This was the mood at Wrigley Field * before * the Cubs then scored 7 more (!) points:
You could say that the mood at Wrigley Field has improved since Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/34HQEqKEXH
– Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) April 22, 2021
So yes, it was a really good evening.
But it certainly didn’t start that way. The opponent’s starter, David Peterson, faced the minimum in the first three innings. And while the Mets attack only managed two runs at the time, Zach Davies gave up a TON of hard contact (he allowed * seven * balls in play over 104 MPH… in 3.0 IP). We’ll have to put that aside and talk about it tomorrow.
But then the fourth inning – that sweet, sweet fourth inning – happened and everything changed.
After Ian Happ started to kick things off, the Cubs posted seven runs on six basehits, walks and a few (a dozen?) Errors. Six singles. Some of them were hit well. Some were just coincidences. And some were helped by the concrete hands of Mets, but if there has ever been a night encouraging the Cubs to just put the ball into play, this was it. And just let me give a special shoutout to Willson Contreras and Javy Baez, who both rushed like crazy in this inning to beat plays first, reach on an error and score that extra run on a shallow bloop. That’s the kind of intensity and extra effort that can make a little difference in the margins now and a big difference over the course of an entire season.
Later, Contreras’ buzz turned a ‘should-be out’ into a really weird double, which at the time the Cubs was just another basic hit of the entire series. That didn’t last long, of course, as Javy Baez put the game out of reach with an absolutely gigantic Grand Slam. Many more hits and runs followed (including some off-position player who threw in the 8th).
Ah. There was just so much good in this one to even remember (including a well-deserved standing ovation for World Series champion Albert Almora Jr. and Javy Baez who hit the plate from the left). Tomorrow we are going to have fun with the offensive numbers.
Cubs win the game. Cubs win the series (only their second series win of the year). Cubs have a chance for the sweep tomorrow. Goodnight!
Full box score.