The Windy City ballclub is playoff-bound again.
For the first occasion since 2020, the North Siders secured their place in the postseason tournament thanks to their 8-4 victory against the Pittsburgh squad this past Wednesday. The Chicago team notched four runs in the initial inning at PNC Park, partially thanks to long balls from Ian Happ and Moises Ballesteros, and they tacked on three more in the sixth to propel them to the four-run triumph.
This signifies the initial instance since the pandemic-affected 2020 season that the Chicago team will participate in the Major League Baseball postseason. The team posted a 34-26 record that year but couldn’t secure a victory in the playoffs, succumbing to the Miami team 2-0 in the wild-card series.
That defeat ultimately marked the commencement of the conclusion for the core group that guided the squad to a World Series championship in 2016. The Chicago team opted not to tender a contract to Kyle Schwarber in December 2020. After the team stumbled to a sluggish beginning in 2021, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant were all traded away.
The Chicago team concluded that season with a 71-91 record, positioning them fourth in the National League Central division. The team didn’t fare significantly better the subsequent year, posting a 74-88 record and securing third place in ’22.
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The Chicago team commenced exhibiting some indications of advancement in 2023. The additions of free agents Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger aided in elevating the team to an 83-79 finish. The team signed pitcher Shota Imanaga during the following offseason and registered an 83-79 record yet again in ’24.
Motivated by the advancement the team demonstrated, the Chicago team opted to aggressively pursue a playoff berth in 2025 by acquiring Houston’s prominent player Kyle Tucker through a trade. The transaction incurred a substantial cost, as the Chicago team traded prospect Cam Smith as part of the deal. The team also traded Cody Bellinger in a separate transaction to accommodate Tucker, who is in the concluding year of his contract and will become a free agent this coming winter.
Tucker’s presence promptly revitalized the remainder of the batting order. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was acquired in the Baez trade, amassed superstar-level statistics during the initial half of the current season. Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner both ascended to another level to elevate the batting order, and Matthew Boyd and the youthful Cade Horton reinforced the pitching personnel.
As they commenced play this past Wednesday, the Chicago team held the eighth position in Major League Baseball in terms of runs scored and ranked fifth in terms of runs permitted. In spite of this, the Chicago team has been unable to maintain pace with the Milwaukee squad, who currently spearhead all of baseball with 92 triumphs. While the Chicago team could theoretically still secure the division title, it is significantly more probable that the team will enter the postseason as a wild-card entrant.
With the postseason absence concluded, the Chicago team is setting its sights on another World Series title, but they will be required to vanquish some formidable adversaries in order to realize that aspiration. Both the Milwaukee and Philadelphia squads pose significant competition for the Chicago team. And even though the Los Angeles team hasn’t been as commanding as anticipated, the team emerged victorious just last season.
The voyage ahead will be arduous, but the Chicago team was consistently cognizant of that reality. After committing their assets to the pursuit of Tucker during the offseason, the Chicago team’s objective was never merely to secure a playoff berth; it was to attain ultimate victory.
The initial segment of that checklist has been fulfilled.
