2016 Cubs pennant scorecard

Imagine living your entire life with the Cubs as a winning franchise. Most of us have lived through many losing years with the Cubs with a few highlight years committed to memory, 1969, 1984, 1989, 2003, 2007, etc.

My daughter Julia born this year–all she knows is a winning Cub team. Not just a winning Cub team, but a Cubs World Series team.

The Cubs incredible year as the best team in baseball has been a fun ride, because my six-month-old daughter has been able to experience it all the way. The day after she was born, Jake Arrieta throws a no-hitter against the Reds.

Julia sat on the couch while game six started on tv. We barely ever watch tv with her, so she was absolutely enthralled by the Cubs game. Leaning forward on her Boppy® Pillow, she stared intently as the Cubs shut down the Dodgers in the first inning. When Kris Bryant drove in the first run of the game, she celebrated; and then we put her to bed. Her nursery is right next door to our living room tv. I kept my cheers silent with stand-up fist pumps in the air. Surprisingly (and thankfully) my silent cheering did not wake her up.

The game was already proving itself to be a historic game, not only given the circumstances, but also that the Cubs looked like they were going to actually win it, by scoring early off baseball’s best pitcher. As the game unfolded, I wanted a physical memento of this incredible game. Before the league championship series started, my brother Erik designed custom scorecards just for this series. I had printed a couple copies just in case. Now I pulled the printout from my bag and kept score during the game.

In the previous playoff series against the Giants, Bob Costas remarked how nobody keeps score at home anymore. This comment inspired Erik to design scorecards for this series, and to keep score at home. Erik told me that he really enjoyed keeping score for the first five games. With the Cubs potentially winning the pennant for the first time in 71 years, I thought I’d keep score too.

I’ve been a Cubs fan since 1984. Now that the Cubs clinched the pennant, this is a scorecard I will always treasure. Especially since a drawing of my six-month-old daughter watching the game is on the card.

Factoids on scorecard:

• Javier Báez and Jon Lester win co-MVP
• Rizzo keeps game ball in his back pocket
• 5 straight innings with an extra-base hit against Clayton Kershaw
• The Cubs dominate the best pitcher in baseball
• Dorothy Ferrell 89-year-old season ticket holder since 1984 to celebrate with Jager bomb.
• Rizzo in last three games batting .500, 7-14
• 6-month old daughter intently watches the game.
• Only 1 of Kershaw‘s 15 curves was a strike.
• On Kershaw‘s fastball, Cubs got 5 hits, 4 swings and misses (Game 2: 1 hit)
• Cubs faced the minimum 27 batters! Only other time in postseason: Don Larsen‘s perfect game in 1956
• 1932: The last time the Cubs clinched he pennant at Wrigley Field
  • Kiki Cuyler game-winning bases-loaded triple
• 1945: The last time the Cubs were in the World Series
  • Andy Pafko sacrifice fly scores Stan Hack
• Cubs 11 pennants: 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 2016

Seats: Oak Park Condo
Sarah, Julia, Matt
42,389 attendance
2 hours 36 minutes

Dodgers side of the scorecard:

• 0-1 Yasiel Puig, ground into double play
• 0-1 Andre Ethier
• 0-1 Clayton Kershaw, strikeout
• 0-0 Carlos Ruiz, walk
• 0-2 Chase Utley
• 0-1 Enrique Hernandez, strikeout
• 0-2 Jasmani Grandal, two strikeouts
• 0-2 Howie Kendricks, ground into double play
• 0-2 Joc Pederson, two strikeouts
• 1-2 Josh Reddick, reached on error
• 0-3 Adrian Gonzalez
• 0-3 Justin Turner
• 0-3 Corey Seager, 1 strikeout
• 1-3 Andrew Toles, 1 error
• 1st inning
  • 1st pitch single by Andrew Toles
  • Awesome tag by Báez on Toles
• 2nd inning
  • Kendricks picks off Josh Reddick
• 5th inning
  • Javy Báez steals pop-up from Rizzo
• 7th inning
  • Rizzo in foul territory on pop fly waves Báez off
• 8th inning
  • Incredible short-hop double play by Báez
• 9th inning
  • Game closes with double-play Russell to Báez to Rizzo. Echoes the 1908 double-play combo Tinkers to Evers to Chance
• All four baserunners erased
  • Single erased with double play
  • Error erased with pick-off
  • Single erased with double play
  • Walk erased with double play

Cubs side of the scorecard

• 2-4 Dexter Fowler, double, two strikeouts
• 1-4 Kris Bryant, GAME-WINNING RBI, strikeout
• 2-4 Anthony Rizzo, double, HOMERUN
• 0-3 Ben Zobrist, strikeout, RBI
• 0-3 Javier Báez, strikeout
• 1-3 Willson Contreras, HOMERUN
• 1-3 Addison Russell, double
• 0-3 Albert Almora, Jr, strikeout
• 0-3 Kyle Hendricks, strikeout
• 1st inning
  • Dexter Fowler double bounced into the stands. Cubs are 41-13 when Fowler leads off getting on base.
  • Kris Bryant single down right field line.
  • Andrew Toles error. Ball pops out of his glove, Anthony Rizzo reaches second base.
  • Infielders almost collide in front of mound on Báez’s pop-up
  • Kershaw 30 pitch inning
• 2nd inning
  • Kyle Hendricks 7-pitch at bat
  • Dexter Fowler RBI single, assumes throw will go to plate, thrown out stretching into double
• 3rd inning
  • Javier Báez taking too many big swings in 1st and 3rd inning
• 4th inning
  • Willson Contreras homerun lands in left field, front row.
  • 10 different Cubs hit a homerun in 10 postseason games.
  • All three Cubs catchers have hit a homerun in the postseason.
• 5th inning
  • Scottie Pippen in radio booth
• 6th inning
  • Last time Kenley Jansen pitched 6th inning was July 2011