Kyle.”
For every mention of how great this moment was, there was one of how it’s not enough. The Cubs want more. Not just the division, but the World Series. Tucker would make that easier, but this wasn’t the day to worry.
“We got to go to the playoffs in 2020, but doing it near the end of a true 162 is totally different,” Nico Hoerner said. “Baseball is such a game of persistence and comradery. Getting to celebrate like this is a really special thing.
“It’s obviously not our ultimate goal, but it’s still a huge milestone along the way. It’s awesome to celebrate with this group.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB