CHICAGO — Every traditional sports rivalry has similar components—geography, divisional ties and decades of history. The Cubs–Cardinals rivalry can be similarly characterized but with one very unique attribute attached: envy.
Since Joe Torre left the Yankees, the Cardinals, inarguably, have been baseball’s hallmark franchise. The Cubs? They want to be, well, the Cardinals. As blasphemous as that may sound in Cubdom, the ideals of the Theo Epstein era—scouting, top-flight drafting and prospect development—mirror those that have made St. Louis so successful.
No rebuild was to be complete until Chicago bested baseball’s kingpin. So when the Cubs won Game 4 of their National League Division Series 6-4 on Tuesday, clinching a series at Wrigley Field for the first time in the park’s 101-year history, it marked the biggest milestone in this renaissance.
Epstein, president of baseball operations, commented on the success of this year’s team after the victory:
It’s incredibly meaningful because of what we went through the last three years and because we were in it all together. There wasn’t a single cog in the wheel that was compromised that would have made the whole thing fall apart. (Manager) Joe (Maddon) and the staff set the tone, set the whole vibe. The veteran players embraced the young guys. The young guys showed incredible mental toughness.
When the season began, it was thought that the team was a year away from a playoff run. Kris Bryant, baseball’s top-ranked prospect, didn’t break camp with the major league club so the organization could retain an extra year of contractual control.
Big-hitting lefty Kyle Schwarber was considered an unfinished product in the field. And with veteran catchers David Ross and Miguel Montero on the roster, there wasn’t thought to be room. It seemed even the Cubs’ brass was unsure whether Schwarber would have an impact on this year’s team.
But Maddon put the puzzle together. When Schwarber quickly proved his bat major league ready—as much was evident on a moonshot homer by the rookie in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game—Maddon found a place for him in left field.
The Cubs manager manipulated the roster to perfection all season.
Maddon, who was brought to Chicago amidst some controversy after the Cubs fired Rick Renteria following only one season to make a place for him, continued to justify the move Tuesday. He elected to start Javier Baez at short, despite his struggles against Cardinals starter John Lackey. In the second inning, with the Cubs down 2-1, Baez hit a three-run homer.
But first and foremost, Maddon was hired by the Cubs for his influence. Before him, Lou Piniella had said that managing the franchise was “different,” alluding to the history of futility that has followed each team. Maddon has seemed to ignore that history—convincing his players to do so as well.
When St. Louis tied the game at 4 in the sixth inning, thoughts of billy goats and Steve Bartman were palpable. Was this going to be the moment the Cubs blew it? Not this team. Not this manager.
In the bottom of the frame, with two outs and the count 0-2, first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a homer to give the Cubs the lead for good. With that swing of his bat, Rizzo may very well have turned the Cubs’ fortunes.
“We’re too young, too naive, which is good,” Bryant said of the players discussing the team’s longstanding futility. “We have that on our side. We realize what’s at stake here, and we’re living a dream right now. We’ve just got to keep playing the way we’ve been.”
Tuesday, it all culminated in a celebration that some might call over the top. Fans remained in Wrigley Field hours after the game to share in the celebration. Players drenched them with champagne.
“The fans all these years—and I don’t mean since 1908, I mean these last few years where we’ve really said, ‘Look, we got to do it the right way. It’s going to really take time. Please hang with us and believe in us.’—they have,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said while getting drenched with champagne in the team’s clubhouse.
Said Maddon: “You want to be able to share the success. You don’t want to be successful by yourself. It’s something to be shared.
“I hope the message, down the road, turns more positive on a consistent basis.”
The rebuild isn’t complete. This team has yet to arrive. With an NLCS win, the Cubs would make their first World Series since 1945. A World Series win would be their first since 1908.
Tuesday ended with some sobering thoughts, as it should for a team that has stated its high expectations. But there was something to celebrate, too.
Because for the first time in a long time, the Cardinals will have to watch the Cubs play baseball in October.
Seth Gruen recently spent four years at the Chicago Sun-Times covering a variety of sports, including baseball. Before that, he served as the Northwest Herald‘s Cubs and White Sox beat writer.
Feel free to follow and talk sports with Seth on Twitter @SethGruen.
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