When the Chicago Cubs officially locked up a playoff spot Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh, there was an outpouring of emotion across the roster, coaching staff and front office.
And for good reason.
Everybody has had their own unique journey to get to this point. It has been years — in some cases, many years — of hard work, all with a goal of getting to the postseason.
Wednesday was a release — a moment in time to stop worrying about the grind and instead simply enjoy it all.
We saw that emotion come out with Ian Happ, the longest tenured Cub who was a rookie in 2017 and had multiple champagne celebrations in the clubhouse with a team that made it to the NLCS. He thought he was going to have many more years of clinching celebrations, but it didn’t work out that way.
The Cubs never popped bottles in 2018 because they were waiting to lock up the division. The Milwaukee Brewers came back to force a Game 163 and beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field in that contest. The Cubs then lost the one-game NL Wild Card to the Colorado Rockies.
In 2020, the Cubs never had a big blowout celebration due to the pandemic and social distancing.
This team contended for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but they fell a game short in 2023 and six games out last year.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson and pitcher Jameson Taillon both signed with the Cubs before the 2023 season with a goal of getting to the playoffs immediately.
It didn’t play out that way, but they are now headed to October in their third year in Chicago.
“Winning is the best. It’s the best,” Swanson told Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor in an exclusive interview. “It’s the reason why we play this game. It’s not about individual numbers. It’s about group numbers. It’s incredible to see the joy on people’s faces.
“The amazing part is the more you win, the more you get to do this kind of stuff. It’s just a beautiful thing and I’m so happy for these guys. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Swanson knows a thing or two about winning.
He uttered some variation of the word more than 30 times during his introductory press conference in December 2022 when he signed with the Cubs.
Swanson won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 amid a stretch of five straight NL East titles. He also helped lead Vanderbilt to a national championship in college in 2014.
“We don’t do losing,” Swanson said in December 2022, referencing his wife, Mallory, who is an accomplished professional soccer player with a gold medal (2024 Paris Olympics) on her trophy case.
The Cubs weren’t a losing team either of Swanson’s first two years in Chicago — they won 83 games and were above .500 each season — but they did not make the playoffs, which is the ultimate goal.
The 31-year-old is happy to be back in October.
“I’m just so grateful,” he told McGregor. “It’s hard to even put into words. This moment, it’s just meant to be shared with everybody – Jed, Carter, Tom, this entire team. There’s been so many memories throughout these last couple years that I’m just in an incredible place and couldn’t be more thankful to be here.”
Taillon hasn’t experienced the same level of “winning” that Swanson is accustomed to, but the veteran right-hander signed with the Cubs before 2023 fresh off a postseason run with the New York Yankees that ended in the ALCS.
“When I decided to come here, they talked a lot about getting back to this and what winning in Chicago is like,” Taillon said. “And how it’s the best place to win and play winning baseball. So I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Nico Hoerner knows all about how great it is to win in Chicago — even if he has never truly experienced it firsthand.
Hoerner is the second-longest tenured Cub behind Happ and both players spent years with the championship-winning core in Chicago. They heard all about the 2016 glory days from teammates Anthony Rizzo and Javy Báez and Kris Bryant and Jon Lester and also from David Ross, who managed them for four seasons.
“We were both drafted by this organization — it’s the only thing that we’ve known,” Hoerner told McGregor. “Winning means a lot to everybody in here, but I think it’s extra sweet for us and the people that have been in this organization for a really long time.
“We don’t take it for granted and it’s a beautiful thing to share.”
[WATCH: Nico Hoerner celebrates Cubs’ first playoff berth since 2020]
Hoerner thought he would share a similar experience as Happ, expecting to celebrate a playoff berth as a rookie in 2019. But the Cubs faded down the stretch and ultimately missed out on the postseason.
This celebration has been a long time coming for Hoerner, so he wanted to make sure to feel every bit of it.
So much so that he refused to even wear goggles to protect his eyes from the spraying champagne and beer.
“I feel like you got to experience it a little bit,” Hoerner told McGregor. “I have no issues with a little sting right now. It feels good. It’s a good problem to have.”