Chicago Cubs

Flashback: Cubs Appearing in 2nd Tiebreaker Game in Team History

For the second time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs will play in a tiebreaker game on Monday as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs, who won four of their last five games, watched as the Brewers won their final seven games in a row to pull even in the Central, and now the teams will have to play in a winner-take-all game to determine the division champion.

The Brewers have never played in one of these games, but the Cubs have done so once before. Their other contest came in 1998, when they beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 at Wrigley Field to clinch the National League Wild Card.

That game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when Gary Gaetti stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run home run into the left field bleachers to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead. 

Matt Mieske also had a two-RBI single in the game, and although the Giants made it close in the ninth inning thanks to three runs, it wasn't enough as the Cubs edged out a 5-3 victory, clinching their first playoff spot in nearly a decade. 

Unfortunately for the Cubs, their playoff appearance was short-lived, as they were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series round.

Back in 1908, the Cubs played in a de facto tiebreaker game against the New York Giants after one of the most controversial plays in baseball history.

By all accounts, the Giants should have won their Sept. 23 game against the Cubs that year, which would have given them the National League pennant. Unfortunately for New York, Fred Merkle’s infamous blunder cost them the game. 

In a game against the Cubs, Merkle was on first in the ninth inning when Al Bridwell hit an RBI single that should have won the Giants the game. In the hysteria that followed, Merkle never touched second base, and when the Cubs appealed the play, the outcome was reversed, and the game was declared a tie. 

MLB ruled that if the teams finished the regular season tied, they would have to make up the game, and that’s exactly what happened. In the game to determine the pennant, the Cubs beat the Giants 4-2 to reach the World Series, which they would ultimately win.

First pitch between the Brewers and Cubs is set for 12:05 p.m. Monday afternoon.

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