Clad in Cubbie blue, I’ve traversed the streets of Milwaukee this summer, doing my level best to conjure up a playoff run for the Chicago Cubs in 2025. By clinching their first postseason berth since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (which didn’t count, anyway), the team made that dream (and maybe even more) a distinct possibility. Sans tarp or designer ski goggles, I toasted this baseball club, one that continuously finds surprising ways to win, with a shiny bottle of champagne. How far will they go? How many more times will we get to drink champagne? And, how did the squad’s performance from this past week inform the answers to any of those inquiries?
As Craig Counsell‘s squad navigated its way to the postseason, much was made of the significantly lower quality of opponents in this final stretch. Despite that fact, the Cubs labored at times earlier this month against franchises with little else to play for, delaying what would become the inevitable. Chicago, then, traveled to Pittsburgh, squaring off versus the Pirates for the final time in 2025 in baseball’s penultimate week of the regular season. They sent Jameson Taillon to the bump in game one of their three-game set, and the sturdy veteran looked like a playoff hurler in this contest. Delivering six innings of two-hit baseball, Taillon announced his candidacy as one of the more trustworthy arms to roll out in the playoffs. He looks poised, confident, and possesses just enough of that chip on his shoulder that makes him a tough customer for any opposing batter, even against tough postseason competitors. With his 29th home run of the season, Pete Crow-Armstrong helped power a 4-0 victory.
Lately, many Cubs fans are clamoring for Cade Horton to be the Game 1 starter. In taking the middle game of this series in resounding fashion, that became an increasingly difficult argument to counter. We really ought to be savoring what Horton has given this squad as a starting pitcher. His club’s offense backed him up with a 14-hit performance versus the Bucs on Tuesday. Though they left 13 men on base, they peppered Pirates pitching when it mattered most, scoring opportunistic runs that felt much more valuable, given the sparkling performance of Horton. The 4-1 triumph set the stage for the following day’s proceedings.
That put Chicago on the cusp of a clinch, and the next afternoon, they took care of business. On the strength of an eight-run outburst, including long balls from Ian Happ and Moisés Ballesteros, the Cubs galloped into the postseason by sweeping the Pirates. All season long, I’ve held firm in my belief that this is one of the most likable teams in baseball, brimming with good guys and even better chemistry. Whether it be the silly strategy of Shota Imanaga‘s alcohol consumption, or the mature recognition from players like Carson Kelly that the club is “just getting started,” the effusive display which unfolded in the Cubs’ locker room signaled the arrival of a team that could really make a name for itself in the Fall Classic.
The hungover Cubs received a pretty lousy congratulations from their division rival Cincinnati Reds: a date with Hunter Greene. With their sights obsessively fixed on a playoff appearance of their own, the Reds deployed their lethal righty, who spun a magnificent gem of a complete-game shutout. Shrouded in the glitter of Greene’s outstanding start, the Cubs’ countering starter Colin Rea showed up with one of his best outings of the second half of the season, tossing seven innings in which he punched out a career-high 11 batters.
The vibes around the Cubs suggest what could end up being a deeper run in the postseason than some were expecting. But the masses would feel better about the group’s October chances if they host the Padres in their three-game Wild Card Series. That’s what the Cubs are focusing on in their final regular season games, but the objective wasn’t aided in a 7-4 loss to the Reds in the second game of a four-game set. Still evening out from their post-celebratory rush, the Cubs’ typically lockdown bullpen stumbled. Cannon fodder Porter Hodge surrendered three runs in the sixth inning, giving Cincinnati the lead as the game approached its last three innings. The contest was indecisive in what it meant to the North Siders’ hopes of hosting playoff baseball, but it did serve as a reminder of how difficult it is to maintain momentum in this game, even for good teams.
In handing the Chicago Cubs their third straight loss in the wake of their playoff clinch, the Reds’ desprrate final playoff push became pretty admirable. If Javier Assad is to fill a role on the Cubs’ playoff roster, it figures to be in relief, but he started Saturday. The Cubbies’ bullpen suffered an off day, giving up crucial runs through the middle and late innings. Reds starter Zack Littell took command in a five-inning performance that earned him his 10th win of the season. Cincinnati shut out the visitors 1-0 again Sunday, leaving the magic number to secure home-field advantage against the Padres heading into the final week of the campaign. The offense will have to wake back up, but they can be forgiven for a brief letdown after a long journey to a long-held goal.
We’ve known for the better part of this calendar year that the Cubs are a good baseball team. Punching their ticket to the postseason merely validated that sentiment. Now, the real fun starts. As you adorn yourself in official playoff gear, perhaps just before scanning your ticket under the famous marquee at Clark and Addison, allow yourself to get excited. Postseason baseball is back on the North Side of Chicago.