The biggest game for every Chicago Cubs player

The Cubs’ drive to their first pennant since 1945 was a total team effort. While stars like Kris Bryant and Jon Lester have gotten most of the attention, each of the players who made the 25-man postseason roster—and four who didn’t—can look back on at least one game in particular in 2016 and know that they played a crucial part in a victory that helped make up Chicago’s historic season.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 1, 2016

The biggest game for every Chicago Cubs player

Albert Almora Jr., CF

The No. 6 pick of the 2012 draft—the first of the Theo Epstein regime—Almora made his major league debut on June 7 and quickly began providing help off the bench. On June 14, he entered a game against the Nationals via an eighth-inning double switch, and after the Cubs surrendered the lead, he stroked an RBI double in the top of the ninth off Sammy Solis that proved decisive in Chicago’s 4–3 win.

Jake Arrieta, SP

Continuing a great late-2015 run that included a no-hitter against the Dodgers and culminated with the NL Cy Young award, Arrieta threw the second no-hitter of his career against the Reds on April 21. The 16–0 rout made it the most lopsided no-hitter since 1884, and Arrieta's nine regular-season starts between no-nos constituted the third-shortest stretch in history behind only Johnny Vander Meer (consecutive starts in 1938) and Warren Spahn (five starts between no-hitters in ‘60–61).

Javier Baez, 2B, 3B

A former top prospect whose frequent strikeouts delayed his major league breakthrough, the 23-year-old Baez found a home with the big club by showing off his versatility, making starts at all four infield positions as well as leftfield. His bat, glove and baserunning were in the spotlight throughout the postseason. In Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, he made a highlight reel play on Adrian Gonzalez’s bunt and went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a three-run home run in in the eighth inning.

Kris Bryant, 3B, LF

After winning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, Bryant turned in an MVP-caliber ‘16 season featuring 39 homers. Three of them came in the Cubs' 11–8 win over the Reds on June 27, during which he also added two doubles and became the first Cub (and 19th player since 1913) to collect at least 16 total bases in a game.

Trevor Cahill, RP

Cahill reinvigorated his flagging career with a productive stretch of relief appearances with Chicago in late 2015 and returned to the bullpen in the first half of ‘16. After a bout of patellar tendonitis in his right knee, the Cubs stretched him out during his rehab assignment, and he returned on Aug. 16 with five innings of shutout work against the Brewers, during which he allowed just four baserunners.

Aroldis Chapman, RP

Acquired from the Yankees in exchange for four players on July 25, Chapman saved 16 games and posted a 1.01 ERA for Chicago. While his postseason performance was more uneven, he not only sealed the Cubs’ first pennant since 1945 with a five-out save in Game 6 of the NLCS, but he also turned in a career-long 2 2/3-inning performance in saving Game 5 of the World Series.

Chris Coghlan, LF

Coghlan played regularly for the Cubs in 2014 and ‘15 but was traded to the A’s in February. After struggling mightily in Oakland, he was reacquired in June and proved to be a handy lefty-swinging reserve. On Sept. 27, his three-run triple off the Pirates’ Ryan Vogelsong fueled a 6–0 win, the Cubs’ 101st of the season—thereby surpassing the 1935 squad for the franchise’s highest win total since 1910.

Willson Contreras, C

Though he was a rookie in 2016, the 24-year-old Contreras has the longest tenure in the organization, as he was signed out of Venezuela back in 2009, when he was a 17-year-old third baseman. After spending parts of eight seasons in the minors and converting to catcher in 2012, he made his major league debut as a defensive replacement on June 17. Two days later, he became the 30th player in major league history to homer on the first pitch of his first plate appearance, with a two-run–pinch-hit shot off the Pirates’ A.J. Schugel.

Carl Edwards Jr., RP

A wiry rookie acquired in the 2013 Matt Garza trade with the Rangers, the 25-year-old Edwards emerged as a key bullpen piece after his late-June callup. On Sept. 1, he notched his first major league save, retiring the Giants’ Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik in order to preserve a 5–4 win at Wrigley Field.

Dexter Fowler, CF

Re-signed as a free agent in late February after it appeared he would join the Orioles instead, Fowler set career bests in OPS+ (126) and Wins Above Replacement (4.2) despite missing 28 games due to a right hamstring strain. He returned to action on July 22, homering to lead off a game against Jimmy Nelson and the Brewers, adding a two-run double in the second inning and another single in the ninth.

Justin Grimm, RP

Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images

Grimm once again served as a key bullpen cog, making more appearances than any other righty (68). From June 28 through Aug. 24, he made 18 consecutive scoreless appearances, the team’s longest single-season streak since 2011; he spun 14 scoreless innings in that span, in which the Cubs went 13–5.

Jason Hammel, SP

Though he wasn’t included on the postseason roster, Hammel did solid work at the back of the Cubs’ rotation. From July 27 through Aug. 16, he reeled off a streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings that included three starts and part of a fourth, a span over which he allowed just 11 hits.

Kyle Hendricks, SP

Though he entered the season as the Cubs’ fifth starter, the 26-year-old Hendricks broke out to lead the NL with a 2.13 ERA and placed himself in the NL Cy Young conversation. On Sept. 12 in St. Louis, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Cardinals before serving up a solo homer to Jeremy Hazelbaker on an 0–2 pitch.

Jason Heyward, RF

Signed to an eight-year, $184-million contract last December, Heyward spent the 2016 season in a funk, his value largely limited to outstanding defense. But on Sept. 4 against the Giants at Wrigley Field, he hit game-tying singles in the fourth and ninth innings, then added a game-winning single in the 13th off closer Santiago Castilla—his first walk-off hit since 2010.

Tommy La Stella, 3B

A backup infielder who was particularly productive in the early going, La Stella was the first of the team’s five players to collect three extra-base hits in one game. On April 24 against the Reds, he doubled twice and homered, scoring three times in a 9–0 victory.

John Lackey, SP

Signed to a two-year, $32 million deal last winter, the 37-year-old Lackey deepened the Cubs’ rotation with a strong season featuring a 3.35 ERA and 180 strikeouts, his highest total since 2006. On Aug. 9, he held the Angels (his original team) to three hits and one run over eight innings, striking out six.

Jon Lester, SP

Jon Lester pitching at Wrigley Field in October 2016 — Stephen Green/Sports Illustrated

After turning in a career-best 2.44 ERA during the regular season (second in the NL only to Hendricks), Lester got the Cubs’ quest for a title off to a fine start in the Division Series opener on Oct. 7. He needed just 86 pitches to shut out the GIants for eight innings opposite Johnny Cueto, yielding only five hits without a walk and striking out five.

Miguel Montero, C

Though he battled injuries, struggled at the plate and lost playing time to Contreras, Montero remained a useful player off the bench. His eighth-inning pinch-hit grand slam off the Dodgers’ Joe Blanton gave the Cubs the go-ahead runs in their NLCS-opening 8–4 win on Oct. 15.

Mike Montgomery, RP

Acquired from the Mariners in a four-player deal on July 20, Montgomery helped Chicago out of the bullpen and as a rotation fill-in down the stretch, pitching to a 2.82 ERA in 17 appearances. On Aug. 11, he helped extend the Cubs’ winning streak to 10 games and collected his first W with the team via a scoreless 10th and 11th innings in a win over the Cardinals.

Anthony Rizzo, 1B

Rizzo tied Bryant for the team lead with four multi-homer games, the last of which came on Sept. 14 against the Cardinals, off Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha. The homers carried Rizzo to the 30-homer plateau for the third straight season and fueled a 7–0 win that reduced the Cubs’ magic number to clinch the NL Central to one with 17 games remaining.

Hector Rondon, RP

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images

After saving 59 games in 2014 and ‘15, Rondon began the ‘16 season as the Cubs’ closer, though he would later be displaced by Chapman. On June 4 against the Diamondbacks, Rondon converted his 10th straight save opportunity of the season and lowered his ERA to 0.98 with a scoreless inning that sealed a 5–3 win against the Diamondbacks.

David Ross, C

The Cubs’ elder statesman at 39 years old, Ross put together one of his best offensive seasons, reaching double digits in homers for the first time since 2007. On Sept. 14 against the Cardinals, he poked a two-run homer off Carlos Martinez, caught two baserunners stealing and called a three-hit combined shutout from Lester—whom he caddied to a Cy Young-caliber season—and Rondon

Addison Russell, SS

At 22, Russell became the second-youngest player to hit a grand slam in the World Series and he tied a Series record with six RBI as the Cubs routed the Indians 9-3 in Game 6 on Nov. 1. Yankees legend Mickey Mantle was 21 when he hit one on Oct. 4, 1953 against Brooklyn.

Kyle Schwarber, DH, LF

The Cubs had high hopes for Schwarber after he slugged 21 homers in 74 regular- and postseason games as a rookie in 2015, but those plans were put on hold when he tore the ACL and MCL of his left knee in an outfield collision on April 7. He missed the entire regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, but after an arduous rehab culminating in a two-game trip to the Arizona Fall League, he was included on the World Series roster. Schwarber started as the designated hitter in the first two games, going 1-for-3 in Game 1 and 2-for-4 with a walk and a pair of RBI singles in Game 2 as Chicago gained a split in Cleveland.

Jorge Soler, LF

Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images

Soler began the season as the Cubs’ regular leftfielder but struggled at the plate before missing two months due to a left hamstring strain. He returned to action on Aug. 5 against the Athletics, clouting a three-run homer off Dillon Overton in his first plate appearance—his first of seven home runs hit over the course of 26 starts for the remainder of the season.

Pedro Strop, RP

A popular teammate and a key setup man who whiffed 11.4 per nine in 54 appearances, Strop missed six weeks late in the season due to arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, suffered while fielding a ground ball on Aug. 10. His scoreless inning against the Cardinals on Sept. 23 was a reassuringly solid return that helped him to pitch his way onto the postseason roster.

Matt Szczur, LF

A reserve outfielder whose tenure in the Cubs’ organization dates to 2010—longer than any other Cub save for Contreras—Szczur helped the Cubs to their season-high 11th straight win on Aug. 12 against the Cardinals. He went 3-for-4 with a double, two homers, and a hit-by pitch, scoring four runs and driving in three in a 13–2 rout.

Travis Wood, RP

In Game 2 of the Division Series, Wood, a versatile lefty reliever who pinch-hit and even dabbled in the outfield during the regular season, became the first reliever to homer in a postseason game since 1924 (Rosy Ryan of the New York Giants in Game 3 of the World Series). He went yard against George Kontos, and also threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win in the Cubs' 5–2 victory on Oct. 8.

Ben Zobrist, 2B, LF

A favorite of manager Joe Maddon’s in Tampa Bay, the well-traveled Zobrist joined the Cubs and Maddon as a free agent last December and reprised his role as a second baseman and outfielder. In Chicago’s May 6 win over the Nationals, he capped a three-day, four homer, 11-RBI binge by homering twice off Max Scherzer, with the second longball a three-run shot.

The biggest game for every Chicago Cubs player