The magic number now is just one for the Chicago Cubs to clinch to N.L. Central…
The St. Louis Cardinals have dominated the Chicago Cubs over the years, but the reversal of fortune has definitely blown the Cub’s way now, after Monday’s statement win in St. Louis, the Cubs are now just one game away — a win or a Brewers loss — from winning back to back N.L. Central division titles and making the playoffs a third season in a row.
In an interview with ESPN prior to game one of the important series, Zobrist could already taste that champagne:
"It would be nice to do it there. I’ll just say that. We intend to clinch there. For a lot of the guys that have been around here for a long time, it’s going to be very satisfying."
Tommy Pham had a problem with those choice words, fighting back with this tweet, which has now been deleted:
"Better not ask me how I’m doing on the field. I don’t wanna be his friend now. You know, you say you’re going to come here and pop bottles… don’t say hi to me on the field then."
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I definitely appreciate Pham’s intensity and killer instinct, but if you don’t want the Cubs to clinch on your home field, then beat them instead. That task has been hard for the Cardinals, however, with Zobrist and the Cubs have been playing with a sense of urgency in September, playing in true October form already:
"It’s the playoffs already for this team. We’re already thinking that way. It’s a matter of wrapping up the division in the next few days and then playing well going into the postseason. We’re in postseason mode right now, and we intend to continue that for the next month."
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The Cubs currently have the upper-hand and are definitely enjoying being at the top of the baseball world, where the Cardinals have been so many times over recent seasons. Come 2018 though, the Cardinals will be back with a vengeance, giving the Cubbies a run for their money and more of a fight than they have this season.