The Chicago Cubs are fighting to save their season, and they started Thursday's battle versus the Milwaukee Brewers the same way they have started every game of this National League Division Series. The home team applied pressure on two-time All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta in the first inning, setting the table for a thunderous three-run Ian Happ blast. That home run not only gave the Cubbies an early lead in Game 4, but it also helped the iconic franchise achieve MLB history.
Following Happ's Wrigley Field heroics. Chicago has now gone deep in the first inning for the fourth time in a row during the playoffs, something that no other ballclub has ever done before, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. The problem, though, is that the Cubs still face a 2-1 deficit in this NLDS. If they are unable to complete the comeback and advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time eight years, this statistic will feel more nauseating than jubilant.
Cubs' hot starts have produced mixed results vs. Brewers
Michael Busch belted a solo shot to begin Game 1, but the Brewers responded with six runs in the next frame and cruised to a 9-3 blowout win. Seiya Suzuki launched a 440-foot three-run bomb two days later, but Andrew Vaughn tied the score with his own three-run homer. Milwaukee pulled out a 7-3 victory to take firm control of the series.
Chicago has flipped the script in The Friendly Confines, however, with Busch quickly answering a Brewers first-inning run with a dinger in Game 3. Pete Crow-Armstrong then hit a two-RBI single, and the squad ultimately hung on for a 4-3 win.
What will happen after Happ's HR? The Cubs remain in front 3-0 in the sixth inning, inching closer to a trip back to Milwaukee for a do-or-die Game 5. If the North Siders continue to send the ball into the seats early in the action, then this should be an October that fans will want to remember for a long time.
