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CHICAGO – A few hours before Kyle Freeland takes center stage on three days of rest and with the Colorado Rockies season on hold, his manager, Bud Black, is reminded that the elderly southpaw 25 years old made his first games in the playoffs Start with one of the best-known baseball pitchers.
"Right … is not that awesome?" Black deadpanned.
Ace of the Chicago Cubs, Jon Lester, who started Tuesday night in Tuesday night's LNL, lies between Freeland and the Rockies and occupies a place in the National League division series. The wild card match at Wrigley Field marked his 22nd playoff start.
Freeland, a native of Denver, remained unmoved after six innings and two-thirds without conceding a goal, desperately defending a lead from a point in the Rockies set in the first run. But that's only half of the fight after the Cubs tied for eighth, and it's Tony Wolters – a backup catcher who came into the match with a double swap in the 12th inning – which delivered the winning move down. of 13 and sent the Rockies to a NL divisional series.
"It's probably the biggest hit of my life," Wolters said. "It's certain."
Wolters was an unlikely hero because he had entered the match in a terrible slump, unsuccessful since September 10th.
"This game can sometimes kick you," he said. "There is a lot of adversity, but I will never let myself down."
It was a heartbreaking end of the season for the Cubs, whose offensive problems continued for a second day in a row. The loss has earned them to be far from N.L. The championship series for the first time since 2014. They had been forced to participate in this great card game after being beaten by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in the NL. Central Tiebreaker.
The Rockies had also lost Monday and had faced a much more exhausting schedule: after defeating the Nationals in Denver on Sunday, they headed to California the next day and then had to return to Chicago as a result of a 5-2 defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers at the NL West Tie. But they proved resilient early on Tuesday, giving Freeland a quick lead by joining Lester early.
A march to Charlie Blackmon, the leading forward, and a brace on the ground that sits in the ivy that covers the left field wall gave the Rockies runners the second and third places with no one to l & # 39; outside. Nolan Arenado scored Blackmon with a sacrificial fly.
Freeland drove Colorado much of the way from there. He scattered four hits and hit six against the Cubs, starting in the seventh inning after 82 shots.
He was replaced by the relay Adam Ottavino, who immediately found himself in trouble when Willson Contreras walked and hit-cleaver Tommy La Stella reached the goal by interfering with a receiver, charging the bases.
But in front of an exhausted crowd, boosted by the potential of a Cubs race, Ottavino hit scorer Jason Heyward to keep a close lead.
Ottavino could not escape danger in the next round. With the resurgence of tension, Anthony Rizzo delivered a single in two outings and then gave way to forward Terrance Gore, who grabbed second place. Javier Baez, the Cubs all-star shortstop, led a double in the middle of the field, bringing Gore home and roaring among the crowd.
A relief parade preserved the stalemate and the two teams teamed up to use 15 pitchers in a match that lasted nearly five hours.
As midnight approached, Trevor Story began the winning rally by winning the first pitch that he saw Kyle Hendricks for a single to two center-left. The story climbed to third place on Gerardo Parra's training line, before intensifying Wolters, a 26-year-old who has beaten 0.170 this season. He flew into Story for what was going to be the winning race, sending Rocky Mountain canoes to cautious celebrations and silencing the stunned stadium. Three Cubs Batters later, the game was over.
"The guys who play everyday – I want to do something for them because they're angry every day," said Wolters while trying to summarize his emotions after the game.
He added, "It's a feeling I will not forget."
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