Game 5 was a fight to the finish for the Cubs and Nationals. Fans of both teams were on edge for the entire game; it was great baseball. Gio Gonzales started for the Nationals and Kyle Hendricks was on for Chicago. In the first inning, John Jay took advantage of a ground out on Anthony Rizzo to score the first run that made it 1-0 Cubs. But in the second, the Cubs were challenged. Hendricks gave up four runs when Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run, Anthony Rendon and Matt Weiters made it on base, and then Game 4 closer, Michael A. Taylor hit a home run that allowed three runs to make it 4-1 Nationals.
The Cubs scored two runs in the third by Wilson Contreras and Kris Bryant making it 4-3 Nationals. Both teams were scoreless in the fourth. However, in the fifth, the Cubs scored four runs to give them a 7-4 lead. Nationals scored two in the 6th, and the Cubs scored one to make it 8-6.
In the 7th inning, after Carl Edwards Jr. gave up a walk and Jose Quintana gave up a run, Cubs manager, Joe Maddon made another pitcher change to his closer, Wade Davis. As the Nationals chipped away at the Cubs’ lead, Wade Davis was excellent in keeping them at bay. To end the game, after 43 pitches, Davis’ 44th pitch struck out Bryce Harper. The Cubs rushed to the field in celebration. The final score of Game 5, Cubs 9-Nationals 8.
“I would say this is the most fun I’ve had playing in a baseball game, and it ranks right up there with winning the World Series,” Addison Russell said. This was the third time in consecutive seasons that the Cubs advanced to the NLCS. They will face the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series for the second consecutive year. Game 1 of the series starts on Saturday at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.
