Kris Bryant met one of his biggest fans this week – and it was all thanks to a Houston Astros player.
The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers will enter the season’s final day in a deadlock for the National League Central, and after 161 games, it’s truly all on the line for both teams.
The loser of their division battle will have a tough road to travel in the postseason, starting with a wild card game date against the second-place finisher in the wild National League West, and even if they triumph in that game, their Central Division foe would still await them in a raucous building in the National League Division Series opener on Thursday night.
Before either team can worry about that, they have to get through Sunday first, and here’s the scenarios in play:
If the Cubs Win and the Brewers Lose:
The Cubs would clinch the Central Division crown and would be off until Thursday. Meanwhile, the Brewers would take on either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Colorado Rockies for the National League Wild Card Game.
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If both teams win their Sunday games, they will face off Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field in a one-game playoff to determine the division champion. The winner will move on to the Division Series, while the loser would host the Wild Card Game on Tuesday.
If the Brewers Win and the Cubs Lose:
The Cubs would host the wild card game at Wrigley Field against either the Dodgers or Rockies on Tuesday night.
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Javier Baez #9 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates at home plate with Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Chicago Cubs after Schwarber's two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 22, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Chicago 6-3. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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Javier Baez launched a home run in the 14th inning of the team’s game against the Cardinals, making him the first Cubs player to have a home run in the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th innings of games.
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Jason Heyward became the first Cubs player in 50 years to hit a walk-off grand slam while the team was trailing in a win over the Phillies. Just two months later, David Bote also joined him in that club.
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The Cubs scored 10 or more runs in four consecutive games, marking the first time since 1930 that they had accomplished that feat.
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Javier Baez registered 19 home runs, 72 RBI, 25 doubles, six triples, and 18 stolen bases in the first half of the season. He is only the second player in MLB history to hit all of those milestones in the first half of a season, joining Willie Mays.
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The Cubs used Tommy La Stella and Victor Caratini to pitch in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, marking the first time in modern history they’d used two position players to pitch in the same game.
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The Cubs tied a modern baseball record by turning seven double plays in a nine-inning game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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David Bote became just the third Cubs rookie to hit multiple walk-off home runs in one season, joining Gabby Hartnett and Kris Bryant.
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Tommy La Stella set a new Cubs record for pinch hits in a single season, registering his 21st hit with a single against the Phillies.
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The Cubs registered their sixth shutout over the Brewers with a win at Wrigley Field, their most against a single opponent since they blanked the Cincinnati Reds seven times in 1928.
If the Brewers and Cubs Both Lose:
If both teams lose, they would finish with identical records, and would play a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field Monday.
Both games will start at 2:20 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
