The Chicago Cubs had an opportunity to wrap up the National League Central crown on Thursday night, but it wasn't meant to be - at least not at first - as they fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 at Wrigley Field.
Even though the Cubs didn't win Thursday night, the San Francisco Giants did them a big favor. They beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 in a series-opening game at AT&T Park, extending their wild card lead and clinching the Central Division title for the Cubs in the process.
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Kris Bryant is only 24 years old and in his second big league season, but he's set records and made all sorts of history at an incredibly young age.
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On Aug. 22, Kris Bryant hit his 32nd home run and scored his 100th run of the year. In doing so, he became the first Cubs player to hit both of those marks in a single season before the age of 25. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Bryant also made another bit of history on Aug. 22: in notching 30-plus homers and 100 runs scored, he became the first Cubs third baseman to hit those marks since Ryne Sandberg did so in 1982. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Bryant's home run on Aug. 22 gave him 58 thus far in his career, setting a new record for home runs by a Cubs player in their first two MLB seasons. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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With two home runs and five total hits against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 18, Kris Bryant became the first player in MLB history to hit two long balls and at least four total hits in three different games before his 25th birthday.
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When Kris Bryant hit a home run off of Chris Sale in the MLB All-Star Game, he became the first Cub under the age of 25 to hit a home run in the Midsummer Classic since Ryne Sandberg did it in 1984. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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On June 27 against the Reds, Bryant became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs and two doubles in the same game. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
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In that June 27 game, Bryant became the youngest player in Cubs history to hit three home runs in a game, besting Ernie Banks by 10 days to achieve that feat. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
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In the June 27 game against the Reds, Bryant played three different defensive positions and hit three home runs, making him the first player in at least a century to achieve both feats in the same game. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
With five extra base hits on June 27, Bryant became the first Cubs player to hit that milestone since George Gore did so in 1885.
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With 16 total bases on June 27, Bryant became the first Cubs player to ever achieve that milestone. Only 18 other players (including Hall of Famers like Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb) have gotten 16 or more total bases in a single game. (Photo by Russell Lansford/Getty Images)
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According to Christopher Kamka of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, only two Cubs players have hit 39 or more home runs in a single season at age 24 or younger: Kris Bryant (39 this season) and Ernie Banks, who hit 44 home runs in 1955. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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In his first two Major League seasons, Bryant has been worth 13.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for the Cubs. That is the best total in MLB history for a player, narrowly surpassing Frank Robinson’s 13.4 WAR in his first two seasons.
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When Bryant cracked a home run in Game 5 of the World Series, he became the youngest Cubs player to hit a Fall Classic long ball since Frank Demaree did it in Game 4 of the 1932 World Series. Unfortunately for Bryant, his record was short-lived, as Addison Russell clobbered a home run in Game 6 of the series two nights later. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Bryant’s MVP award comes just one season after he won National League Rookie of the Year honors. Bryant is only the fourth player in big league history to pull off that feat, joining Cal Ripken Jr, Ryan Howard, and Dustin Pedroia.
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With his MVP award, Bryant became just the 15th player in Major League history to win Rookie of the Year, MVP, and a World Series championship in his big league career.
Back at Wrigley Field, Montgomery held the Brewers scoreless in the top of the first. Nelson did the same to the Cubs, and the second inning was when it really started to heat up.
After Montgomery retired the Brewers in the top of the frame, the Cubs got on the board in emphatic fashion. Addison Russell reached first base as Arcia and Perez both missed his pop-up hit. Jorge Soler stepped up to the plate and cranked a two-run homer into the bleachers to stake the Cubs to a 2-0 lead. [[393640331, C]]
The Cubs had an opportunity to add onto their lead in the third, but unfortunately squandered it. Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist both reached base with walks, but Addison Russell lined into a double play to end the threat.
After three scoreless innings, Montgomery lost his shutout when Keon Broxton launched a solo home run in the top of the 4th to cut the Cubs' lead to 2-1.
Following Broxton's homer, the Brewers forced Cubs fans to put the champagne back on ice as they seized the lead. A two-run double by Orlando Arcia gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead and put the Cubs' division hopes on hold - but not for long.
After Jason Heyward socked a double and moved to third, Montgomery helped his own cause. The pitcher slapped an RBI single to drive Heyward in and tie up the game at 3-3 at the bottom of the fourth.
The game remained tied until the 7th inning, and unfortunately it was Milwaukee that gained the upper hand. With Justin Grimm on the hill, Scooter Gennett smashed an RBI double to give the Brewers a 5-3 lead.
The Cubs got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, but things ended abruptly thanks to a tremendous defensive play by the Brewers. With Bryant on second base, Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado fired a perfect strike to second and picked off the Cubs' third baseman to end the inning and keep Milwaukee in front by two runs.
In the eighth inning, it appeared that the Cubs were going to escape without giving up any runs, but an Addison Russell throwing error kept the inning alive. Fortunately Ben Zobrist was there to save the day, making a diving catch to end the inning and keep the Cubs within two runs.
The Cubs' offense took advantage of Zobrist's defensive exploits in the bottom of the frame as they pulled within a run. Jason Heyward drilled an RBI double into the right field corner to score Zobrist, making it a 5-4 game.
Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't able to tie things up in that frame. With Heyward on third base following a wild pitch, Willson Contreras struck out looking on a sharp breaking ball, leaving the tying run 90 feet away and the Cubs still down by a run heading into the ninth inning.
The Cubs got the tying run to first base in the ninth when Anthony Rizzo drew a walk, but Ben Zobrist grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game and leave the Cubs just short of clinching on their own - but with an assist from the Giants, they prevailed as National League Central division champions (for the first time since 2008) nonetheless.
