‘They Can't Cheer Any Louder': Adrian Gonzalez Challenges Cubs Fans at Wrigley
By James Neveau ••
Wrigley Field was rocking for the first two games of the National League Championship Series, but as the series shifts back to the Friendly Confines on Saturday, at least one member of the Los Angeles Dodgers isn’t impressed with the crowd noise at the historic ballpark.
That player is Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has made waves during this series for his refusal to stay at Trump Tower in Chicago and because of his angry tweet after being called out at home in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
When asked about the atmosphere at the ballpark for Saturday’s Game 6, Gonzalez offered a prediction that is sure to annoy Cubs fans.
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The Chicago Cubs are just one win away from their first World Series trip in 71 years, and it's been 108 years since they last won a title in 1908. To get you ready for the final games (or game) of the NLCS, we've come up with a list of factoids and interesting coincidences as the team prepares for what's ahead.
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19:08 The first five games of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers are all slated to start at 7:08 p.m., which in military time is 19:08. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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108 MLB pitchers are very particular about the baseballs that they use, and Jon Lester is likely no exception. We would strongly doubt however that he spends much time thinking about how many stitches there are in an official MLB ball: you guessed it. 108.
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108 In order to reach the World Series, the Cubs would have to win four games. In order to win four games, the team would have to make a minimum of 108 defensive outs.
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108 Cubs slugger Kris Bryant had 102 RBI this season, which is pretty impressive. Just for fun, if you add in the six RBI that noted not-slugger Jon Lester had this season, you get 108 runs batted in.
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108 Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez are both very important pieces to the puzzle for the Cubs' offense, but they do their fair share of striking out. In fact, both players struck out 108 times apiece this season.
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108 Baseball purists are always quick to bemoan the fact that pitchers rarely throw complete games any more (the Cubs as a team only had five this season, which was second best in the National League). The 1908 Cubs, led by Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, were much more prolific in that category, throwing 108 complete games as a staff for the eventual world champions.
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71nIt's been 71 years since the Cubs reached the World Series, and two of the most important Cubs to potentially ending that drought, Bryant and Rizzo, combined to hit 71 regular season home runs. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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71 Look excited Kris, because you get to finish off our gallery. Out of your 102 RBI, 71 of them came against right-handed pitchers this season. Celebrate appropriately.
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A little extra credit fact: In Game 5 against the Dodgers, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester pitched a grand total of 108 pitches, leading the team to a pivotal victory.
“The same (atmosphere) we had in Game 1 and 2,” Gonzalez told media when asked about what he expected at the ballpark. “They can’t put any more people in the stands. They can only put so many people.”
As if the notion that the ballpark can’t get louder wasn’t enough, Gonzalez put his statement in clearer terms.
“They can’t cheer any louder,” he said. “It’s not like it’s a loud stadium to begin with. They’re going to try their best, and we’re going to tune them out like we always do.”
