As the Cubs heated up, so did third baseman Kris Bryant, who snagged literal fireballs in the ‘hot corner.’
The Chicago Cubs had a chance to clinch the Central Division, but they came up just short in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
That loss, coupled with a Milwaukee Brewers win over the Cincinnati Reds, ensured that the Central Division race would continue for at least one more day.
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Ian Happ capped off the Cubs' homecoming party on Sept. 29 as he blasted a three run home run to give the Cubs a 5-4 win over the Reds.
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Jason Heyward and his Cubs teammates acknowledge the Wrigley Field faithful before their first home game following their Central Division clincher.
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Kyle Schwarber and the Cubs kept their eyes on the ball Sept. 28, eliminating the Cardinals from playoff contention with an extra innings victory.
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Pedro Strop gets doused with beer after the Cubs clinched the Central Division title on Sept. 27 in St. Louis.
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Jon Jay and the Chicago Cubs celebrate their Central Division title after beating the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 27.
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The Cubs and Jake Arrieta had a golden chance to wrap up the Central Division on Sept. 26, but they lost 8-7 to the St. Louis Cardinals to leave their magic number stuck at just one.
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Ben Zobrist smacked a solo home run in the eighth inning, but the Cubs still came up just short in a comeback effort against the Cardinals on Sept. 26.
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The Chicago Cubs eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals from the division race in style on Sept. 25, punctuated by a long home run by Javier Baez.
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The Chicago Cubs are looking to wrap up the Central Division, and Jon Lester helped the cause with a strong performance against the Cardinals on Sept. 25.
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Jose Quintana threw a complete game shutout for the Cubs as they knocked off the Brewers 5-0 and put themselves in prime position to clinch the division title.
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Jon Jay scored a big insurance run in the eighth inning as the Cubs took a giant step closer to the division title with a Sept. 24 win over the Brewers.
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The Cubs looked like they were going to notch another win on Sept. 23, but the Brewers had other ideas as Travis Shaw belted a walk-off home run to give the team the victory.
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Kris Bryant cracked a 10th inning home run to help guide the Cubs to a critical win over the Brewers on Sept. 21. The win dropped the Cubs' magic number to 6 and extended their Central lead to four and a half games.
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Eric Thames helped give the Brewers a late lead in their game against the Cubs Sept. 21, but it was short-lived as Chicago came back to win.
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Jake Arrieta came back for the Cubs on Sept. 21 and was his usual dominant self, giving up one run in five innings in a winning effort.
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The Cubs helped the Rays draw some of their biggest crowds of the season, and defending NL MVP Kris Bryant was one of the main attractions as the Cubs visited Tampa for just the second time in team history.
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The Cubs couldn't quite figure out how to slow down the Rays in the series finale, losing a blowout game. Fortunately, the Brewers also lost on Sept. 20, dropping the Cubs' magic number to 8.
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Kyle Schwarber's home run lifted the Cubs to a win over the Rays on Sept. 19.
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Mike Montgomery, making a spot start, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as the Cubs beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Sept. 19 and dropped their magic number to nine.
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Anthony Rizzo scored four runs and collected three hits as the Cubs swept the Cardinals in a weekend series at Wrigley Field.
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The Chicago Cubs dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in the teams' final series in Chicago, sweeping the three-game set and putting the Cards in a deep hole in the division race on Sept. 17.
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Welcome back Addison! In his first game back off the disabled list, Addison Russell blasted a home run in the eighth inning of the Cubs' win over the Cardinals Sept. 16.
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The Friendly Confines shine brightly on Sept. 12 as the Cubs battle the New York Mets.
Kris Bryant launched his 26th home run of the season and drove in four RBI in a 8-3 thrashing of the Mets at Wrigley Field on Sept. 12.
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The Cubs hit a brick wall against the Milwaukee Brewers in mid-September, dropping all three games of a series at Wrigley Field against the second place team in the NL Central.
Best Case Scenario:
Even with the loss, the Cubs can still clinch the division title as soon as Wednesday night, as a Cubs win or a Brewers loss will seal the Central crown for Chicago.
Worst Case Scenario:
Even if the Cubs somehow manage to lose their final five games in a row, they could still clinch the division title with just one Brewers loss.
